panto's

[bev/mo]

What is the largest size panto that we can use on the ELite or "favorites" machine??
Thanks
Bev/Mo

[Brenda J]

I wouldn't buy any bigger than 15 inch. Most run less than that anyway.

HTH!

[bev/mo]

The reason I asked about the panto size is that I have a 14" that I can't use, when I got to about 1/2" from the top, it "bumped".....and am so disappointed. Why if I can take a 15, can't I use the 14? Am I not understanding something?
Bev

[Michelle Wyman]

I don't like to quilt more than a 14" panto on my A1. And being a pattern designer, I don't like to design them to be more than 14".

As for why you can do a 15" but not a 14", there are a few reasons. One is the total height the pattern, others are the batting and the size of the quilt.

Make sure the total height of your panto is not larger than about 14". Total height is from the highest point of the pattern to the lowest point of the pattern. You may need to look across the panto to find the highest and lowest points, they might not be directly in line with each other. If you only measure from the highest point to the indent directly under that, it will not take into account any interlock distance. There are pantos out there that are made for larger LA's so be careful when purchasing.

The longer the quilt, the more it rolls up on the take up roller. So if the quilt is very long, by the time you get near the bottom, it may run out of space.

Also, the thicker the batting, the more poofy the quilt is, and the more space it takes up on the take up roller too. Same problem near the bottom, perhaps happening even sooner.

The solution to both the long quilt and the puffy batting is to raise the take up roller by turning the handwheel. Do this as you get towards the bottom of the quilt, when the take up roller is getting full. That will raise the take up roller higher up in the arc of the back of the machine, giving you that needed 1" or so.

Another hint is to make sure you don't have your extended base on when you do pantos. That will eat up space too because it sticks out in front and will reduce the amount of space you have to quilt in.

HTH

[Brenda J]

Michelle explained it very well. If the interlock is a very deep V you have to have a smaller width per pass.

Make sure that as you advance, that you move the needle as far back as you can go, and move the laser to that position, then move it as far forward as you can go, to makes sure you can do a big enough pass. Sometimes there is very little wiggle room by the end of the quilt, as Michelle explained.

[bev/mo]

Thanks for your input. I do understand what your explaining about the size of the panto. I guess Im frustrated as I have a gorgeous one that I love and come within 1/2" of being able to use it.......I did measure the panto from the highest point to the lowest point and it is definately 14". Not being sure if one will work or not is going to be frustrating when I can't see one until after its purchased and I receive it ......so will need to stick to 13 or less......seems unfair, huh?
Well, we learn from experience, don't we?
Thanks again guys...I appreciate your help.
Bev

[jfenton]

It might be useful to know the name of the panto. Someone might have figured out how to make it work

Janet

[bev/mo]

Thanks Janet, thats a fabulous idea. The name is " Simple Feather Meandering" by Linda Taylor of Lindas Electric Quilters.
It measures 14" from the highest point to the lowest point.

Its an absolutely gorgeous panto ( in my eyes) and I refuse to give up on it.....Im hoping someone will still have an answer for me. I will even look into doing some redesigning on it myself if I have too......I just love it.
Bev

[Brenda J]

Two of my favorite pantos are Featheration (which reads 13 3/4" high from lowest to top point) and Oh My Feathers (which is 14 inches from lowest to highest point per pass). I use them all the time without bumping.

After you advance your quilt, put your needle into the lowest point of where the next pass goes. Then move your quilt back toward the TUR until you are almost hitting and move the laser down to that point. That should give you enough room for that panto.

I don't have to do it that way with those pantos, but maybe that will help you get a better feel for centering it in the bed. That panto should work.

[bev/mo]

Breanda,
thanks so much for the suggestion. Im not sure what the TUR is tho?? Maybe its just too early in the morning, sorry.
I sure am going to give it a try.....like I said, I refuse to give up on that panto and certainly agree that I should beable to use it.
Bev

[sdgodfrey]

TUR is the Take-up roller.

I've found this topic to be very interesting. I have a 15" panto that I haven't been able to use. I may try one more time using the hints here.

[bev/mo]

Thanks.....At this hour of the morning, I couldn't figure out what TUR ment....duh!
Well, I can't believe Im the only one with this issue either. THere are so many wonderful pantos out there and I just want to know whats the largest I can use. I can see where that may be different from panto to panto. The ladies here are most helpful and I appreciate their suggestions.
I haven't had my new A-1 long and want to make the most of it....its an amazing machine.
Bev

[Penny]

I don't know why you are having difficulty doing a 14" panto. I could see 15 being tight but you should be having no trouble with a 14.

This is how you can fix it.

In the following picture you will see a brace at the back of the carriage. Loosen the nut & turn the brace the way that it is in the pic. That will give you at least another inch of quilting space. I always just had that nut finger tightened so that I could turn it at any given time. Your machine is balanced to work with the brace going the other way than in the picture so it is best to keep it the way the factory or your dealer set it up. I found that when turned the way that I have it in the picture, the machine might chatter a bit but the stitches & handling of the machine was never affected.

There is another way to get many more inches of quilting space but you don't want to do that. I'll tell you about it anyway - just for fun. Raise the take up lever up as far as it will go. It will take you a while of cranking. Your poor automatic advance motor will be upside down at this point (if I remember correctly). Take the batting pole from underneath your machine & lay it on the nuts that are just below the take up roller. The batting pole acts as a leveler. I forget how many inches of quilting space that you then have but it is more than you would ever need.

Well, forget it. When I figure out how to upload a pic, then I'll do it.[/img]

[bev/mo]

Thanks Penny....now Im curious to see the picture.....hope your able to get it loaded ok. I have a quilt on the frame ready to go.......Im getting wonderful tips on this forum.
Bev

[Penny]

[Penny]

Sorry - 2 degrees & stupider than a barn owl - I just can't figure out how to upload a picture. Maybe someone else could take a pic of the brace turned backwards - Michelle?

[Susan MacDonald]

Try raising your Take up roller higher. I can do a 15 inch panto that way. Just be aware that some designers list the panto with the amount you advance not the total height. I bought KathieJames Fern Meander which was listed as 13" but it is really 15.5 I think. I could do it but had to be very careful. I have Lindas Simple Feather meander as well and had no trouble using it.

Susan M

[Michelle Wyman]

Penny, I wish I could take a pic of the brace location change but I don't even know what you are talking about!!! ??? I knew you had a bit more room than I do but I thought it was because you have the eccentric nuts on your carriage and I don't. I am going to try to figure out what the backwards brace is...

I can do a 14" panto no problem. I do use the 'raise the take up roller' technique to gain a bit more space if needed, but not to the extent you mentioned. I will have to try that 'super duper raising' and see how it works next time I need more space.

Maybe you can send me a pic of the brace? And maybe if Bev posts her email you can send it to her too?

I am going to test inserting a picture of my granddaughter... let's see if I can do it!

[Michelle Wyman]

Hmmm, I cannot get a picture to show up either.

The link is there but it's not a live link so nothing happens.

Anyone know how to do this??

[Michelle Wyman]

OHHHH!!!!! Penny, I looked at my A1 to see if I could figure out what you meant by the brace being turned backwards... And I did!!!

You mean the little black L shaped metal stop bracket right?? It is sitting on the carriage rail at the back of the LA facing in toward the wheel. I can see if this is set the other way - so it almost hangs off the back of the rail - that we would gain about a half an inch of quilting space.

I do think that I'd still prefer to raise the take up roller tho... it does seem that if the LA were to go that far back, it could jump the track so to speak.

But at least now, I know what you are talking about!!!

[sdgodfrey]

Re: posting pictures

According to the FAQs here:

"Can I post Images?
Images can indeed be shown in your posts. However, there is no facility at present for uploading images directly to this board. Therefore you must link to an image stored on a publicly accessible web server, e.g. http://www.some-unknown-place.net/my-picture.gif. You cannot link to pictures stored on your own PC (unless it is a publicly accessible server) nor to images stored behind authentication mechanisms such as Hotmail or Yahoo mailboxes, password-protected sites, etc. To display the image use either the BBCode [img] tag or appropriate HTML (if allowed)."

So it sounds to me like you really can't post pictures unless you have them stored somewhere they're not protected by a firewall or a password. Webshots may work, not sure.

[elainegilmore]

Used to be able to upload pics. Not sure what's up! Sorry. I'll pass it onto A1 and see if they know anything.

[Cheryl K.]

I'm late to this discussion but you might want to look at Penny Bubar's You Tube segments "lining up a panto and other tips." I'm guessing when you started on your quilting, you might not have had your paper and laset set up where you could take advantage of the full quilting depth as you rolled. What I mean is, you may have had more room at the bottom edge than you need so you could not get the reach at the top edge (as you look at the panto.) But you can fix that, one of Penny's videos shows moving the laser. She's not fixing your exact problem, but apply a little logic and I bet you'd be o.k! Search "lining up a panto" on youtube - I'm not sure which of her segments it's in, but her videos are well worth the time to watch -

Hope that helps.

[bev/mo]

Thanks Cheryl for your reply. Im sorry for not getting back to this post but life got in the way to include best friend in serious car accident.

My panto is lined up correctly, however I think my issue was in the laser light. I did some tweaking and fussing and managed to get it to work.
Imagine my delight at being able to stitch that wonderful panto with no issues, plus I can see where I can do even larger pantos.

I've been longarm quilting for sometime, however, I've always worked from the front, as free motion is my favorite thing to do. I've been wanting to do pantos as they are gorgeous, so I had/have alot to learn about them.
I sincerely appreciate everyones suggestions.
Thanks,
Bev