– ADAPTED FROM AN ARTICLE FOR ZJ HUMBAUGH at MQU

Pictorial patterns offer an additional focus. They provide a secret ingredient to the quilt. Visible only as the viewer steps closer “for a better look.”

       Large whole cloth patterns that unfold or unroll were the originals in this area. They often contain flowery medallions or subject specific motifs or even figures (eg. angels) that are to be centered on the quilt.  Generally custom work surrounds the central motif.  They give a large image for focus and are generally used on solid fabric quilts, hence the term “Whole Cloth.”

But what about the name “Pictogram?”  What we designed weren’t simple repeating Pantos!  So what were they? As I researched for a name I noticed “pantographs,” as quilters knew them, weren’t the device that architects had used for a couple of centuries.  However, the longarm machine did have close similarities to that original wooden device.  So, I explored other terms related to the reproduction of pictures.  In doing so I began looking at other techniques, even cave drawings. You’ll recall how many cave paintings depicted a whole story, the riders, the buffalo, the arrows, etc. It was there I came upon the term Pictogram.  Should that be our choice for a name? I even polled my customers and friends and finally decided upon this, a new to quilting, term — Pictogram.

       Angela developed a pseudo-interlocking format for this new category that we called Pictograms.  Although they were pictorial and “non-repeating,” and told a story as it were, they were still in roll format for easy handling. They weren’t the large, cumbersome whole-cloth patterns which had to be unfolded and traced onto the quilt. These could be unfurled down the length of the table on the longarm machine and traced with the laser light or stylus. The stitching could travel in a “continuous-line” across the whole quilt. These are patterns which paint a mural across the “canvas” of the quilt.

Quilts can be “Memory Filled.”

Pictorial patterns carry the viewer with them to the South Seas, or to the Farm or swimming with the Penguins.  They can remind us of our vacations around the world or of a weekend skiing.

       When I was a child, our family built a desert cabin in the high desert of California. The boulders of Rattlesnake Hill were my playground.  Later as a college student I went with friends to explore rock formations of several western states.   I was at home on the desert rocks.  Recently when someone suggested I do a Southwest pattern I leaped right in.  It was fun remembering climbing on boulders, feeling the wind and chasing the jackrabbits.  Of course, there were plenty of giant Joshua trees and snakes, too. The adventure turned my thoughts to the fun times of my childhood. I drew all those memories into my “Southwest Vistas” pattern.  “Campout” and “Backwoods” are two other patterns that take me back to those happy-go-lucky days.  Didn’t you ever go camping as a child? Did your Dad make you sit in the boat for hours to catch fish?  With book in hand, it seemed like forever. That was tedious, but it’s fun to remember now. Re-discover such memories when you stitch pictorial patterns on your quilt!

When you care enough to send the best, give your gifts added appeal.

       Theme specific patterns are great for gifts.  They make it more fun for children, husbands and special friends with whom we have shared experiences.

                A few years ago I made quilts for several of my Grandchildren.  The piecing was of a variety of methods; Stack n’ Whack with tigers, Peaky and Spike fish in bright colors, and traditional 30’s Cat’s Cradle blocks with Prairie Points. They were fun piecing and as I sewed I planned how each would be quilted with Pictograms.  The fish quilts were covered with the tropical fish of “Fishy Business;” the spinning tigers with “Jungle” foliage and animals; and the cat’s cradle with “Kitty Cats” playing through the maze and highly visible in the setting squares of the piecing.  When these quilts arrived at my Grandchildren’s homes, they were gleefully spread across the floor where the children lay playing, “I spy,” with the stitching. The quilts are equally interesting when Mom makes the beds with the back side up, so they can enjoy the stitching to its fullest effect. (Wear n’ tear is lessened too!) I had achieved my goal.  My quilts and gifts of love were truly loved in return.

                Although this type of machine quilting is ideal for children, it is not only for the young.  All of us enjoy memories such stitching designs can bring. Pet lovers will love images of their pets stitched over a quilt. We can remember New Orleans with images of the “French Quarter.”  Nautical designs bring our thoughts back to summers at the seaside, while cherries carry the remembered fragrance of summer orchards.  Pumpkins and pinecones, jungle bells and wedding bells, all have a place in our specialty, and sometimes even prize-winning, quilts!  Helen Baczynski’s first-place quilt “Turning Twenty Again on Halloween,” was quilted with a Pictogram –“Pumpkin Patch.” 

       While my husband was in the military, we lived in Southeast Asia and made many friends there.  A few years ago when my husband went back to visit, a friend sent me some beautiful presents.  I wondered, “How could I ever send something that would be cherished?”  Then I hit upon the idea of making a special quilt.  I have some puppets from Indonesia – Wayang Golek (wooden puppets) and decided to draw them and the story they portray, the Ramayana, into the design.  As I sat at my drawing table I remembered our home in Malaysia; the sights and smells of the marketplace, the monkeys that sat on our shoulders in the parks and the wonderful friends I had there.  Making the quilt and the pattern became a gift not only to my friend, but to me as well.  The next year this pattern was very creatively used by Bonnie Bosma to quilt an amazing batik vest, “Indonesian Inspiration.” 

       Last year another friend told me of a touching experience with her quilt guild.  The National Guard from their hometown was being deployed to Iraq.  Of course, they wanted to send quilts with them.  After asking permission, they were told the quilts would need to be “sand-colored” and of a specific size.  Unable to decorate with vibrant colors, many of the members quilted up their sandy quilts with my “America’s Pride Pictogram.”  I was thrilled to imagine images of the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln as well as other symbols of the Land of Liberty warming these brave soldiers with memories of home. 

       How about the man in your life.?  He might feel a quilt was definitely made with him in mind when the pieces are laced together with images of “manly” interests like golfing, camping, hunting, fishing, dragons or cars.  My son loves cars!  Not a day went by that he was not telling me this and that about driving systems, historic models, etc., sharing his interest with me.  One day the pictures he was showing me, clicked.  I started drawing cars, all the time thinking of him.  I should call it my “Joe” pattern. Those “Classic Cars” became another prize-winning quilt for Helen Baczynski, “Sunday Drivers in the Land of OZ”

       When a car lover receives a quilt like this, he knows it was made for him!

Expanding your theme adds new dimension.

       These days quilting Pantographs and Pictograms are available in so many varieties that they needn’t be relegated to the edge-to-edge category.  A myriad of borders, sashings, blocks, etc. open the door to amazing framed Theme Quilts. With a Pictogram or medallion in the center, compatible border designs can parade around a quilt to create a well unified masterpiece. 

       Recently, I wanted to make a special quilt with New England in mind.  I always think of the Nor’easters that plague that part of the country as being typical.  They seem somehow romantic!  (Really, wouldn’t it be great to be snowed-in so you had nothing to do but quilt?  No electricity?  That’s why I keep my old treadle sewing machine!)  So, I drew a “Nor’easter” pattern with frothy seas, boats and docks and even a one-horse sleigh braving the storm.  It was fun looking at lighthouses and a friend in New England told me Portland light was the proper icon. 

       Angela quilted all this over a bargello sea topped with crashing white waves.  The quilt would need borders too, so she stitched whales swimming around the inner border and a “Salty Seas” rope with lobsters, anchors and lanterns encircling all, in the quilt’s outer border. 

       Planning a Theme quilt is challenging, creative, and fun.  Patterns must be chosen that compliment each other and carry out the theme. There are plenty of these available.  You may find one piece of your master plan on one website and the next on another.  Feel free to mix and match! (Shopping, yippee!) Yes, there are adjustments to be made. Pieces of the pattern might have to be omitted or added to enable it to fit your quilt.   Borders must be centered and sometimes motifs must be separated out of a pattern to be used in a corner block.

Does it all have to be a “Theme?” 

Suppose your quilt top is made up of Log Cabin blocks or any of a thousand standard block designs,  Well, Decorate the Quilt you have with unique Pictogram stitching.

       I don’t mean to infer that all these ideas should be only stitched over solid “Whole Cloth.”  I love placing amazing stitching over interesting and theme-specific pieced fabrics. I can’t give up that part of my quilting fun.  I just add another layer of interest.

        Yes, one must be creative and skillful.  But the end result can be amazing.  The more effort you put into it, the greater the satisfaction! 

When my quilts are completed I re-open them to enjoy the designs over and over.  Don’t you love looking at something you’ve made, again and again? ( I hope I’m not the only one who goes back and unfolds a quilt, just to enjoy the finished masterpiece once more.)

       Explore the world of patterns, and I hope you’ll agree that using them can be creative and interesting. It’s fun quilting motifs that pop out to decorate and enhance. You can expand from the ease of edge-to-edge into the fascinating assortment of non-repeating patterns and theme quilts. As for feeling comfortable on the other side of the machine—It just takes a little practice!

So oil up that machine, and add another layer of interest to your quilts.

NOTE: You can make these at 6.5 inches from solid fabric as desired. I had to add the black strips to get the small “I spy” inserts.

Methods

Now it’s time to decide on which method you’ll want to follow for applying the Topliqué.
Maybe you love to relax doing hand appliqué or maybe that’s too slow for your time allotment.

Hand Topliqué;  Used on Chinese Pandas.

Let’s talk a little about the “How To” of Angela’s method. After quilting your quilt with the design
you’ve chosen, pick out an animal, flower or motif to highlight with topliqué. Simply place a piece of tracing
paper over the stitched image on the quilt and trace it with a pencil. If there is a break in the stitched outline,
you’ll need to estimate where the line would go as if it were a coloring book picture. (Do not trace over the
pantograph pattern itself, because you may have inadvertently varied the line a bit when quilting it. At least I go
off the line a little, or a lot, at times, but you’re probably more perfect in quilting than I am.)

Lay the tracing pencil-side up, on the paper side of freezer paper, pin together, and cut both papers on
the line you have drawn. Discard the tracing paper copy.

Iron the freezer paper copy onto the right side of your appliqué fabric. Cut around the pattern leaving at
least 3/8 inch border. (Note: This is different than traditional freezer paper appliqué in which the freezer paper is
pressed onto the back of the appliqué fabric.)

Now pin the fabric with the paper on top into position over the stitched image. With the freezer paper on
top the fabric is stiffened and the edge can be turned under and appliquéd in place right on the quilted line. At
times you will need to clip corners as you come to them. Because you’ve allowed 3/8” you should have enough to
adjust for fullness in the quilt or stretching of the fabric, etc. Of course you can trim the margin narrower, but only
a little at a time as you go. The “puff” of the quilt may take more to cover than you’ve expected. Sadly, I’ve had
the experience of trimming the edge and then finding I didn’t have enough to cover! Sob and double sob! I had
to pick out and redo one of the Pandas because of that.

Paper won’t be trapped underneath the appliqué. Simply pull the freezer paper off the top when finished.

Machine Topliqué: Used on my Pumpkin Patch Quilt

For years my hands have had a lot of heavy use. They’ve ached from holding the needle or practicing the
piano. The skin has cracked from calluses or harsh chemicals or in younger days, before the insult of backaches,
even gardening. They’ve suffered from paper cuts and thread cuts and finally been assaulted by carpal tunnel
rebellion! As a result, I’m not always keen on hand appliqué.

If you have similar issues, try the machine method. Cut a good sized swatch of the chosen appliqué fabric
and lay it over the motif, thoroughly covering the area of the desired appliqué. Pin it into place around the outer
edge or spray baste with any of the wonderful adhesives on the market. Next, from the back of the quilt, use your
sewing machine to sew with a fine stitch exactly on the original stitching line of the pantograph. (For this
stitching use either the same color thread as used in the quilting or with invisible thread.)

Turn to the front and carefully trim off the excess close to the stitching line. Now, from the front, go over the
line once again with a small satin stitch or blanket stitch.

I used this method on the large Pumpkin Kaleidoscope quilt. (No, not all my quilts are about pumpkins
and cats although I do like bright colors.) I chose images I liked in the border and in the center of the quilt I
added bright splashes of contrasting color on the already bright quilt. Black and white is always an attention
getter. This quilt had the added fun of the satin stitched images decorating the back.  Kids love this. If you don’t want that to show, you’ll have to have a busy backing. Some quilters choose such backings anyway to hide all
manner of sins.

Easier Still:  Used on Turtle Reef

Quilt your quilt with the design you choose.  Of course pictorial designs are my favorites for “Toplique.”   Cut a swatch of the applique fabric.  Press Wonder-Under, Heat-n-Bond,  or similar onto the wrong side.  Next, pin the fabric (right side up) over the image you’ve chosen. STOP – don’t iron it yet!   First turn the quilt over and with your sewing machine stitch through the quilt, exactly on the quilting line of the image you’ve chosen.  There may be a few spots where the pantograph line does not join and you can “fake it.”

After sewing over the line turn the quilt over and carefully cut away the “now bondable fabric” just outside the stitching line.  Lay parchment paper over the image and press in place to “bond it.”  You’re done!!

The Fabric:

Almost any fabric will work, provided it’s not too loosely woven. Angelina film can also be fun to use, or
perhaps velveteen for a furry bunny on a child’s quilt. That will certainly become a favorite “feeling” spot for tiny
hands, so secure it well. Note: If using a sheer fabric for the appliqué, squeeze a fine bead of fabric glue along the
first stitching line before satin stitching over it to avoid fraying.

Seeing is understanding.  CLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE.   View these slides to see how to align rows of MeadowLyon patterns.  It’s so easy once you know how!

Click on the title to read some  “nitty gritty” information that may help as you plan the layout on your screen.

Background information for Pictograms:
1.  Each panel was originally drawn at 11″ x 36.”  Depending on what size you are going to make it, you’ll need to adjust the following information accordingly.

2.  All our patterns have a 3″ registration system. That means, if you had the hard copy, you could slide each ensuing paper panel to the right or left in increments of 3″ ( eg. 6″, 9″, 12″ etc.) and they will still “fit” together.

3.  With this registration system the stitching line reaches up to the top line every 3 inches. (If it isn’t visible, imagine a line across the top).

4.  The stitching line reaches down to the bottom line every other 3 inches. (Imagine a line across the bottom.)

5.  MeadowLyon Pictograms are not designed to interlock, they just come up or down to the line.  It gives the effect of interlocking, but does not cross the line!

6.  Yes, you can put each panel right on top of itself and it will work.  But, you probably won’t want the panel to be placed exactly above itself or the animals and other motifs will be on top of themselves.

7.  I recommend choosing the second or third panel to begin the second row.  Make sure the “up” points fall between the “down” points. (You’ll probably put the second row on the    screen and simply move it to where it looks good and nothing touches where it shouldn’t.)

As you look at previews of our Pictograms on this website, you will see the ups and downs clearly. For example,  in the “Backwoods” pattern you’ll notice some mountain peaks, etc. that go up to the top line and see the spaces above them.  Then you’ll see feet of animals or etc. coming down to the bottom line and notice space beneath them on the next panel.  With each row simply slide the panels to where the peaks come up under a space or etc. But do not try to interlock, or cross the line.  It’s not necessary and may cause overlapping.

Alignment instructions:  IT’S AS EASY AS “1 – 2 – 3”

1. After completing the first two rows across, lower your needle into any “dot” #1.

Leaving the needle down, Advance (roll) the quilt into position for the next two rows across.

2. With the needle still down, adjust the laser light or stylus to the closest “dot” #2.

The light is now correctly placed.

3. Lift the needle and move the machine to a starting position of your choice at the edge of the quilt.

Begin quilting.

B.  2 ROWS WITH SOME LASER MOVEMENT as p[rinted or paper rolls such as El Dorado 4.5″, and El Dorado 8″

Alignment instructions:  IT’S AS EASY AS “1 – 2 – 3”

1. After completing the first two rows across, lower your needle into any “dot” #1.

Leaving the needle down, Advance (roll) the quilt into position for the next two rows across.

2. With the needle still down, adjust the laser light or stylus to the closest “dot” #2 towards the “left.”

The light is now correctly placed.  (For alternate rows move the laser to the #2 towards the right.

3. Lift the needle and move the machine to a starting position of your choice at the edge of the quilt.

Begin quilting.

Some laser lights have limited adjustment capabilities.  Some patterns may require shifting the paper pattern for proper alignment.

Alignment instructions:  IT’S AS EASY AS “1 – 2 – 3”

1. After completing the first row across, lower your needle into any “dot” #1.

Leaving the needle down, Advance (roll) the quilt into position for the next row across.

2. With the needle still down, adjust the laser light or stylus to the closest “dot” #2.

The light is now correctly placed.

3. Lift the needle and move the machine to a starting position of your choice at the edge of the quilt.

Begin quilting.

B.   ONE ROW INTERLOCKING WITH SOME LASER MOVEMENT as printed on patterns such as Frothy Seas, El Dorado, etc.

Alignment instructions:  IT’S AS EASY AS “1 – 2 – 3”

1. After completing the first row across, lower your needle into any “dot” #1.

Leaving the needle down, Advance (roll) the quilt into position for the next row across.

2. With the needle still down, adjust the laser light or stylus to the closest “dot” #2 towards the “left.”

The light is now correctly placed.  (For alternate rows move the laser to the  #3 towards the right.

3. Lift needle and move machine to a starting position of your choice at the edge of the  quilt.

Begin quilting.

Some laser lights have limited adjustment capabilities.  Some patterns may require shifting the paper pattern for proper alignment.

Aligning MeadowLyon Pictograms:

Congratulations!  You’ve purchased a “Pictogram” – MeadowLyon’s unique 12 ft. non-repeating roll.  You’ll have lots of pictorial material from which to choose.  Its four panels can be arranged to create a scene, of sorts, on a wall hanging or small quilt.  Also, extended rows can be repeated above or below to cover a quilt with Edge-to-Edge quilting.

We recommend starting alternate rows at the beginning of a different panel each time.  This will prevent the motifs from standing on top of themselves.  Of course you can start alternate rows wherever you like. Our registration system prevents upper and lower rows from touching when you slide the pattern in increments of 3 inches;  eg. 3”, 6”, 12” etc.

For accurate placement, align the bottom line* (or dots or corner points) to the previous top line.  You might do this by lowering the needle at the exact top right hand corner of the panel recently completed, then inserting a pin at that point.  Roll the quilt and after shifting the pattern and replacing the clamps, move your needle once again to that point and adjust the laser to the lower right corner of the new panel.

Caution: if you leave a space there will be a space – it’s best to match the lines with your laser, then slide the machine across the quilt to see if any stitching falls above the line and adjust slightly if needed.

* Note: If your pattern does not have a bottom and top line, you can draw it in by laying a yardstick along the lowest points (or highest) on the paper pattern and drawing a line to intersect with the dashed line at the end of the pattern.