There is never just one way to do something right, especially with artistic endeavors. Multiple choices should be seen as multiple opportunities to try something new. With longarm quilting there are so many choices to be made like thread, color, density, and design. In fact, our renters have three different ways to quilt their quilts. They can use a design board. These are hard boards with the path cut into them so you can maneuver the machine with a stylus. It allows for precision, though it can take a little longer. Judy chose the design borads for both of her creations. This super cute arrow quilt was made for a friend expecting her second baby. She said it was a good skill builder for her as she had to cut out so many parallelograms. She used the meander design board to finish this quilt for a jigsaw puzzle like quilting design. Judy's second quilt is a Missouri Star Company design called Pins and Paws. Her son's girlfriend is a cat lover and likes the color cranberry. Judy quilted this with the bubbles design board because we thought it looked like balls of yarn for the kitties to chase. Didn't it turn out great? Another choice you can make is to use a pantograph. This is where the design is printed on paper and the quilter traces the design with a laser pointer attached to the machine. It can be challenging to keep to the design exactly, but the movement can be much faster and freer than a design board. Nancy chose the Square Spiral pantograph to complete this T-shirt quilt for her husband. The Nascar fan grudgingly gave up some of his favorite shirts for this quilt. I hope he sees it was worth it, because Nancy's quilt turned out great! I think the Square Spiral gives it some great movement across the squared blocks. Your third option is free motion quilting. This is where you quilt from the front of the machine and choose your quilting path as you go. This allows for a lot of creativity and your quilts can be completed very quickly! Terry loves the freedom of free motion quilting. She can make the quilting as big or small as she wants. She can quilt where she wants to quilt, and avoid other areas. And free motion quilting doesn't have to be over the top feathers, it can be simple meanders just like in Terry's quilt. It's where ever your imagination takes you! With so many choices, we're sure you can find something to suit your quilt tops!