Resting My Hands

After the tree, I was so excited about machine quilting and how well it was going that I worked on i's quilt....which is also going very well....and now my hands hurt.  I have been resting them for several days but progress is irritatingly slow because, well, I have to keep using them.  Sheesh!  I have been working on wall hanging ideas for the March Challenge for Cursed Quilt Group.  They are turning out cute so far (trying to use all the many sea creature fabrics I keep buying) but they both are crying out to be....wait for it....machine quilted.  Sigh!  I actually need to decide on backs for them before we get there, so I suppose that means Dongdaemun again.  Hooray.  I love it there.  (I ought to do an entry about that place so all of you can feel jealous....all two of you!)

I am not going to show what I am up to as they are for the Challenge....but I have been wondering about "ideas" and ethics in quilting.  For one of the designs I did, I used a FISH block drafted from scratch using this design I found at Lazy Girl and here is the designer's page Far Flung Quilts.  It is a good idea.   I used it somewhat differently than in the quilt, but I suspect that is quibbling.   So should I pay $8 plus shipping for a pattern I am not going to use because I already used it?!?!  You see my trouble.  I don't need the paper, I don't want to pay shipping.....should I email the designer and send her some paypal cash because it is a great idea but I don't want her pattern?  Sigh!  Almost any quilt design falls in to this category because if you look at enough quilts it is easy to see HOW to do what they are doing.

...time passes...literally I did this live. :)

So I just emailed the designer and explained the situation and offered to paypal her some cash, and asked how much she thinks would be appropriate.  We shall see what response we get....in a few days.  Being off timezone from most of my online community is a little strange.  I will edit the post when we hear back.

My only other similar experience is when I emailed Dreamweaver Stencils to ask if it would be okay to use her stencils on boxpleat products for sale.  Her email response was gracious and made me want to send business her way.  It also made me feel virtuous to get permission and do things properly.  Of course "Properly" in my current case probably means buying the pattern of the fish.

I had better go take my office pic for this entry.  Sorry there won't be any other pics, although you can probably guess what at least one of the projects looks like now...at least in part.  The other one is a "stack and whack."  What you don't know won't hurt you....at least in this case. hehehe k.

...more time passes...

And once again, doing the right thing wins! I just received a gracious email from the designer, Carolyn Griffin saying she was pleased to be an inspiration. So one of you guys (April? heheh) go buy one of her patterns. :)