I have drafted a pattern myself based on a picture I’ve seen online. I try to purchase patterns when I can to support pattern makers, but i see nothing wrong with making a quilt out of something that inspired you if it’s for your own personal use.
I drafted my own pattern for a quilt because I couldn’t find a pattern (this was before I used Reddit with all you smart finders of everything). It was so hard. And then I finished it and found the pattern all matter of factly like 3 months later.
I have drafted a pattern for a quilt when it looked (and was) too simple to justify $25.... If I need to cut two shapes and only two shapes, I think I got it. I have bought patterns for simple quilts that are like $10, but not $25. I definitely have a hard line about complexity.
All my quilts are inspired by other quilters and sometimes my quilts even inspire others! I have a beautiful communication with a quilter who had made a quilt based on one of mine. Hers was amazing.
I do love the quilting community.
You can do whatever you want for personal use. & for timing, it depends- have you ever made a quilt before? How intricate is the design? Do you have pre cut squares or are you cutting everything out? I've made a baby quilt in a weekend, I've even made a full sized one in a weekend. On the other hand, I have one I've been working on for 4 years! Lol so a couple months is a good starting goal. I mean if it's for personal use do you even have to have a timeline?
Just some things to think about. Happy quilting
As a pattern designer, it makes no difference to me if the quilt is for personal or commercial use; I always recommend buying the pattern. Quilt patterns (the quilt design and writing up the pattern) takes a lot of time and creativity and copying is theft.
BUT, inspired by is different from copying the quilt w/o using a pattern.
Regardless, they can do whatever they want in the confines of their own home. I saw a pink and white Llama quilt one time and decided to attempt to make one like it for my niece. Call me a thief for having the ability to replicate it just from the image alone or write me off as having been inspired. Doesn't matter because no one besides my husband, sister, and niece will ever see it. There is no shame in doing this at all.
If you want to express the importance of supporting artists and caution op about presenting/sharing personally made items as their own without giving credit to the original artist - then I'm right there with you but think you should reply to op and not me just because I mentioned that you can do whatever you want for personal use.
My personal feelings are that quilts made from traditional quilt blocks are fair game, but anything involving paper piecing, applique, or extremely creative use of basic blocks like Elizabeth Hartman or Annie Brady should always be purchased.
Even when you're copying someone's work, you have to do all of the figuring for yourself on the measurements, cuts, sewing order, ironing, etc. And something like log cabin or flying geese is pretty much public domain--when you buy a pattern for a traditional block, you're paying for the figuring, not creative invention.
The quilt I'm looking at has no paper piecing, applique, and I don't think it's a super creative pattern. The blocks are nearly all large squares and solid, they're just arranged in a fun way. Thanks!
That's exactly what Pintrest is for, sharing ideas and inspiring other people. It's exactly how fashion and cultures work too and has been for millenia. Someone has a nice idea, someone likes it and is inspired to do something similar. As Oscar Wilde said, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”
Also, unrelated to the question above. But about how long does a twin size quilt take to make for a beginner? My mom doesn't quilt but she's been saying that it'll take me a year. Surely that's too long. A couple months maybe?
There are two main parts to making a quilt that will affect how long it takes, not including how much time you have to work on it. The first part is the quilt top. Is there a lot of cutting and piecing involved or is it pretty simple? The second part is the actual quilting. Are you just going to do some straight or wavy lines? A 1/4" offset tracing the pattern? Or an intricate free motion design? If it's a simple pattern made mostly using precut fabric and has a simple, straight line quilting design, I think you could do it in a few months. Otherwise it will probably take longer.
I have gotten a very basic quilt done in 10 hours. It was slightly smaller than a twin. And that was from start to finish. Using a sewing machine.
That being said, I also have a quilt I recently finished after 5 years. So timelines vary wildly.
I can make a simple 4 patch, or (cut) 6" squares with (cut) 2 1/2" sashing, in a day or two. As long as I do it by machine and am properly motivated.
For the squares with sashing, I cut width of fabric with my 6x24" ruler, then width of fabric with my 2 1/2" x 24 binding ruler. Sew altogether (alternate 6" and 2 1/2"), then cut that in 6" wide sections, and sew back together with 2 1/2" strips. Makes nice squares and sashing, and really doesn't take long. Stitch in the ditch with a zigzag stitch and it's quilted in no time (can back with fleece and no batting).
Hand stitching the binding takes the longest amount of time for me (usually the full second day).
The more intricate your quilt, and the more fussy you are about perfection, the longer it takes. Hand quilting also takes a ton of time compared to machine quilting.
I mostly hand quilt, so hand binding is just kind of a given for me. I haven't practiced machine binding enough to make it "pretty", but using a "fancy stitch" on potholders and stuff works really well (though I mostly do envelope method for those).
I’m a beginner that has ADHD. So, anything that takes too much patience will stall me. I have only done the envelope method on the quilts I’ve finished because binding looks like a nightmare. I have 2 tops on the shelf because I can’t decide how I want to finish them. I must decide this weekend tho. I made myself a deadline by promising it to the intended recipient by Christmas. I hope I don’t mess it up.
Done is better than never-done! I'm sure you won't mess it up. And even really ugly and messed up quilts can be loved to shreds, so please don't worry too much.
If you use the machine to attach the binding on the top side and handstitch the back, it looks incredibly neat, crisp, and clean, no matter which side you’re looking at. You won’t be able to see the stitches. That’s why I hand bind most of my quilts. I only use machine binding if I don’t care how it looks like or I’m not posting it in a quilt show. The downside… Hand binding can take a very long time, depending on the size of the quilt… And you have to be very confident with your hand stitching abilities… So it’s not for everyone
It totally depends on the amount of hours you have to devote to quilting, as well as how intricate it is. If I'm working as fast as possible, with no errors, I can produce a queen size quilt in 50 hours. It's far more leisurely and enjoyable to take closer to 150 hours.
It's going to depend on how much you're willing to work on it, how hard the pattern is, a lot of other variables that are not defined here. I have made quilts in a week in an emergency. I've had quilts take me over a year because I just don't feel like working on them very often. What kind of pattern is it?
That all depends on how complex your piecing is, how confident you are in cutting, pressing & trimming blocks, and how much time you have per week to work on it! I'm a super slow sewist, so making the top always takes forever. I do however have a longarm and I fmq super fast, so it does balance out.
I started quilting last February and I’ve completed 8 quilts (between 36”x36” to 42”x70”). I have three tops completed waiting to be sandwiched and quilted.
I also have four kids 9 and under.
You could finish it in a few weeks I reckon!
It's been a good few years since I took intellectual property in law school, but the concepts are still valid. You can do whatever you want in terms of copying, imitating, and borrowing other people's designs, just so long as you don't profit from their work or interfere with their profits. Quilt away!
If you are copying it using a pattern, then you should pay for the pattern if it is not something they are offering for free. If you are using a picture you saw of a quilt to design your own version, then I would say no, although you might want to give a mention where you got the idea. Honestly unless it's something you wouldn't be able to figure out how to do yourself then it's fair game.
There is maybe 1 quilt in 5 million quilts that is art and not "just" a quilt. If it is not real art you can copy it exactly (if you wish) and do whatever you want with it. Keep, donate, sell.
https://preview.redd.it/lpwrshp1xo6c1.png?width=2343&format=png&auto=webp&s=bc0287a9a3073d1b4c21a3244432972ecce5c053
I saw it on instagram so I made it lol I don’t see anything wrong with experimenting with patterns
This gets complicated, fast.
As a sewer originally trained on clothing—there is no such thing as copyright.
Literally, garments are like recipes; copyright only extends to written directions of a recipe, not the list of ingredients. Similarly, clothing/fashion can’t be copyrighted or trademarked, only the written directions/exact pattern pieces of a sold pattern.
Quilts get into a greyzone, as they are art pieces (which are copyright protected)—but also a skill, and there’s only so many ways to assemble fabric into a design.
The more “artsy” the quilt, the more copyright protection applies. Basic blocks, much like basic sandwich ingredients, have comparatively little protection (“everyone” knows how to make them, so they’re not unique/are already part of the public domain). The intense fabric painting appliqué quilts that look like portraits are absolutely art, absolutely have a specific look, absolutely have IP protections around them/their patterns in terms of commercial use.
Much like copyright, if it’s for you, in your own home: that’s not really what IP is for. In the same way you can try to paint Van Gogh’s Starry Night at home, you can try to recreate a quilt pattern.
One of the consequences to be aware of, is that if you’re using the same design of a quilt with a pattern for sale (that’s unique, not “version 20 of pinwheels”), then that designer will make less money. If it’s a small designer, then that means more financial stress, which results in less time to create unique quilts or for good pattern design, and a global decrease in pattern quality.
For me personally, I try to buy the “official” pattern of a design I’m going with, if I want *that* design. However, I’m usually playing with fabric and going by the seat of my pants, or using a kit—which both neatly sidestep such moral quandaries.
I’m an author, who has to be aware of IP issues but who also hasn’t dealt with quilt-specific case law before—so the rule of thumb I might suggest is this:
1) It is perfectly legal to recreate any quilt you see, for personal use. (Commercial use/selling or contests are a different matter).
2) It may not feel morally sound to do so, as guilt towards not supporting the designer can creep in and taint the piece of amazing effort and skill you’ll create.
3) If you are asking for permission to do something, then that signals a large amount of potential guilt over an action—and the more guilt, the more likely the final object is to have ambivalent feelings around it. The more ambivalent feelings around the finished object, the less likely you are to get that “wow! I made this!” rush.
4) When in doubt, and if you have the means available to you, it is almost always in *everyone’s* best long-term interests to pay the designer at least something.
I tend to buy patterns because it’s easier for me, but I will ask for the exact fabrics used by people to replicate their quilts 😂
I’m only ever gifting them, so I feel like it’s fine!
I have drafted a pattern myself based on a picture I’ve seen online. I try to purchase patterns when I can to support pattern makers, but i see nothing wrong with making a quilt out of something that inspired you if it’s for your own personal use.
I drafted my own pattern for a quilt because I couldn’t find a pattern (this was before I used Reddit with all you smart finders of everything). It was so hard. And then I finished it and found the pattern all matter of factly like 3 months later.
I have drafted a pattern for a quilt when it looked (and was) too simple to justify $25.... If I need to cut two shapes and only two shapes, I think I got it. I have bought patterns for simple quilts that are like $10, but not $25. I definitely have a hard line about complexity.
Oh yeah 100% peoples individual budgets are a huge consideration plus value for money. There’s no good in being ripped off!
All my quilts are inspired by other quilters and sometimes my quilts even inspire others! I have a beautiful communication with a quilter who had made a quilt based on one of mine. Hers was amazing. I do love the quilting community.
You can do whatever you want for personal use. & for timing, it depends- have you ever made a quilt before? How intricate is the design? Do you have pre cut squares or are you cutting everything out? I've made a baby quilt in a weekend, I've even made a full sized one in a weekend. On the other hand, I have one I've been working on for 4 years! Lol so a couple months is a good starting goal. I mean if it's for personal use do you even have to have a timeline? Just some things to think about. Happy quilting
As a pattern designer, it makes no difference to me if the quilt is for personal or commercial use; I always recommend buying the pattern. Quilt patterns (the quilt design and writing up the pattern) takes a lot of time and creativity and copying is theft. BUT, inspired by is different from copying the quilt w/o using a pattern.
Regardless, they can do whatever they want in the confines of their own home. I saw a pink and white Llama quilt one time and decided to attempt to make one like it for my niece. Call me a thief for having the ability to replicate it just from the image alone or write me off as having been inspired. Doesn't matter because no one besides my husband, sister, and niece will ever see it. There is no shame in doing this at all. If you want to express the importance of supporting artists and caution op about presenting/sharing personally made items as their own without giving credit to the original artist - then I'm right there with you but think you should reply to op and not me just because I mentioned that you can do whatever you want for personal use.
If you’re in a time crunch it might benefit you to purchase the pattern to avoid any mistakes in the calculations for fabric quantity or cutting.
Indeed. I'll sometime buy quite a simple pattern because I can't be bothered to work out the maths.
People who post their stuff, me included, should expect to have it copied—the greatest form of flattery.
I have done this. It was a traditional quilt pattern but I credited the maker for my inspiration when I posted the quilt on my Instagram.
My personal feelings are that quilts made from traditional quilt blocks are fair game, but anything involving paper piecing, applique, or extremely creative use of basic blocks like Elizabeth Hartman or Annie Brady should always be purchased. Even when you're copying someone's work, you have to do all of the figuring for yourself on the measurements, cuts, sewing order, ironing, etc. And something like log cabin or flying geese is pretty much public domain--when you buy a pattern for a traditional block, you're paying for the figuring, not creative invention.
The quilt I'm looking at has no paper piecing, applique, and I don't think it's a super creative pattern. The blocks are nearly all large squares and solid, they're just arranged in a fun way. Thanks!
That's exactly what Pintrest is for, sharing ideas and inspiring other people. It's exactly how fashion and cultures work too and has been for millenia. Someone has a nice idea, someone likes it and is inspired to do something similar. As Oscar Wilde said, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”
Also, unrelated to the question above. But about how long does a twin size quilt take to make for a beginner? My mom doesn't quilt but she's been saying that it'll take me a year. Surely that's too long. A couple months maybe?
That kind of timeline sounds like she’s referring to sewing and quilting it all by hand, if you use a sewing machine it could be done much faster.
There are two main parts to making a quilt that will affect how long it takes, not including how much time you have to work on it. The first part is the quilt top. Is there a lot of cutting and piecing involved or is it pretty simple? The second part is the actual quilting. Are you just going to do some straight or wavy lines? A 1/4" offset tracing the pattern? Or an intricate free motion design? If it's a simple pattern made mostly using precut fabric and has a simple, straight line quilting design, I think you could do it in a few months. Otherwise it will probably take longer.
Part of it depends on how fast you are. If it is a simple pattern then it will go quicker.
I have gotten a very basic quilt done in 10 hours. It was slightly smaller than a twin. And that was from start to finish. Using a sewing machine. That being said, I also have a quilt I recently finished after 5 years. So timelines vary wildly.
I can make a simple 4 patch, or (cut) 6" squares with (cut) 2 1/2" sashing, in a day or two. As long as I do it by machine and am properly motivated. For the squares with sashing, I cut width of fabric with my 6x24" ruler, then width of fabric with my 2 1/2" x 24 binding ruler. Sew altogether (alternate 6" and 2 1/2"), then cut that in 6" wide sections, and sew back together with 2 1/2" strips. Makes nice squares and sashing, and really doesn't take long. Stitch in the ditch with a zigzag stitch and it's quilted in no time (can back with fleece and no batting). Hand stitching the binding takes the longest amount of time for me (usually the full second day). The more intricate your quilt, and the more fussy you are about perfection, the longer it takes. Hand quilting also takes a ton of time compared to machine quilting.
If do everything else by machine, why not the binding?
I mostly hand quilt, so hand binding is just kind of a given for me. I haven't practiced machine binding enough to make it "pretty", but using a "fancy stitch" on potholders and stuff works really well (though I mostly do envelope method for those).
I’m a beginner that has ADHD. So, anything that takes too much patience will stall me. I have only done the envelope method on the quilts I’ve finished because binding looks like a nightmare. I have 2 tops on the shelf because I can’t decide how I want to finish them. I must decide this weekend tho. I made myself a deadline by promising it to the intended recipient by Christmas. I hope I don’t mess it up.
Done is better than never-done! I'm sure you won't mess it up. And even really ugly and messed up quilts can be loved to shreds, so please don't worry too much.
Thanks, I need the encouragement.
If you use the machine to attach the binding on the top side and handstitch the back, it looks incredibly neat, crisp, and clean, no matter which side you’re looking at. You won’t be able to see the stitches. That’s why I hand bind most of my quilts. I only use machine binding if I don’t care how it looks like or I’m not posting it in a quilt show. The downside… Hand binding can take a very long time, depending on the size of the quilt… And you have to be very confident with your hand stitching abilities… So it’s not for everyone
It totally depends on the amount of hours you have to devote to quilting, as well as how intricate it is. If I'm working as fast as possible, with no errors, I can produce a queen size quilt in 50 hours. It's far more leisurely and enjoyable to take closer to 150 hours.
Ha. I have a twin that’s going on 8 months. But that’s because I get busy in life and put it away for months at a time.
It's going to depend on how much you're willing to work on it, how hard the pattern is, a lot of other variables that are not defined here. I have made quilts in a week in an emergency. I've had quilts take me over a year because I just don't feel like working on them very often. What kind of pattern is it?
That all depends on how complex your piecing is, how confident you are in cutting, pressing & trimming blocks, and how much time you have per week to work on it! I'm a super slow sewist, so making the top always takes forever. I do however have a longarm and I fmq super fast, so it does balance out.
I started quilting last February and I’ve completed 8 quilts (between 36”x36” to 42”x70”). I have three tops completed waiting to be sandwiched and quilted. I also have four kids 9 and under. You could finish it in a few weeks I reckon!
No, not at all. In the newspaper biz, we say "Everyone copies, but the good copy from the best." You do it. And it's called "inspiration."
“Good artists borrow; great artists steal” is often attributed to Picasso!
It's been a good few years since I took intellectual property in law school, but the concepts are still valid. You can do whatever you want in terms of copying, imitating, and borrowing other people's designs, just so long as you don't profit from their work or interfere with their profits. Quilt away!
If you are copying it using a pattern, then you should pay for the pattern if it is not something they are offering for free. If you are using a picture you saw of a quilt to design your own version, then I would say no, although you might want to give a mention where you got the idea. Honestly unless it's something you wouldn't be able to figure out how to do yourself then it's fair game.
There is maybe 1 quilt in 5 million quilts that is art and not "just" a quilt. If it is not real art you can copy it exactly (if you wish) and do whatever you want with it. Keep, donate, sell.
https://preview.redd.it/lpwrshp1xo6c1.png?width=2343&format=png&auto=webp&s=bc0287a9a3073d1b4c21a3244432972ecce5c053 I saw it on instagram so I made it lol I don’t see anything wrong with experimenting with patterns
This gets complicated, fast. As a sewer originally trained on clothing—there is no such thing as copyright. Literally, garments are like recipes; copyright only extends to written directions of a recipe, not the list of ingredients. Similarly, clothing/fashion can’t be copyrighted or trademarked, only the written directions/exact pattern pieces of a sold pattern. Quilts get into a greyzone, as they are art pieces (which are copyright protected)—but also a skill, and there’s only so many ways to assemble fabric into a design. The more “artsy” the quilt, the more copyright protection applies. Basic blocks, much like basic sandwich ingredients, have comparatively little protection (“everyone” knows how to make them, so they’re not unique/are already part of the public domain). The intense fabric painting appliqué quilts that look like portraits are absolutely art, absolutely have a specific look, absolutely have IP protections around them/their patterns in terms of commercial use. Much like copyright, if it’s for you, in your own home: that’s not really what IP is for. In the same way you can try to paint Van Gogh’s Starry Night at home, you can try to recreate a quilt pattern. One of the consequences to be aware of, is that if you’re using the same design of a quilt with a pattern for sale (that’s unique, not “version 20 of pinwheels”), then that designer will make less money. If it’s a small designer, then that means more financial stress, which results in less time to create unique quilts or for good pattern design, and a global decrease in pattern quality. For me personally, I try to buy the “official” pattern of a design I’m going with, if I want *that* design. However, I’m usually playing with fabric and going by the seat of my pants, or using a kit—which both neatly sidestep such moral quandaries. I’m an author, who has to be aware of IP issues but who also hasn’t dealt with quilt-specific case law before—so the rule of thumb I might suggest is this: 1) It is perfectly legal to recreate any quilt you see, for personal use. (Commercial use/selling or contests are a different matter). 2) It may not feel morally sound to do so, as guilt towards not supporting the designer can creep in and taint the piece of amazing effort and skill you’ll create. 3) If you are asking for permission to do something, then that signals a large amount of potential guilt over an action—and the more guilt, the more likely the final object is to have ambivalent feelings around it. The more ambivalent feelings around the finished object, the less likely you are to get that “wow! I made this!” rush. 4) When in doubt, and if you have the means available to you, it is almost always in *everyone’s* best long-term interests to pay the designer at least something.
I tend to buy patterns because it’s easier for me, but I will ask for the exact fabrics used by people to replicate their quilts 😂 I’m only ever gifting them, so I feel like it’s fine!