Using a homemade panto on DSM
 

To me, some quilts just scream for an edge to edge quilting pattern, but I don't have a long arm. I use a Janome 6600 and do all my own quilting....some SITD, some FMQ, and some straightline quilting. I am almost done sewing the blocks together on a scrappy blue "Wickedly Easy" quilt. I have been thinking about the quilting and really want to do an edge to edge, like a panto. Have any of you made your own designs? Did you draw them on the quilt top first? Am I biting off more than I will want to chew?

No you are not bitting off more than you can chew. As to panto like designs. The stencil manufacturers have plastic stencils in the continuous line panto type that can be continued for the design. Search their web sites. They probably will be in a category for "background continuous line" designs. Using these with the Miracle Chalk pounce type marking makes it a breeze to mark and then quilt. You only need to mark a bit at the time.

I remember watching my grandmother using a stencil she cut out of a cereal box. She used an
old washcloth and pounced chalk dust onto the quilt and then quilted by hand. Why can't you do the same thing, only use modern products? I have see stencils and a spray "coloring" to mark the quilt. Try on a smaller sample and see if it works.

I print the designs in EQ7, trace them onto Golden threads paper, sew thru without thread, and pounce a line at a time. Have fun...you can SO do this!!!

There are lots of free panto designs at http://www.urbanelementz.com/ . You can print out a design, sew over the design without thread, and use that as a stencil.

Prism, thank you for that site! I lost it when I got my new laptop!

Thanks so much....found the website and downloaded quite a few patterns....I think I will be trying different methods of marking the quilt by practicing on a kitty bed quilt.

I have a Janome 7700 and do edge to edge designs using pantographs. I buy the paper pantos and trace them onto golden threads paper. Then I needle punch without thread and use that as a stencil. For light fabrics where the powder will not show up I either quilt from the back or mark the top using a light box and frixion pens.