Groovy boards, paper pantographs or digital files: which to buy
Three ways to put the same continuous line design on a quilt, at $45, $25 and $14.99. The right one depends on your machine, not on the design.
Every Groovy Patterns design starts as one continuous line. The same line can reach your quilt three ways, and the right one depends on how your machine is set up, not on the design.
A 1/4 in PVC board with the design routed into it as a 1/8 in groove. A stylus on your rear handlebars rides the groove and the machine follows. Boards interlock end to end and last for years. Corner connectors are $30.
The design printed on a 12 in x 144 in roll of 24 lb paper. You follow the line with the laser or stylus on your rear handlebars. Printed to order. Less money than boards, and less durable, because it is paper.
The design as a file for a computerized quilting system: HQ Pro-Stitcher, IntelliQuilter, Statler, Q-matic, Innova AutoPilot, Quilter's Creative Touch, Compuquilter and more, plus DXF, PLT and SVG. Instant, and it stays in your account.
Which one is yours
| Your setup | Buy | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Frame-mounted longarm or mid arm, hand guided, with a groove stylus on the rear handlebars | Groovy Boards | The groove steers the stylus, so the line comes out the same on the first row and the fortieth. No paper to tape down or wear out. |
| Frame-mounted machine, hand guided, with a laser but no groove stylus | Paper pantographs | A laser follows a printed line. If you later add a stylus and adapter for your machine, the same designs are available as boards. |
| Any machine with a computerized system attached | Digital downloads | The system stitches the file itself. This is also the only option for a sit-down machine with robotics, since a sit-down has no rear table for boards or paper. |
| Sit-down machine, no computerized system | None of the three | There are no rear handlebars or rear table, so nothing can trace a board or a pantograph. |
What the price buys
- A board is the design routed into 1/4 in PVC, with puzzle-piece connectors on the ends, alignment notches, registration marks on nearly every design since 2024, and six non-slip silicone grips in the box. Most designs run 7 to 11 in tall; the largest board is 22 x 11 in. At least two boards are recommended, and enough to span your quilt means you never move them.
- A pantograph is 12 ft of the design on paper, enough to run the full width of a frame. A few designs are printed at other heights and say so on their page.
- A download is a zip with the file your system reads, with JPG and PNG previews, delivered on the order page and by email, and kept in your account for re-download.
Many designs exist in two or three forms. Baptist Fans, for example, comes as boards in three heights (Small, Medium, Large), as a pantograph and as a download. Each product page links the other forms where they exist.
One rule for all three. The pattern height has to clear your machine's usable throat space, and the design has to fit your frame. The fit guide walks through it machine by machine.
Questions quilters ask
Can I use a pantograph and a groovy board of the same design on the same quilt?
Yes, the line is the same design. A board and a pantograph of the same name are the same drawing at the heights listed on their pages, so check that both heights match before mixing them.
Do I need a special stylus for boards?
Any stylus whose tip fits the 1/8 in groove. Groovy Patterns does not sell styluses; your machine's maker or dealer does, and the fit guide names the part where it is known.
Which digital file do I pick?
The zip holds every format, so there is nothing to pick: BQM, CQP, HQF, HQV, HQA, HQW, IQP, LDF, PAT, QCC, QLI, SSD, DXF, PLT and SVG. Load the one your system reads.
Is shipping included?
Orders over $99 ship free in the US; under $99 there is a flat $5 fee. Downloads have nothing to ship.
Not sure what fits your machine? Read the fit guide or write to us with your machine model. Groovy Patterns is a family shop in Owosso, Michigan; every board is routed here to order.