Note: I’ve noticed lately that the photos in the posts look blurry and low quality.  This is not true if you click on them to look at them.  Until I figure out what it is that’s doing this, please click on the images to see them the way I intended for them to look for you.

I attended a pantograph class at Sparrow earlier this month and learned a few things.  The most important was speed.  The easiest (and most counter intuitive) way to get a better result – less boxy corners, smoother lines –  is mash the gas pedal.

In the past few weeks, I’ve also learned that – within reason, this is also true with a lot of quilting and sewing in general.  For instance, I sew a much straighter line by going faster and watching the guide tape I’ve put on the bed in front of my machine than I do to watch the needle and try to keep it straight against the 1/4″ guide.  My bindings may have a chance, one day in the distant future, of being presentable!

Of course, this takes a little practice, and it does mean that if you go off course, you go a fair way off course before you bring it back, but the overall result tends to be smoother and better.

With pantos, the goal isn’t to follow the lines exactly.  That pretty much guarantees that your stitching will be really jerky.  Use each of the “points” as a place to aim for.  Obviously this is easier on a panto with points, but if your panto is basically a meander, like my first one is, then treat it a little like driving.  We don’t aim for points there, we pick a spot to point the car towards and head towards it.

Look ahead.  Just like with driving, your hood ornament isn’t going to help you.  Try to be planning where you’re headed rather than correcting at the last second.

I found myself falling into the rhythm of the panto, and Lucey and I started to dance.  Dip here, swirl there, a little curve, then a turn there.  She’s a wonderful dance partner.

The first panto I did at Sparrow on the 9th:

 

In fact, I’m convinced that she’s going to be great training for the motorcycles next summer.  I have a bad habit of hanging on too tight when I ride.  It causes arm pump, jerky movements and sometimes for me to end up heading in directions I don’t mean to.  See where I’m headed with this?  😉  Lucey tends to jump to conclusions and wander away from our course when I hold on too tight and give her mixed signals too.  She’s forcing me to look ahead, let go and she insists that I “get out of my head”.  Who knew she’d make me a better rider and a more relaxed human?

Here’s the charity quilt I panto’d on the 14th:

Does this mean that all I’m going to do is pantos from here on out?  Heck no!  I caught myself zoning out on this last panto.  I know why some people have said that they don’t do them because they value their sanity.

 

Today’s post title brought to you by Van Halen – Dance the Night Away