true4uca

Have been trying my new frame & Juki2000 (9inch throat). Can I do an all over panto with this set-up. Right now my swirls look like little soldiers, row after row. I'd like to not see so much blank spaces and not see where I start so clearly. Does anyone know what I mean. Can anyone recommend a very beginner panto.

QuiltnNan

you need to find a panto that 'nests' ... where the height of the panto fits into the next row. then you don't start sewing where the last one ends, but a little before it ends. the panto should tell you the overlap distance. i use my juki on a frame, too. by the time you get to the end of a large quilt, you only have about 4.5" quilting height available, so choose the panto accordingly

JustAbitCrazy

Sure, you can use a pantograph. You have to figure out the distance you can comfortably travel and buy a pantograph within that size. Within a nine inch throat you will probably be comfortable traveling about half that distance. You also have to watch when quilting a large quilt, because as the completed quilt is rolled up onto the take up bar inside the throat, you lose throat space, thus you lose traveling distance. There are many websites which sell pantographs. One of my favorites is "quiltscomplete". You can also buy a roll of paper and make your own pantographs, either from original design ideas or by tracing quilting patterns in books. Patterns which have not so obvious rows of quilting generally follow a zig zag path across the quilt. Each zig zag row fits together with the ones before and after it. But to accomplish that within a 4 inch wide path, the quilting is going to have to be carefully planned, or kind of dense. Good luck, have fun, and pm me if you have other questions.

true4uca

Thank you for this site, it really helped me see I'm not starting my second row properly. Now just have to understand how to off set the second row so they nest. I just discovered a you tube video showing how to do this, of course I didn't really unserstand it.

sandybeach

I have the same set-up you do with my Pfaff 9" throat. I found that I like the panto that has NO sharp points. Only flowing curves. And make sure that each row is exactly the same so that when you run out of room for two passes, you can move your panto paper to fit properly. It gets very tight after about the first 1/3 of the quilt and you can only make one pass before having to move the quilt layers. The site below is somewhat what I mean. I would put two 3-inch rows together to start, then use just one after you run out of room. Hope this makes sense. If not, you can PM me.

http://www.quiltscomplete.com/Produc..._DS-DH579.aspx

JustAbitCrazy

Sandybeach's right. A good beginner panto would be something curvy without alot/any points. You also want something which is forgiving--nothing geometric with exact repeats, because if you don't hit the lines exactly, it is immediately obvious. You want something like leaves, flowers, fish, etc. which will look good even if they are not all exactly the same. You also want some room between quilting lines, so if you are off the line you won't overlap other stitching. When you do get to machine quilting points, you have to hit them fast and get off them fast. I imagine a ping pong ball bouncing off a wall. If you linger too much on the point you get a build up of thread there, like a little knot. If you don't actually hit the point, the stitch crosses over it and there is no point in the stitching. Takes practice to get it right. It's not easy to be perfect on every point. You have to concentrate continuusly. There are videos to show you how to line up each row when pantographing. I always do a dry run with the machine not running once I think the next row is lined up, and before I actually quilt it, pausing at each or many low points in the pattern to see where they will stitch out---not overlapping the previous row, and not to far away, either. Good luck to you, have fun! and practice, practice, paractice.

true4uca

Thank you both for you help. I may have bitten off too much. I have done two twin sized practice sandwiches so far. I knew it just wasn't right, now I know I didn't nest them. I won't be able to try again till sometime in April.
Sandy, I need to get that panto. Quilt Cad came with my frame, doubt I'll ever be able to use it.

sandybeach

true4uca,

I have a very good panto that came with my machine. If I can get it scanned, I will send it to you.