I have an e-copy of that book (legally reproduced by antiquarian e-books.com). only the 24 bird patterns have ruby's copyright. none of the others appear to be copyrighted or attributed to any one designer. they are all patterns i've seen "all over the place" so must surely be in the public domain.
the e-book is $10.95 from http://www.patchwork-quilt-patterns.com/
regardless of the source, since Ruby passed in 1976, i wouldn't use any of her copyrighted patterns for commercial purposes until 2066. i could be wrong, but since i figure i'll have "given up quilting" by then, it is simply not an issue for me. LOL
a lot of ruby's work was included in the Kansas City Star's quilt patterns series. They published 1,001 patterns between 1928 and 1961. the complete collection is available in a series of volumes compiled and reproduced by the Groves Publishing Company. each of the 10 volumes costs about $21 including shipping.
http://www.quilterbydesign.com/kansascitystar.html
Groves also sells reproductions of a long list of ruby's original patterns.
as to the KCS patterns, 798 of them are also available in the quilt block encyclopedia compiled by Barbara Brackman. the CD version of the book is $70 and can be purchased from ElectricQuilt.com and their authorized vendors. it's hard to tell from the CD whether any of those blocks is still covered by a standing copyright. the overwhelming majority, though, are obviously public domain. i'll buy the book soon (around $30, i think) to see if that makes it more clear.
it seems to me that anybody who wants to make a commercial living from quilting or designing without creating their own unique block designs has a wealth of public domain blocks to work from without needing to risk violating any standing copyrights held by quilters on the market today.
if my own dream comes to life and i find myself a "for real" professional some day, i'll consult an attorney to see if i can legally make quilts for any customers who want a specific copyrighted pattern - provided they buy the pattern and just pay me for materials and labor. (that's years away so anybody who wants to pay the lawyer now and tell us the answer is sooooooo welcome to do us that favor. :mrgreen: )