As any longarm quilter knows, it can be difficult to organize your pantographs. What’s a pantograph? It is a long sheet of paper on which is printed a quilting design. These designs are placed on a quilting frame and the longarm quilter follows the pattern with a laser pointer. Thus duplicating the pattern on to the quilt. These are generally 120″ long.
I have been struggling with how to organize my pantographs. I know there are various ways that others have organized them, but I didn’t think they would work for me. I like to see the designs I have all in one spot. I also wanted to be able to take them out and put them away easily.
I got this idea from a Snap-on Tool Truck. These are the tool guys who drive those big trucks around selling tools to various repair shops. One of these trucks would stop a my husbands business. They have almost any tool you would want. They are all over the walls and ceiling of the truck. They have pegboard with elastic shock cord threaded through the holes. The tools are secured by these elastics.
While I did not need the amount of elastic in the tool truck, I liked the simplicity. I kept thinking about how I could duplicate this idea. I didn’t need a full sheet of pegboard covered with elastic. I finally came up with the idea of using eye screws. Those are those screws with a loop on the end. I put up 7 screws in each row then threaded elastic through them. I got the elastic from REI. Now I can easily see what I have, organize them anyway I want, and easily put them back.
What do you think? I love it.
And to the left is my thread cabinet. This is an old family cabinet which was left in my basement. Now it’s my thread case.
Doesn’t the thread look luscious?
Now I’m really oganized!
C