Hi , 

Is there such a thing as cheating with our craft?

This is a question that comes up in quilting I think largely because it was originally a hand craft. Wood working, knitting, and other hand crafts also pose the question - is using a mechanical or computerized tool the same as doing the craft by hand? 

Is knitting with a knitting machine cheating? Is quilting with a robot like QCT 6 cheating? Is opening a can with a can opener cheating?

Is quilting a printed "cheater" cloth panel actually cheating, or just a great way to practice without the time investment of piecing?

Interested in more quilt cloth panels? I've designed an additional two more with Karlee Porter's awesome Honest Fabric. Click Here to check those out.

Personally I don't think there is a need to paint any craft or any technique as good or bad, valid or invalid, "correct" or "cheating." This sort of black-and-white thinking is a cognitive distortion. Nothing in this world is all good or all bad.

Instead I choose to see computerized quilting, turning pens on an electric lathe, using an embroidery machine, and vacuuming my home with a robot all in the same lens - this makes my life easier, allows me to get the project done, AND I can can be just as creative, but in a different way when letting the machine do the work for me.

And probably because I play with so many crafts - wood turning, laser cutting, leather work, knitting, crochet, beadwork, painting, and quilt professionally, I can't allow my crafts to be limited by how it originated or how it's matured with technology. 

In short - everything goes, all techniques are allowed, all methods are considered fair game.

The Consequences of a Limited Craft

I have first hand experience with what happens when you try to craft under a very narrow definition of appropriate technique. In high school, I did beadwork and considered only beads that were hand stitched together - beads and thread only - to be "correct" beadwork. Everything else was cheating.

What happened with such a rigid definition? Nothing good. My ability grew in one direction only. I made a lot of the same thing. 

Eventually I got bored and got stuck. The box I'd made for myself with that narrow definition of beadwork ended up locking me up tight. Eventually I couldn't stitch beads together without ripping the project back apart.

So what do you think? Is free motion quilting, computerized quilting, or walking foot quilting cheating because these techniques use a machine instead of taking stitches by hand? 

Is it cheating to practice on a printed panel? Is it cheating to use stencils as a guide to your quilting design?

If you've been feeling bored with quilting, or finding yourself making the same type of quilt over and over, maybe take a look at your techniques. If you've been getting a nudge to try something new, maybe it's time to get out of your comfort zone and expand your definition of what it means to make a quilt.

Computerized Quilting on Sale In March!

And just in case you are interested in quilting with a robot - cause why not?! - our computerized quilting system QCT 6 is on sale this month!

Click Here to learn more about QCT 6 and save 10% in March. This computerized quilting system is compatible with all Qnique longarms and Little Rebel sewing machine.

Curious to see how this works? Watch this video to see all the steps to quilting with QCT 6 Edge-to-Edge quilting:

Curious to see the Edge-to-Edge Quilting Designs included with QCT 6? I've created a page where you can see 100 of the designs in one place. Click Here to check out the designs!

Get started with the basics - QCT 6 edge-to-edge quilting for just $2699.10. This simplest version of QCT is designed to help you cover your quilt with a single design very quickly stitched from left to right across your quilt.

QCT 6 Upgrades and Gold Card are also on sale, so if you have a lower level of the software and have been wanting more creative features, check out our upgrade kits here.

So if you're up for quilting with a robot, this is the time to learn more. Check out all of our QCT quilting tutorials here and of course, if you have any questions, reply to this email to learn more about QCT 6.

Let's go quilt,

Leah Day