Midnight Sparkle is a very versatile pantograph. From fireflies to angels to Halloween to Christmas – this pantograph adds just the right combination of swirls and sparkles.
If you have a quilt that needs some “midnight sparkle,” just let me know. I’d love to be your longarm quilter!
What do you think of the Midnight Sparkle pantograph?
Sometimes it’s hard to imagine what a specific pantograph will look like on a particular quilt.
Soho is one of my favorite, most versatile pantographs. It looks great on a lot of different quilts. It has curves, which nicely complement quilts with lots of 90 and 45 degree angles. The one little “point” that is found in Soho keeps it from being too “frilly,” making it a great choice for more masculine quilts.
Leave me a comment below – I’d love to hear your thoughts on the Soho pantograph.
Is it helpful for you to see different quilts all done with the same pantograph? I have some others shown in my Gallery.
Are there any pantographs in particular that you would like to see showcased like this?
Do you ever finish a quilt top and then just let it sit because you aren’t sure how to quilt it? Choosing a quilting design, or “pantograph,” can feel like a daunting choice. The quilting design can really change how the finished quilt looks, and it can feel a little scary.
When I receive a quilt to be longarm quilted, sometimes my client knows exactly how they want the quilt quilted; other times, they may have some ideas, but are looking for guidance; still others have no idea what they want and sometimes don’t even want to be involved – they just say “do whatever you think will look good.”
I really enjoy helping quilters decide on a quilting design, so if you are ever in need of longarm quilting, please do not hesitate to ask for some guidance and suggestions if you aren’t sure how you want it quilted. I love helping quilters bring their vision for their quilt to life!
Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to help you decide on a quilting design:
1. Is your quilt top “busy”?
If your quilt top does not have a lot of negative space (i.e., solid areas of background), is very scrappy, or is made up of lots of bold, busy prints, then whatever quilting design you choose probably won’t show very much (at least on the front). In this case, you can choose a design based on what you want to show on the back of the quilt or you can focus on texture and choose a design that will give you an interesting all-over texture.
In the quilt shown below, I chose a simple wavy line quilting design. This provides texture without distracting from the piecing, which is really the star of the show in this quilt.
2. Is there a lot of negative space?
If your quilt has a lot of solid color negative space (e.g., a lot of modern quilts have large areas that are not pieced), whatever quilting design you choose will show up a lot in that negative space. Quilting designs that include floral, animal, or other novelty designs can be a good choice because they will show up well in that negative space.
Below is one example of a quilt where we chose a very dense floral quilting pattern so that it would really show in the background areas of the quilt.
3. What angles are used in the piecing?
Quilts that are very geometric often look good with a quilting design that introduces some curves. The curves contrast with the straight lines of the piecing and often produce a very pleasing result.
However, a geometric quilt may also look good with corresponding geometric quilting. In this case, you want to match the angles. For example, if your quilt is pieced with 60 degree triangles, you wouldn’t want to use a quilting design that is based on 45 degree angles.
Below are three examples of geometric quilts that were quilted with designs that introduced curves of varying degrees.
4. What fabrics are used?
If there are prints used in the quilt top, motifs from the fabrics themselves can often provide inspiration for the quilting design.
In the examples below, the floral fabrics inspired a floral quilting design and the screen of one of the retro TVs inspired the retro starburst quilting design.
5. Is there a “theme” of the quilt?
Sometimes the overall “theme” of the quilt can provide inspiration for the quilting design.
Below are examples of this.
I hope this gives you some food for thought when it comes to choosing a quilting design for your next quilt!
Slice of Pi Quilts is hosting a quilt-along for the Exploding Heart pattern.
As part of the Longarm League, I am one of a few longarm quilters offering 20% off quilting service for any Exploding Heart quilt received by June 1, 2021.
We have had to make some changes for this event.
We are hoping to be able to make this a regular event, possible monthly or quarterly.
Also, for anyone who makes a quilt top for Quilts for Cops and delivers it to me to be quilted and sent to an injured first responder, I will give that maker 20% off longarm quilting for one of their quilts. (One discounted quilt for each quilt top made for Quilts for Cops.)
Thank you for supporting this non-profit and our first responders!
On Friday, October 23, 2020, we will be hosting a sew day for Quilts for Cops in Priest River, Idaho. Volunteers will donate $35 each and spend the day sewing a quilt top to be finished and sent to a first responder who has been injured in the line of duty.
For information on this non-profit organization and/or this sew day event, please visit the Quilts for Cops website.
2020 has been a tough year for first responders. As of this writing, Quilts for Cops is closing in on their 500th donated quilt for the year.
I am one of 5 longarm quilters offering 20% off quilting services for this quilt through the end of the year. This quilt has the option for single-fabric stars or scrappy stars – or a combination of both!
I am one of just a few Longarm League quilters who are offering a 20% discount for longarming the State Avenue quilt through the end of October.
Check out www.nolliebean.com for details!
If you are a new client, I will apply the 30% off new client discount to your next quilt (i.e., the new client discount may not be used or combined with the 20% off sew along discount, but it will apply to your next quilt).
The American Sewing Guild Inland Northwest Shop Hop is in full swing. The shop hop started Thursday, July 16, and runs through Saturday, July 25. There are 19 shops participating, with free patterns, door prizes, raffles, and other fun stuff!
Sew Organic Fabric is an online only fabric store that sells only organic fabrics. (That is, fabrics grown and milled according to organic processes.) These lines just happen to include Charley Harper prints, which are always a big hit!
I had the pleasure of doing the longarm quilting on the Meadowland quilt, pictured above, for Sew Organic Fabric.
The store is setup on the front lawn of a home in Otis Orchards, Washington for the shop hop, and I will be helping out at the shop during the shop hop. We are closed for the next few days, but will be open again on Friday, July 24 (9am-6pm) and Saturday, July 25 (10am – 5pm).
Stop by and say hello! (and mention that you saw it here!)
After 18+ years of working at a law firm, I have given notice and will be transitioning to full-time quilting as of July 16! I am so very excited to be more fully available to provide you with great service as your longarm quilter.
This transition to full-time quilter is starting off with a bang as it happens to coincide with the ASG Inland Northwest Shop Hop. I will be helping out at Sew Organic Fabric during the shop hop, and hope to see many of you there!