Leaf pantographs: a free leafy vine and fall leaves
The Leafy vine is a free leaf pantograph, all year: one ZIP with a printable paper pantograph (PDF) for hand-guided quilting and digital files for computerized longarms (QLI, HQF, IQP, DXF, PAT, BQM and more). Stitch it on any quilt, including quilts you sell. For fall quilts there are three more leaf designs, Maple Leaves, Swirling Leaves and Acorns: preview them across your own quilt free, and the files come with PantoMaker Pro.
Free leaf pantograph: the Leafy vine
The download is a 12 in repeat with 5 in rows and three leaves per repeat. The ZIP holds the paper pantograph (Letter sheets, 60 in long) and every machine file, so you don't have to pick a format first. To change the size or the leaves, open the Leafy vine in PantoMaker; the classic designs are free at any size. Eleven more classic designs are free the same way in the free pantograph library.
Fall leaf pantographs: maple leaves, swirling leaves and acorns
These three are PantoMaker's autumn designs. Open any of them on your own quilt size and look at the whole-quilt preview for free; the machine files and the paper pantograph are part of PantoMaker Pro.
Which leaf design for which quilt
- Leafy vine is a gently waving vine with pointed, almond-shaped leaves that alternate above and below it. The line runs out to each leaf tip and back to the vine, so it stays one continuous line. It isn't tied to a season, which makes it an easy choice for throws, bed quilts and garden or floral prints all year.
- Maple Leaves sit on a wavy vine too, alternately above and below it, with the lobed outline of a maple leaf. They say autumn at a glance, so they suit fall and Thanksgiving quilts, table runners and wall hangings.
- Acorns hang below a gentle vine, each with a bumpy cap and a rounded nut. Pair them with maple leaves for a harvest quilt.
- Swirling Leaves are a breeze: a small loop-de-loop, then a pointed leaf with its tip trailing upward. At the library size the rows are only 1.7 in tall, so it stitches as a light all-over texture rather than a picture.
PantoMaker doesn't have an oak, willow or ginkgo leaf design. For one of those, see draw your own leaf below.
Sizing leaf pantographs
The Leafy vine downloads at 12 × 5 in, a comfortable size for most quilts, and its Leaf size setting makes the leaves smaller or larger on the same vine. The autumn designs come in smaller: Maple Leaves 12 × 3.2 in, Acorns 12 × 2.85 in and Swirling Leaves 12 × 1.7 in. Those rows are small for a bed quilt, so plan on scaling up. When a design opens, check Repeat width and Row height: it opens at 12 × 7 in, or the size you used last, which stretches the shapes. Type in the library size first, then tick Keep proportions and raise the width so the height follows.
What that means on a 60 × 72 in throw, with rows running 2 in past each edge, as the designer lays them out, and spaced at their own height (numbers from PantoMaker's own layout code, rounded):
| Design | Repeat × row height | Rows | Stitching |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leafy vine (free) | 12 × 5 in | 16 | about 85 yd |
| Leafy vine (free) | 15 × 6.25 in | 13 | about 75 yd |
| Maple Leaves | 12 × 3.2 in | 24 | about 150 yd |
| Maple Leaves | 18 × 4.8 in | 16 | about 100 yd |
| Acorns | 12 × 2.85 in | 27 | about 195 yd |
| Acorns | 18 × 4.3 in | 18 | about 130 yd |
| Swirling Leaves | 12 × 1.7 in | 45 | about 210 yd |
| Swirling Leaves | 24 × 3.4 in | 23 | about 105 yd |
Keep the open spaces within your batting's maximum stitching distance (it's on the package). For row heights that fit your machine, see what size pantograph do I need.
Alternate two leaf designs row by row
For a fuller fall look, stitch one design on rows 1, 3, 5 and another on rows 2, 4, 6: acorns with maple leaves, or the Leafy vine with maple leaves. Open the first design, choose Alternate rows under Your design and pick the second. Both get the same repeat width and row height so the rows line up, which means the second design is stretched or squashed to the first one's height; compare a couple of row heights in the preview until both look right. The preview is free; downloading alternate rows is part of PantoMaker Pro.
Thread for leaf quilting
- Fall colors: rust, gold, olive or a variegated autumn thread on cream, tan or brown fabric.
- All year: the Leafy vine in a soft green, or a thread that blends with the quilt so the vine reads as texture.
- The maple leaf and acorn outlines are pictures, so a thread that contrasts with the fabric shows them off. On a busy print, the vine or swirling leaves are the safer choice.
Printing a paper leaf pantograph
The Leafy vine's free ZIP includes a paper pantograph on Letter sheets, 60 in long. Print it at 100% / actual size, check the 1-inch square on the first page, then tape the sheets together. For A4, a longer pantograph or one long page from a print shop, set the paper in the designer; how to print a paper pantograph walks through it.
Oak, ginkgo or your own leaf
For a leaf that isn't here, draw it in PantoMaker as one continuous line, or open an SVG you drew elsewhere, and preview it across your quilt for free. How to design a pantograph covers the rules (one line, left to right, ending level). Downloading your own design is part of PantoMaker Pro.
Before you stitch
As with any new pantograph, load it on your machine, check the size your software shows, and stitch a test row on scrap with the same batting and thread. If something looks wrong, email support@pantomaker.com with your machine and software version.
