Friday, February 1, 2013

Pantographs From The Front of Your Machine

Just wanted to share some pictures of how I do pantographs on my Hinterberg frame from the front.  My quilting room is extremely small so my quilting system is as far back to the wall as I can possibly get it.  Moving the machine out each time I want to do a pantograph isn't an option.  So, with lots of research and advice from several sources, this is what I came up with.... hey, it is also VERY inexpensive.

First I purchased some foam board that is available at most retail stores and craft stores.  You will also need some binder clips in small and medium.

 I love the quilt just like I always do with the except of leaving the lower belly bar in the up position.  (This is the bar that the quilt top attaches to.)
I cut the form board in half so they are 10" wide each.  Using two of the medium binder, I attached the form boards together to make a long piece.  I am assemblying this on the frame so I have the quilt top for support. 
 
 
I then lay my pantograph on top and attache the pantograph to the form boards using small binder clips.  I typically allign the each of my paper with the edge of the boards for simplicity.

Now it's time to line up my pantograph with my quilt top to get started.  I just use a ruler and measure from the each of the quilt top, making sure I have enough space to finish my design.
 
With my laser mounted to the front of the machine.  I am ready to quilt with my pantograph and make a beautiful design.
 
Just a note... before I got my current laser light holder, I just taped a laser light to a large binder clip and attached the binder clip to my handles on the front side.
 
One of the great advantages to this method (other than how inexpensive it is) is that when I am not using it, it is very easy to disassemble and store.  Others have talked about purchasing a long shelf from Lowes or Home Depot and place that in the same method on the belly bars.
 
Hope this helps someone.  Just give it a try and modifiy to something that works for you.
 

Rhonda
 
 

11 comments:

  1. Nice info but how do you keep the foam boards from moving around when quilting?

    Sally in WA (from the Hinty group)

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    1. I don't seem to have a problem until I get to the very last row and I just hold it in place myself. I do use a binder clip on each side to attach it to the backing. However, I don't think that really holds very good.
      It just doesn't seem to move all by itself. We could probably add sand paper dots to the back to help stabilize it. ????

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  2. Where did you get your laser light holder? And your laser?

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    1. The holder came from Nolting. They still have some of the stock from buying out Hinterberg. Not sure if they have any left but it is worth a call. If not, let me know and I will see how I can help.
      The laser lights I use just come from the check out line at WalMart. I usually purchase several at a time because it is cheaper to purchase the whole light than replace the batteries. :)
      Lowes has a better price on their website, but I have not verified the size to make sure they are the same.

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  4. Thank you so much for these instructions! I went out on my lunch hour and purchased the foam board and plan on trying this idea tonight! YAY! Thank you.

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  5. This is very interesting. Thanks much for sharing! I don't quite understand what you attach the black boards to though...I am with the first commenter...wouldn't the boards move when you roll the quilt? They are not attached in any way? Thanks again!

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  6. Thanks for your pictures. I am going to attempt this today. Also couldn't you float your top so its not on roll underneath pantograph so you don't have to remove that everytime you advance?

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  7. My question, too, was how to keep the foam boards from rolling as the quilt is advanced. Do you just lay the foam on top of the sandwich, then remove everything, advance the quilt, replace the foam back on top of the belly bar, then quilt the panto design as before? Thank you.

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  8. I discovered your blog and am so impressed with how you managed to do pantographs from the front. I rigged up my own version and was able to clip it to the edges of my Inspira Frame so that the pantograph board did not move as I advanced my quilt. I have just upgraded to a Grace Q'Nique 15R and a 12' Continuum frame. The frame is being drop shipped to me so I don't have it set up yet, but would like to continue to do pantos from the front. Do you still use this method? How did you manage to keep your panto board (the foam board) stationary? I am from North Alabama myself. Your work is breathtakingly beautiful.

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  9. Thank you for your instructions on doing pantos from the front of your longarm. I'm going to do pantos from the front also. The hardest part for me is lining up the next row for quilting. If you have any suggestions on that let me know. Thanks, LJ

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