Copyright infringement is illegal. You know that and I don’t think any of you would dream of scanning pages and patterns from a book and posting them online. Even if it is to your friends in a closed online group (something I found out was happening recently). But you know what? There are people who do that!
Every now and then someone lets me know when this sort of thing happens and I really do appreciate it. However, the truth is that it’s very difficult to fight online sharing.
Even though you know why, let me take a moment to explain why it is that you need to pay for your own copy of whatever pattern or book you want to work from:
If you want there to be a supply of new quilt patterns and books with well-written instructions, you need to support the authors and designers that who write them. Writing instructions, calculating yardage and precise cutting instructions, making the quilts and projects, all take a great deal of time and effort. I am not doing any of this for fun. If I want to make a quilt for fun, I just make it and to heck with all of that writing and calculating.
Plus, when you buy a book or pattern, it’s not just the authors you are supporting, but the publishers too. because i It is the rare author that who can produce an error-free, print-ready manuscript and pattern.
So, please, when you run across sharing that you suspect is wrong, consider nicely mentioning to the person or persons involved that you prefer to support the author rather than saving a little bit of money. Thank you so much :-).
Piece O Cake Blog 
Excellent post!!! Amen!!!!!
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Well said!!
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Great post!
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Excellent post. Unfortunately many do not believe if they copy a pattern it is okay. I do not feel that way. I have seen many applique patterns and books printable from Pinterest. It is a continuing issue both on and off the internet!
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Great post x
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Great info. You are, indeed, right on this one. This is something that can be shared.
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Please do feel free to share this with whomever you choose :-).
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I agree with you and I respect copyright.
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Very well written.
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Thank you for posting this. I had a conversation today about “embroidery machine” patterns, and was able to help a group of people understand why each person should purchase their “own copy” of the design to use. It is the designer’s lively hood at stake. Why in the world would you go to all the trouble to publish for that to be “stolen” from you? It is a theft, and there is no way to justify that behavior.
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It’s called intellectual “property” for a reason.
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I totally agree and I do like to have the original book or pattern just because it’s the right thing to do. I will admit I copy some of them – then enlarge or make smaller depending on what I’m doing. And sometimes I write all over the copy. There’s something about writing on the original that I can’t do. That being said – a local mostly bag designer, Jessica VanDenburgh of Sew Creative NY (or something like that) made a pattern for the Diva Wallet. And a local shop made one – put that photo on the pattern and copied the same thing. When I saw it at a recent even, I told them I would no longer shop there and they were guilty of theft and fraud, in my opinion. So if someone does that, I would hope that people would stand behind the real designer and let others know that they are dealing with a thief and I have no desire to see the thief stay in business! She gives others a bad name .
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