suzieq13

I'm new to quilting, and have been giving my 'practice runs' to family and friends so far. However, I think I'd like to try selling a few on Etsy or somewhere similar in the future. My question is really this: I've purchased patterns and books of patterns, but am not aware of if there's any legal restrictions on selling the quilts that I've made from those patterns? I'm not creative, so by and large I'm following the patterns down to the colors.

If it's not illegal in some way, is it considered bad form? I just don't want to step on toes if so.

Thanks in advance for helping a newbie out.

joe'smom

Welcome to the quilting board, suzieq13!

I've contemplated this question, too (in case I ever decide to sell in the future), because I also rely on patterns others have designed. What I have imagined is that I would credit the pattern designer in my item description.

tropit

There can be restrictions. Many patterns state that anyone who buys the pattern can use it for their own, personal use, but not for any type of commercial use, which includes selling the finished goods online. Look over your pattern and see if it says anything about the copyright.

Onebyone

. Most people think a designer's rule is a copyright and it's not but always printed under the copyright like it is part of the copyright. Always follow the copyright law. Your choice if you follow the rules. I would stick with the free online tutorial patterns for selling the items made.

Iceblossom

We have had many discussions here on copyright, I'm a big believer in the concept. There are some designers who wish to put some restrictions on their designs that cannot be enforced by copyright provisions. However, the printed patterns and books are the first place to look.

Where you live (US or other) has bearing, but here is my rough form:

Copyright mostly pertains to the printed materials and directions, the objects we create from those directions are original to us and are largely removed from the restrictions of copyright. Fabrics can be trademarked or copyrighted as well and have other commercial use limitations. While you can certainly copyright your original insights and directions and pictures and drawings on how to make a 9-patch block, that 9-patch block itself is fair game and not covered by copyright.

If you can draw it yourself, you can make it yourself even down to copying someone else's exact fabric selections without violating copyright. Once you make it for yourself, you can give that to anyone you please. For most of us quilters, the discussion of whether or not it is commercial usage doesn't count. You can certainly sell a quilt you intended to keep for instance.

The question comes when is it commercial, and that is partly by number of times use and partly by intent. If you were, for example, use something clearly designed by someone like the Labyrinth Walk or Elizabeth Hartman designs, and you wanted to make dozens of them to sell, then yes -- you need to receive authorization and they should receive credit plus any royalties/fees due. For me, I'm an advanced pattern drafter and I drew both of those out myself, under fair use I could make them, but I went ahead and bought both of them so that I who believes in artists recognition would have a clean conscious even just making them fully for personal use.

If you are using the creation construction techniques of a Bargello quilt in particular colors, then no... unless there was something truly special about the design you are recreating, it's just a technique and some colors and it counts as original to you, just a technique/style.

There is practically nothing that can be really copyrighted using traditional blocks as a starting point. Again, you can put your own spin on a pattern and can copyright those directions.

quiltingshorttimer

there was a series of articles in recent Quiltmaker about the whole issue of copyright--including pattern use, selling finished product, etc.

OurWorkbench

And a couple of links here - what is considered your own quilt pattern? and I based a quilt on a photo.....Copyright question There are a couple of links in the first one that are no longer valid. Interestingly, there is a link common to both that is still valid.

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.

Tartan

Good luck getting anyone to pay what a quilt is really worth.

ptquilts

amen to that. With so many hundreds of free patterns that have been around way before the internet, I have never found a need to buy someone else's pattern.