Sunday, November 8, 2009

Is This Considered Cheating?


I recently volunteered to re-draft the block our guild uses for it's logo because the instructions for our chatelaine have been photocopied to the point that the templates are somewhat distorted. I made my chatelaine from those earlier instructions and had a devil of a time with it. In the end my block was too big and did not fit the pattern....so I made a few changes ....set it on point and created this. Of course I had to "junk" it up with all sorts of embellishments.

The block is known as "Hands all Around" or the "Friendship" block which is fitting since our guild is The London Friendship Quilters. But for a fairly new or inexperienced quilter it is not a friendly block with all those Y seams. So I decided to include, in the new instructions, an alternate way of completing this block for the chatelaine. First I drafted the block adding the seam allowances for those who wish to stitch the seams in the traditional way and another set without seam allowances so it could be done using a fusible applique method.
I traced the pieces onto paper backed fusible web, cut and laid them out before pressing them to some light weight stabilizer. Then it was a simple matter of satin stitching (although this took almost as long as piecing would) but without un-sewing there was definitely less stress.

I realized as I was putting it together that I should have left a seam allowance for the outer edge, I will be correcting that.


Now I hate to waste anything and since I'll need a postcard for our exchange at guild this week I used this block, practiced a little mini-McTavishing, added some found objects and Voila! One postcard completed.

So I ask you........................Is this Cheating?

12 comments:

The Cozy Quilter said...

I don't think so! Love the post card. I hope it arrives in my mailbox!

Deb Hardman said...

Sounds smart to me!

Anonymous said...

Your creativity rocks! Seriously.

sewnut said...

That is a great exercise and definately not cheating! I am glad you redrafted the block.

Finishing Lines by K.Sperino said...

Awesome. Not cheating.

Anne Huskey-Lockard said...

Absolutely not! Why waste fabric, especially when the postcard is so beautiful?
I prefer to call it *innovative thinking*!!!! ;)

XXOO!!
Anne

Clare Wassermann said...

aaah another postcard - I have blogged about the lovely one you sent to me today!!

Diane J. Evans said...

"Cheating" is not the word -- you've redefined the block to make it accessible to more quilters. I'd call that "helpfully creative"! And I just LOVE that postcard -- you manage to put so much artistry into such small spaces.

Diane

Debra Dixon said...

No, it's not cheating and it's a good use of the block. Otherwise it would collect dust in a drawer somewhere. Way to go!

Sherri said...

They are lucky you have initiative to do this for them!!! Well done. :D

Quilter Kathy said...

No! That is using creative license!
Love the postcard!

Mishka said...

No, not at all. It turned out gorgeous. What a complicated block otherwise.

Copyright Jill Buckley