Thanks everyone! I always appreciate the advice from the pros. All of your quilts are so beautiful!
I wish I had a long arm so I can use some of these templates you recommend but I don't have the space for one, so instead I got the Bernina 830 which has a longer neck plus I have the Stitch Regulator foot (BSR). So I've been practicing on a few sample squares to get a feel for it and now I'm going to try stippling this quilt together. Wish me luck...LOL
Thanks
Barb

Google longarm quilting patterns. There are many great one's out there to choose from. Something will speak to you!
Here are a few sites that I use.

http://www.columbiariverquilting.com/
http://www.kmquiltingsupply.com/
http://www.goldenthreads.com/

Barbara

Great photo explanation, Lorchen!

Barb a "panto" is short for pantograph. It is an all-over design that goes from one side of the quilt to the other (usually done on a long-arm quilting machine) without regard to the quilt's design. Here is a link with lots of panto designs for sale that will give you an idea of the possibilities. http://www.urbanelementz.com/shop/category/continuous-line/

They are often used when a quilt has a very busy design where the quilting won't show much and will be more functional (to hold the quilt together) rather than the main focus of the quilt.

'Panto' is an overall quilt design that does not follow the lines of piecing. I bet Margo can explain it better. I'm attaching two pictures. The first one shows a quilt I made and the second picture is a clos-up of the back, showing the panto design used (done here in the UK by the longarm ladies at The Bramble Patch).



{!-- ia0 -->Barbara's Swansong 2.jpg{!-- ia0 -->

Okay....beginner here. I too have a busy quilt top and was searching the blog for ideas on how to go about quilting it and what color thread to use. I read this posting and saw your quilt top. I sure like the colors it's very nice and busy like mine. Can I get some suggestions from anyone out there on this. Margo you said something about Panto...not sure what that is. Is that the red X's you drew?
Barb

Because that top is so busy, your quilting really isn't going to show up much. I would just use a panto that gives you the amount of density you want the quilt to have. Definitely something with some curvy lines!

I'm not a longarm quilter, but I sometimes take my large bed quilts and have them longarm quilted. I really like your top. It's very 'strong' (both, colours and pattern). I would be very careful not to 'overwhelm' this piece, and opt for simple lines that echo or follow the strong shapes.

Hi, I am a begining long arm quilter- what design(s) would work on this quilt?