It has happened to me, too. Some people just do not "Get It" until they see it finished. Without knowing what sort of ink they used, I wonder if Bubble Jet set and a hot iron might set the ink. I traced over ballpoint ink with a fabric marker.
By the way, when the quilt was finished - also a log cabin - everyone was busy looking for their own patches. The ones that took too much space finally realized that seam allowances are what hold the quilt together.