Give credit where credit is due!

Copyright infringement on quilts is an interesting topic, and YES --- it is still a big deal amongst the designers, not the copiers. 

I won't go into the whole thing this morning, but here are a few things to remember.

 Some designers, especially those who haven't been around for a while, will freak out when they see a quilt similar to their own that someone made, and there is no credit given. Or perhaps they see another new pattern that is very similar to theirs. Well, a log cabin is a log cabin. That pattern cannot be copyrighted as it's in the public domain. But what you are protecting is your interpretation of it -- the setting, the color, the use of fabric, etc. But beware that there will be look-a-likes. That's a given, as it's one of the most popular patterns. 

I don't know if that paragraph made sense, but if you design a quilt with four-patch blocks and see another one, it's not necessarily a copy. The second person could easily make a four-patch quilt without a pattern. If your design is super easy, many people could easily duplicate it without a pattern. Don't freak out if you're the designer - you need to expect that. 

HST triangles are another very grey area, and this one makes me laugh. I designed a quilt for a US magazine that uses HST in an exciting way. I received a SCATHING email from a reader saying I had stolen a famous quilt maker's pattern. This famous quilt maker has been offering tutorials online in a huge way for years, and almost none of what they provide as tutorials is their own creation. That's a given. But just because someone does a tutorial on a block does NOT mean they designed it. This same person will do churn dashes and other blocks- NOT their designs. At least not always. 

And then you have those who will blatantly steal a pattern concept—take a picture, recreate it in EQ8 or graph paper, and then say it is theirs. All you have to do is say that you got the inspiration from that person—don't say you designed it. 

It's a very gray area, and it's almost not worth the time or effort to pursue a pattern copyright. The big issue is not copying a pattern and giving the copy to someone else. Sell or give YOUR copy, but making copies is a big no-no!!! If you are going to enter your quilt in a show, post, or repost a photo online, then you should list the name of the pattern and the designer. It's just common courtesy. 

I know that many places (museums especially) will say you can take pictures but for PERSONAL use only. They are not to be published on social media of any kind. That's why I sometimes go somewhere and do not post pictures of the quilts. I do not have permission to do so. And if I do post pictures, then as a courtesy, I should be posting a picture of the label or at least listing the person's name and pattern. Just posting photos from the quilt show is a big no-no and disrespectful of the artist's intellectual property. 

Think about a painter—would you post a picture without listing the artist? Nope—the same goes for quilts. 

We were pretty busy at the booth yesterday again, which is always good. The days are passing by quickly, which is also good. I get to go home tomorrow, which will be amazing!!! 

I haven't been out too much, but there is a booth near us that sells vinyl and zippers. Look at the zippers by the yard that you can buy. There are all kinds of colors and zipper pulls. I'll be over there later today to buy something. 

Zippers by the yard

A young girl runs the store with her mom - at least, that's what it appears to be, and she is so friendly and cute. The store is called SMT Boutique, and I've put the link to their shop here so you can check it out. The store is currently offline as they are at the Salon Quebec, but get signed up so you can check them out on Monday. I love to support the young and enthusiastic crowd. They are the future of our industry!!!!

I'm hanging in there healthwise. Thank goodness for medication. I just need sleep, which I'm getting lots of. I managed to get more than 10,000 steps in yesterday as Claire and I walked to dinner again. We had dinner with some of her friends, and it was great. I don't have time to share the classes I signed up for, but I'll do that when I get home and have more time to explore the class. 

Here's the last post of the week for QUILTsocial. Oh my gosh -- if you like to quilt your quilts with your embroidery machine or have even thought about it -- check out the post. It's a good one - well, they are all good ones!!!!

On that note, I'm out of here!!! At least the weather has cooperated and been really nice, and I think there are some buses coming today!!! So it's going to be even busier at Salon Qubec. I renewed my membership for two years—it's the only guild that I belong to! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!