Originally Posted by
Tartan
I can't begin to figure it all out so I err on the side of caution. I think it is all a bit silly really because we are all building on a rich quilting heritage. A lot of the "new" patterns and quilts are actually old patterns renamed (I hate that by the way) or changed slightly. It is kind of sad that everything is about money and ownership.
This, exactly. OP, my reply is not directed at you, so please don't be offended.
I have come across several of these threads and discussions, and I've finally figured out WHY they "get my goat" so much.
All this "dont share!" and "that's MY idea" seems to be to be the antithesis of quilting. For many, many years quilters have been sharing - patterns, blocks, material, ideas, methods, etc - why someone would feel the need to be SO stringent with "their" idea is beyond me. Now, don't get me wrong, I do not begrudge anyone making a living from their original ideas, but really? How many truly original ideas are there in the quilting world. Also, as long as one is using something for their own personal use and NOT making money/profit from it (in no way would I defend making copies of someone's claimed pattern and selling them) why should there be a problem? I've spent, I'm sure, thousands of dollars in books, patterns, etc, over the years, and if those authors really think I shouldn't share a thing or a bit of information, I'd gladly send their stuff back to them and not buy anything of theirs ever again. Look at those who share freely - take Leah Day for example - I'd much rather look to them because to me that embodies the spirit of quilting I like best - share the fun, knowledge, excitement of it all. I'm sure she's making money from the things she does sell and she is very generous with her ideas and knowledge.
I see a lot of quilts with "names" on them that are NOT original patterns and have wondered exactly WHY is being called an original pattern? Fabric selection? Because somebody stuck their name on it? I don't think that's right, either.
Maybe I'm a moralless scofflaw, but I'd share my pattern or my book with anybody who is interested. If I know how to do something and somebody wants to learn, I'm there. Want to take me to court? Go for it.
Again, that's just ME. YMMV.