I'm too shakey to try and follow a panto with a laser or stylus. I just can not keep it on the correct line and I panic. I love the Groovy Boards or Design Template Boards. They are so very easy to use. The results are always the same. I have some stored in a box under my frame and some are under the china cabinet that's filled with batiks.

I have 2 sets of the stylus type designs. The stylus does not come out of the groove. Mine are made of a heavy material, but they don't weigh much. But I do want to learn to do my quilting free-hand. Someday! I also have the lazer for the pantographs. Haven't tried those yet. They came with my Ken-Quilt. LAQ But I do enjoy hand-quilting a lot more than the machine.

For jcrowe: I felt the same with my new Bernina 820, but once I watched someone install a quilt onto a similar frame, I decided to try it too. Now I wonder what all the fuss was about. The size of the table was intimidating to me, but I just center whatever size I'm quilting. The machine works beautifully if I oil and clean it after each project and change the needle. The Grace videos about loading the frame for quilting are helpful too. I've probably watched each one at least 10 times. I also labeled the long rods, and store them standing up in a corner rather than mounted on the table as this helps the room not seem so cramped. A friend wraps her rods and stores them on the floor behind the table when they are not in use. I encourage you to allow yourself to give this a try if you haven't already done so.

I have used a stylus (just pointed down toward the table) and laser. I prefer the laser. I can get on the line better than just the stylus. I looked into the grooved boards (diff manufacturers) and they were too pricey for me as an add on. I was not a duck to water with pantos. For me, its harder to follow someone else's line (as in panto), than to make a line of my own. As I have gotten better control of my machine, the pantos look good. (I'm my pickiest critic!). I still love freemotion and if I can teach myself a shape freehand, I will.