I recently saw a baby quilt pattern in a sales catalog that is very cute, but is so incredibly simple I could easily make it without the pattern. Is it a great big No-No to make a quilts like this (as a gift or for charity) without buying the pattern?

I'm also curious to know this.

i dont think so just cant call it your pattern or publish it

that would be like seeing a dress somewhere and not being able to go home and make it i think every body is to wrapped up in that stuff. Really we are just quilters

I don't think there's anything wrong with figuring a pattern out yourself as long as you don't claim to have designed it yourself.

Completely agree with this statement.

I agree with everyone else - if you're not claiming the design as your own, even if you figured it out yourself, go nuts!

I have never made a quilt from an actual pattern...just looked and figured it out.

Good Luck, mine don't come out the same when I BUY the Pattern and same Material :):)

can you describe the design. It is really difficult to give an informed answer. Was the sales catalog a quilting catalog or from a department store.

I would think if you always referred to the design as "inspired by blah, blah, blah.", it would be ok.

that all depends on whether or not the design is obviously unique. if it sprang from the designer's original ideas and can't be found in the public domain then to copy it without buying the pattern would be both illegal and tacky.

It's basically 4 small squares attached to a larger square with a 'babyish' design placed in the larger square. There is an even larger center section with a larger 'babyish' design. These designs could be appliques or embroideried for the different sexes. You could do a pink version for girls, blue for boys, or mix it up to be unisex. Of course use baby style fabrics or flannels. It actually came in an email advertising a sewing/quilting catalog.

that sounds like an irish chain derivative. almost certainly from the Public Domain if you use your own applique motifs.

There are a lot of similar baby quilt designs out there. DO a search for simple baby quilts and see how many come up with a similar layout. personally, it's not something I would lose sleep over.

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And the baby won't lose any sleep over it either. You can make a quilt with the White House on it and no one would dispute your owning the quilt. Remember, ALL clothing manufacturers steal (borrow) ideas from the runways of famous designers. Why can't we? If you aren't going to sell it, don't worry. If you ARE going to sell it, call it a "reproduction" from so and so's collection.

if you aren't selling the pattern for profit then you are o.k. with the 'copy right', and if you aren't mass producing it for profit it's again o.k.

If the pattern is a basic quilt block, well established,, then you can make anything you want for personal use, which includes gifts.

You just can't market the pattern as you own.


Just look at all the patterns out there that are so similiar, it's almost impossible not to use a existing pattern.

Make the quillt & enjoy

I think it's OK. If you figure out how it's done, hooray for you.

no, it is not a big no=no, if you can figure it out you can make your quilt; if however you choose to sell it you should get permission and acknowledge the designer....but if you design your own you don't have to worry about that

I have wondered about this as well - but I guess after reading all the answers, I am still wondering

As long as you aren't making any money by selling the idea you should be ok. If you think you're copying to closely, just make some changes to make it your own. But, as someone else said, don't get too wrapped up about it. It's only a quilt.

Because stealing is wrong, not matter who among us or around us does it.

respecting the efforts and rights of others under the law is not optional.

our actions should not be based on what's most convenient or pleasing to us.

they should be based on law and ethics.

would you tell your child it's ok to copy off another during a test just because he didn't write the questions, didn't decide which answers were correct, or because other children might also be cheating?