In the summer of 2022, we asked longarm quilters what their current go-to pantographs were. I invited quilters from the Longarm League membership—along with other quilters who follow our social media accounts or subscribe to our email newsletter—to chime in with their current favorite edge-to-edge designs. Since it's been a few years, we thought it was time to revisit and see which pantos are at the top of quilters' current go-to lists. These are the designs that are not only easy to use but also work well on many different types of quilts, a win-win for sure!
Ninety-five quilters participated in our survey this year (up from 2022), submitting three of their top choices for edge-to-edge designs. We compiled the list and sorted it according to the number of mentions each design received. Where we had a tie in votes, the designs are listed in alphabetical order.
We tried to be as accurate as possible when compiling this list and crediting all of the quilters and designers involved in each project, but if you see any info that needs correcting, please email us at [email protected]. Each bolded pantograph title is linked to a retail listing.
It was interesting comparing this year's results to 2022, as we had a much higher number of individual pantos submitted this year, meaning many designs had just one vote, with fewer designs rising to the top of the list with multiple votes. A number of the designs from 2022 are still favorites today and stayed on the list, while new pantos have also emerged as favorites.
The quilts featured in this post were all quilted by members of the Longarm League - we love getting to showcase their talent! We hope you enjoy perusing the list and seeing this year's winning pantos. 🏆
*Fun fact* Malachite won by a landslide, with almost twice as many votes as our #2 winner!
Quilting and photo by Jenn Giesbrecht of Jenn G. Quilt Co.
Quiltmaker: Janice @prairieandocean
Quilt Pattern: Archie Quilt by Penelope Handmade
*Fun fact* Ginger Snap jumped up in the rankings, moving from 8th place in our 2022 Top 20 to the number two spot this year!
Quilt and photo by Meghan Morris of A Piece of Quiet Quilts
Quiltmaker: Cindy A. @sewlovequilt
Quilt pattern: Daisy Mae by Abby Maed
*Fun fact* Soho and Ginger Snap above are both double loop designs, and tied in votes to be our #2 & 3 winners this year!
Quilt and photo by Angie Brandl of Angie Brandl Handmade
Quilted yardage for bag-making.
*Fun fact* It's not surprising this design made the top five, given it's one of the most versatile pantographs on the list. A quick Instagram search shows an amazing variety of quilts and projects using this panto, from sports and t-shirt quilts, to Kaffe Fasset patchwork, EPP hexagons, Tula Pink bags, and more!
Quilt and photo by Michelle Pratt of Seashell Quilting
Quiltmaker: Ruth
Quilt Pattern: Book Nook by Pen and Paper Patterns
*Fun facts* We have a blog post showing the behind-the-scenes process of creating this pantograph and what goes into digitizing a design.
Another fun fact is that the quilt pattern shown below is a free download from Tilda Fabrics - the link below will take you to the blue colorway seen here, but free patterns are also available for a sage green version as well as pillows.
Quilting and photo by Julia Ward of Quilting Jules
Quiltmaker: Donna
Quilt Pattern: Blooming Lanterns Quilt by Tildasworld
*Fun fact* Diagonal Plaid is the oldest panto on the list - it's already 12 years old and still going strong. A true classic!
Quilting and photo by Amber Foret of SunRae Designs
Quiltmaker: @willowoakdesign
Quilt Pattern: Callie Quilt by Sew & Sew Quilting Co.
*Fun fact* Another design that's been around for a decade - did you notice that six of our top ten pantos have been around for at least eight years?
Quilt and photo by Sarah Ruiz of Sarah Ruiz Quilts / Saroy
Quilt Pattern: Wholecloth version of Sarah's Sunsparks quilt, printed with Spoonflower
*Fun fact* Wishbone was the first pantograph sent out to members of the Longarm League's Digital Panto Club when it started back in September of 2019. And what a fitting panto for these adorable pups!
Quilting and photos by Starla Landis of Guided Star Quilting
Quiltmaker: @pamela_santacroce
Quilt Pattern: Dog Park by Elizabeth Hartman
*Fun fact* We recently interviewed designer Natalie Gorman to learn more about the exciting work she's been doing over at OESD. Longarm League members have full access to that interview, but we shared some fun highlights and additional info on Natalie's creative journey with everyone on our blog.
Quilt and photo by Melonie Morrow of Quilty Lab Creations
Quilt Pattern: Set Sail Quilt by @jaybirdquilts
*Fun fact* There's also a second, smaller version available that has fewer rings and a smaller design height, making it easier to use on machines with less throat space.
Quilting and photos by Corrie Coldwell of C Squared Quilting
Quiltmaker: @shequiltsit
Quilt Pattern: Chris Cross (free YouTube pattern) from @quiltfabric.com
We've included an additional five pantographs that were runners up in our survey. These all tied with the same number of votes, and are listed in alphabetical order.
Quilting and photo by Sylvia Lamothe of Honeybee Quilt Studio
Quiltmaker: @kitschandstitchcottonco
Quilt Pattern: Retro Crochet by The Retro Quilter
Quilting and photo by Anne-Marie Hammond of Quilting by Anne-Marie
Quiltmaker: Jeri @jerimihm
Quilt Pattern: Ingrid from Stripology Mixology 3 book by GE Designs
Quilting and photo by Narda Pinkham of Maz Q’s
Quilter: Julie M. @cathedral74
Quilt Pattern: Easy Does It by Villa Rosa Designs
Quilting and photo by Ashley Perkins of Hen House Quilting
Quiltmaker: Sarah @ruthlesslyhandmade
Quilt Pattern: Aria by Toad and Sew
Quilting and photo by Shelly Moore of MaTante Quilting
Quiltmaker: Casey @casetheace58
Quilt Pattern: Quilty Stars by Quilty Love
As a bonus, we wanted to give a shoutout to pantograph designer Melissa Kelley of Sew Shabby Quilting. A number of her designs were nominated in our survey, and although only one design had enough votes to be featured in our winning designs, collectively her designs had enough votes to deserve a moment in the spotlight.
Melissa is not only an amazing longarm quilter, she's also a prolific pantograph designer. Here are a handful of her designs that made people's list of favorites:
We'd love to share a little bit about how we support longarm quilters through education and community. Updates typically go out on Wednesdays - we'd love to stay in touch with you!