?'s about pattern publishing
 

Hi,

I have some questions about publishing a pattern. A lady asked me to make a quilt, and showed me a picture of what she wanted, but I could not find the directions to let her know yardage. It is a very simple pattern. The question I have is, what makes it your own. If the block is out there, I imagine that instructions would be as well. However, when I look at patterns, I find that there are several patterns that use the same blocks. Is it the way you write the decorations? I would just like to give writing pattern directions a try.

Thanks

Kathy
hsquiltingmom

I am no expert in this area but I use patterns as a guide. My creations (whether they be quilts, clothing or other project) never end up looking exactly like the pattern for some reason. I rarely use the same fabrics and I must not put them together in the same exact way, so I consider the pattern a motivator. hope that helps ......

If it is a traditional block, something our grandmothers would have made, it has no copywrite. Quilts are just made up of combinations of squares, rectangles, triangles, hexies, etc. If you put them together in your own way with your own ideas, it is your pattern. That's all these designers do. IMHO

There are no new ways that I have seen. Just put together than traditional blocks were. It doesn't take a genius to stand and maneuver blocks around to come up with a different look. I do it all the time. There are copy write police on here and I'm sure one or more will be along soon. I keep or give my quilts away. Selling the quilts creates some problems, from what I have read.

I highly recommend this book - Publish Your Patterns by Nancy Restuccia/McKenna Linn. http://www.amazon.com/Publish-Your-P...ublish+pattern I was in your position a few years ago, when I found a quilt that I really liked on an Amish web site, but I couldn't find a pattern for it. Then I found a similar quilt in a book of best quilts of the 20th century, but I still couldn't find a pattern. I determined that the basic design was in the public domain. So I "figured it out" and made a quilt, displayed it on this board, and got so many requests for the pattern that I wrote one, got volunteers to test it, refined the methods to be easier based on their feedback, and sold the pattern through this board and elsewhere. (My avatar quilt is from my pattern.) Good luck!

If you copy a quilt exactly like a copyrighted pattern then it's not your design. If you start with the basic design and change it enough to look like another design then it's yours. I see so many 'new' patterns out now that are nothing but copies of other patterns and they are selling with no problem. I don't copy or sell copies of bought patterns or claim the design as my own as that is the law. The rest are just rules put on the pattern by the designer or publisher.

Thanks for putting such an interesting thought provoking post. I see especially in magazines the same designs used over and over. I may see a pattern that I like but like better when I have made certain alterations but I have been careful just to keep it to myself. I need to always come up with something different to challenge myself and to make bright cheery quilts for charity.

There appears to be more than one question in your post. It would be helpful to see the picture you were given to be able to give good suggestions.
You say you have a picture and need to let the person know how much fabric to buy. That should not involve any copyright issue. You can calculate the yardage bases on the size quilt to be made.
Then..it sounds like you want to write instructions for the quilt since you have not been able to find them.
Then...you say you are interested in designing patterns and publishing them. This last is to me implied in your post.
For me important to know is where did the picture come from. Does it appear to be a pattern, from a magazine or a photo taken at a quilt show or some other source.
I believe these questions are important to be able to give informed answers. Otherwise I would be speculating.

I once saw a traditional lone star quilt in a magazine with the copyright statement. I called the publisher and asked how it could be copyrighted. I was told the copyright applied if the quilt was made exactly as the one in the magazine with exact fabrics. In many cases of patterns using traditional blocks, it is the instructions that are copyrighted and not the quit itself.

She found the picture online. She had first found a quilt pattern on etsy that she liked for a rag quilt, that was done in strips and then she wanted squares on the bag, but, not having done that combination in a rag quilt I didn't think it would work. The picture was found somewhere, and it led you to believe you could find the instructions on Martha Stewarts site, but I clicked to go there, and they weren't there.

It would be a pattern that if I were able to publish it, that would be great for beginners. It is just a square with a border around it. It almost seems like there would be instructions some place, but not sure where. That is what gave me the idea for doing my own. I guess where I get confused, is I can look at different quilt magazines, and they have quilts made by different designers, but they are the same blocks, (square in a square, flying geese, etc), and this is where I am confused about copyrights.

I was able to figure out the yardage for her, and she was able to get the fabric she wanted so all is good.