My quilt program has dozens and dozens of blocks, contemporary blocks, traditional blocks, etc., and you can design your own.

Just using those thangles and arranging them in a pattern or making a sampler is your design and you don't have to worry about taking someone else's design.

Aside from patterns and copyrights, you also have copyrights on the FABRIC as well.... collegiate, cartoons, etc
Some fabrics have it stated right on the selvage - no resale of anything made from the fabrics without a license agreement..

But you see things made from those fabrics all the time if you go to craft shows - down here it's the colleges - every other booth has SOMETHING from college fabric.

Some people seem to think its 'ok' if it's a non-profit organization - well, no it isn't. Other people just look at you like you're nuts if you mention it to them - like you are just being nasty.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I just like using TRADITIONAL (ie - public domain) patterns and new materials...
and I think if somebody wanted to buy one of my quilts (hasn't happened yet :D ) I'd be absolutely sure to use a public domain pattern AND safe materials...

better safe than sorry....

Yes--Janeen--I was told that long ago when I was making my Talk-About Quilts--that no cartoon kind of charater type fabric can be made into pieces to be sold. I believe it was someone in Joanne's who told me that. Glad she did!

Fabric has copyright rules too? Suddenly this whole mess seems ludicrous. I can't make a charm quilt with baby prints and then turn around and sell it because it has Loony Tunes or something in it? It's hard enough to watch patterns, but fabric too? What a mess!!

This drives me nuts- I see it all the time, patterns popular in the 70s and 80s re-emerging and being claimed as "new" and "copyrighted". This is one of the reasons I seldom buy patterns, and most of the books I own emphasize techniques and not specific patterns. I also love designing, so that seems to be where mine come from. I may use classic patchwork, but would never consider a variation of only fabric pattern or border to be any copyright infringement.