AngeliaNR

I designed a quilt.

Every time I think that, I wonder if I'm being presumptuous. I used traditional blocks and put them together in a new (at least to me) way. I looked around online, and I haven't seen anything just like it.

What constitutes a quilt design, in your opinion? Is my quilt my design if I create it (even from traditional elements), or is there some other criteria to be met?

Thanks.

GingerK

It depends if you are planning on writing out your design and marketing it. Or I suppose, if you are planning on entering it in a show. If it is the latter, then I would think you could just say something like--made using traditional blocks and my own arrangement. I don't know what the criteria is for marketing a pattern.

Oops forgot to answer your question--in my opinion, unless a person follows a pattern to the letter it becomes that person's 'interpretation' of a design. So, you are not presumptuous or pretentious to say that you designed your quilt.

joe'smom

I'm not sure what criteria have to be met to officially designate something a new design, for the purposes of copyright, for example. But in my opinion, if you didn't copy someone else's quilt or use a published pattern, then you designed your quilt.

ManiacQuilter2

I am not sure either. I bought a pattern recently to make a dear friend a quilt I think she will enjoy. I thought the design was unique but my friend showed me the same leaf blocks in a F&P magazine.

Onebyone

I change a lot of quilt patterns to be what I like, never think about it being one of a kind or not. Doesn't matter to me.

Bree123

Traditional blocks are in the public domain so if you are wanting to enter it in a show & need to say that it's not covered by someone else's copyright, you can do that.

If you're wanting to enter it into a show in a category for "original design", you'll need to read the criteria. Typically, simply turning the blocks in a different way or creating a sampler of different traditional blocks or even enlarging/reducing blocks is not sufficient to meet a show's criteria for original design. I've seen a few times where that's been allowed if the new layout creates an original secondary pattern, but even that's atypical. I would contact the show's coordinator if you're trying to decide which category your quilt goes into.

If you're seeking legal copyright protection, you'll want to contact a licensed attorney with focuses in Intellectual Property Law, but generally my first thought would be "no". You could create a set of instructions & get a copyright on those (probably), but the design itself separate from the instructions usually wouldn't be protect-able. The main legal question used to determine whether a design copyright/patent is enforceable is whether the average person would find it "the same or substantially the same" as other quilts either in the public domain, or with existing copyright or copyleft protection.

AngeliaNR

I don't have any particular plans for it. I just wondered if, among quilters, what I did would be considered "designing."

Skhf

I Think the word design constitutes a very broad area. Choosing fabrics is a part of the design process in my mind as well as setting the blocks, borders or no borders etc. if you feel the quilt is of your design then say so and be proud. I see quilts in many magazines designed by particular people that to me are designs I have seen many places. All quilters are designers and artists in their own right. Happy quilting

carolynjo

Go for it and enjoy the process!

UncleGravy

I would definitely consider what you did "designing". If you had to make your own choices as to which blocks (traditional or not), what fabrics, sizes etc, then sure enough, you designed it.

Whether or not there are other quilts out there that may be somewhat similar, or use the same traditional blocks is irrelevant. If you didn't copy someone else's design, or use a pattern, then you designed it in my eyes.