I purchased some new pattern boards and finally had a chance to try them out on this Quilt of Valor. Pattern boards are similar to pantographs in that you stand at the back of the machine to use them, but they are definitely more difficult to learn to use. I wrote a bit about how they work here.

This one is called a Orange Peel. Because these are quite pricy, I look for patterns that can be used in more than one way.

This next photo shows how it stitches out if you quilt every line.

If you only quilt two lines opposite of each other, you can make circles (almost).

If you quilt only the “humps,” you end up with clam shells.

This takes longer to do than a pantograph, but I don’t think I could get results this good with a panto. It takes way less time than creating these designs with templates. So I think this set will prove to be a good investment.

I’ll show the finished quilt soon. Have a great day!