Drawing my own pantographs

[Mercedes]

I want to draw a couple of my own pantographs to use on donation quilts.   Has anyone done this before?  If so can you share how you did it?  I was thinking to just draw one section and then copy that drawing and tape them together.  I'd like to have them large enough to use up the space Millie has - would that be about 18 inches wide?

 

Also, how would I figure out where my registration points would be to set the laser for the second row?  Do I need to make a corner design also and a half design?  I've never used a pantograph before so am guessing as to what I need.

 

Not sure exactly what questions to ask but would appreciate anyone who can share their experience in doing this.   Thanks in advance.

[ffq-lar]

Your thought to draw a section and copy them is a good idea. The only thing you need to remember is to have your entry/exit points in the same spot--one on the left and the other on the right edge.

 

I took a class years ago on drawing pantos and the instructor had great ideas. She used tessellated tiles for her pantos. Those are basic geometric shapes that fit together and cover 100% of the space--like tiles on a floor.

The basic one was was a shape where the top and bottom were bell curves with the right and left sides about four inches wide (a fat circle pinched at both ends). If you can draw that shape you'll see that when you tape the pieces in a line you have a natural wave above and below. If you're interested, I can go into more detail.

 

To answer your questions about corners and half designs? Not needed since pantos are used for overall designs usually, and not borders. If you draw your own design, copy very faintly the nearest edge of the design at the far side so you can use your laser to help line up the next row. A good suggestion since you aren't familiar with pantos is to find some panto tutorials on-line so you can understand panto placement and how to advance for the next row.

[Mercedes]

These are great tips!  I did view some videos online on pantos so I think I understand the basics of lining them up if thy have the registration marks.  I would appreciate any other details you have on doing the bell curves.  That sounds like something that would be easy to do for the first one and after I understand it better, I can draw my own custom ones.   Thank you!

[Kueser]

I'm not sure if you want to go 18 inches as it gets hard to move to the top of the design after you have quilted several rows and the take-up bar fills.

[ffq-lar]

These are great tips!  I did view some videos online on pantos so I think I understand the basics of lining them up if thy have the registration marks.  I would appreciate any other details you have on doing the bell curves.  That sounds like something that would be easy to do for the first one and after I understand it better, I can draw my own custom ones.   Thank you!

 

 

To make a dummy tile, take a small square or rectangle of paper and fold it in half two times. With the folds to the left and at the bottom, and the single edges to the right, start a cut about a quarter of the way from the bottom right on the single edge and cut a graceful S-curve to almost meet the edge at the top. Open the paper to see what one tile looks like. You can see if you tape the narrow sides together you will get a long undulating strip that can be used as a base for your panto drawings. Draft the size you want on a larger sheet of paper, copy it several times and do your drawing within the curves. Remember to enter and exit the sides at the same point relative to the edges. Don't get too close to the curves but fill the space as densely as you want. Make maybe four similar-but-different drawings including the same elements (like vines and leaves or a meander with hearts or stars) and then make as many copies of your four drawings as you think you'll need. Cut out the tiles along the curves and carefully tape them together so they're straight and in a long strip. There's your panto ready to be positioned and taped to the table. If you copy enough tiles for a second row, the trick is to place the second strip to offset the first by half a tile. Then as you advance, the second set nests into the curves of the first row and there's no "row" look like you'd have with a panto filling a rectangle of paper. You can remove the first panto section and place the second, but better to leave the first taped down, put the second on top, and just watch what your doing for the second pass! Take up #2 and there's #1 ready for the third row.

 

There is one hint to make it work well--your tile curve must be symmetrical for the second run to nest into the first run. One way to accomplish this is by trial-and-error. Another is to draft it small, get the S-curve that works, and then scan to enlarge it. I use a circle template to get a nice curve in the top and the trough and then connect with a straight line. This assures that your waves will interlock. Draw your curve on one master copy, make some copies, do the drawings and make copies of them. Cut the curves and randomly tape them together.

 

As usual, this is long-winded and easier to show than to describe!

Draft the concept on graph paper just to assure yourself how it all fits together. 

[Mercedes]

OK, I've printed out the directions and will give it a try.  Thanks for writing all this out.  I can't wait to give it a try.

[skg55]

This is great information.... I now want to try this too... Thanks for the details appreciate it.