Several of my friends were talking about computerized quilting and how beautiful it is. One of them expressed her feeling that she thought it was cheating. I, myself, can see two sides to this opinion. What do you think?????
The group thought there should be a separate category for it as well as hand quilting, and machine or long arm quilting.

If you are talking about categories in a quilt show, I do think there should be separate ones for different types of quilting. If I buy a design, download it, and let the machine stitch it for me (something I do on my embroidery machine now and then), it's not the same as someone who did a similar design free motion. It might be the same pattern, but in one case there is skill in stitching it properly and in the other there is none. I wouldn't call it "cheating" though!

I agree with you. I can see the art in selecting a design, but there is also an artistic element to stitching it yourself.

Well said. (agree)

I agree totally. Different methods, different criteria for judging should be applied. Cheating? Well, no more than using an Accuquilt to cut your pieces or even a rotary cutter for that matter.

Amen. That's like saying it's cheating to use a machine to piece or quilt. Or cheating to use a car instead of a horse and buggy. It's just different (i.e. more modern) technology that gets you to the same point. Whether it is good or bad is a subjective opinion.

cheating is so horribly (NEGATIVE)...i would not call it cheating, i would call it a different technique than free motion...why should some techniques be considered cheating? because it didn't take as long as the way you did it? because it's different than the way you were taught? because it seems like cutting corners?
is there really a reason it's cheating?
my grandmother would probably (if she were alive) consider a rotary cutter cheating...because it's easier than scissors...is it cheating to use technology as it advances? maybe we should all just be using treadle machines and hand quilting...that way we aren't 'cheating'...
i do think their should be different catagories in shows so that the same techniques are judged together. i don't think a freemotion heirloom quilt should be judged with a quilt quilted with a statler stitcher; but it still takes time and skill to use those programs and have beautiful quilts, you have to program your design with careful measuring and planning in order to tell them machine where to put the design...it is n't as if you just load up the quilt sandwich,, push a button and walk away; it still takes planning, prep work and diligent attention.
for me, it doesn't matter if you are calling panals cheating or computer programs cheating...cheating is a bad word!
and what about machine embroidery? i have an embroidery unit for my machine, i also hand embroider...is using my machine cheating? i do not believe using your machines technological capabilities is cheating, i think that's what i bought it for.

I don't think taking advantage of technology is cheating. But I do think there should be separate judging categories for different techniques used.

Cakes made with a mix should not be judged next to cakes made from scratch. Neither is cheating. Just two different ways to get to the same place.

Absolutely - I think in the case of quilting specifically, there IS more artistic input in freehanding than in using a panto or computerised system - like doing a painting from a blank canvas as opposed to filling in a painting by numbers, for example.