Hello! Just saw a web site for quilt in a hoop. Has anyone ever tried this? Looks interesting. But, is it considered "cheating"? Opinions please!!!

Why would it be cheating?
Isn't it just a different technique?

I did it all the time before I got my long arm. Takes a while to do it nicely. I actually quilted on my embroidery machine before it became a common thing to do. I would never consider it cheating! Cheating is buying a ready made quilt and trying to pass it off as home made. There are many ways to do anything, we just have to find what works for us, and that is NEVER cheating.

I have done a few machine emb quilt designs as the quilting and it works great....

I consider it just another technique

there is no such thing as (cheating) there are lots of different techniques- some make different processes easier- some are just...different- there is no reason to put a negative word on a different technique. try as many different techniques as you can find that interest you- never think of it as cheating- it's simply doing it differently than what you've tried before.

I have to laugh. When you said quilt in a hoop I immediately thought of by hand. I have two large round floor hoops and several smaller lap ones but they are all for handquilting. I know I am old fashioned and I have seen some spectacular quilting done on a machine or longarm but I still prefer and do handquilting. The only thing I machine quilt is for a small child or someone who would not have a clue about caring for handwork. My step-daughter and her children don't get handwork because she washes all of her bed linens every week, sheets to quilt.

I don't think it is cheating at all. I quilt in a hoop sometimes, it was the first frame I owned. I have a hoop, a small frame from PVC piping and a large quilting frame.

I'm not sure how it would be cheating.

If it is, then I cheat just about every day by hand quilting with my sandwich in a (floor) hoop. The hoop holds the weight of the quilt so that my arms don't get tired. I don't really have room for a frame, so a floor hoop is what works for me.

To me, that's not cheating, that's just being practical.

Cheating, to me, would be doing something like buying a quilt from someone else and passing it off as my own work.

Maybe I need to be clearer. Quilt in a hoop is a method where all of the blocks are totally pieced and quilted in your embroidery hoop. All edges become part of 1/4 inch seams so there is no embroidery necessary to hide unfinished seams. The full explanation of the process is at:

http://quiltinthehoop.com/index.php/...in-the-concept

It looks very interesting and I was just wondering if anyone on the board had tried it yet. While the word cheating may have appeared negative, it certainly wasn't meant to be. I know personally I love cutting and piecing my blocks and thought this method although fascinating, is "cheating" because your embroidery machine is doing the work for you.

Yes, I have done it. I just find it more time consuming than assembling a quilt square the conventional way. You are doing a lot of double stitching, takes a lot of thread, etc. It is no more cheating than sewing a quilt by machine rather than by hand. We have so many options to us these days, that not trying them all out is cheating ourselves of maybe a new way of doing something. I love the ability to experiment with a new facet of our wonderful craft.

OK - so just reading the little blurb the visual I get is it's like paper-piecing??? the fabric is lined up with the design on the stabilizer underneath, flipped and on to the next piece?

Yes, you're right, it is a lot like paper piecing. I guess that is why I am not too crazy about it. I don't like to do paper piecing.

I have a e-mail from Sewing with Nancy.I'm going to order it.
Connie in CO
It's in a machine embroidery hoop.

Thank you!

It's a variation on foundation piecing.

I would think the main drawback would be that you're limited to the designs the computer in your machine has. As I understand it, people can program their own designs into their embroidery machines but not everyone has the skills or inspiration to do so.

Then again, I've known people for whom their embroidery machine is like an extension of their own hands. I think for people with that sort of skill and interest level, this would be a great way to do foundation piecing.

Some blocks are easier to piece by hand, but you can add embroidery as well. They can at times be more work,