Cheater is a very old term and when they were first introduced into the market it would be natural to call them just what they are being that it is not pieced but printed. It is not a derogatory term. Look at it as cheating time, if you don't have alot of it, you can still make a cheater and have a great quilt.
Only the quilting police would consider this in bad taste in todays world.
I have made several cheaters and they were a lot of fun to do. It was good practice to create designs and balance in the quilting.
Keepsake Quilting has whole cloth quilt tops that are printed with beautiful designs . These are considered cheaters too. But I bet they are gorgous when quilted.
peace
EDIT: Just to add to the conversation, Are panels the same as cheaters? I think of an actual printed quilt pattern when I think of cheaters, not printed panels.???
Last edited by ube quilting; 08-02-2012 at 02:28 PM.