I've been writing this blog and posting photos of Swedish weaving for a few years. It has all been to inform others of the lovely patterns and projects available to us. I always credit the designer of any pattern I use but a couple of years ago I made the mistake of crediting the wrong person...honest mistake! I spoke to the lady today who was the actual designer of that particular pattern and was so horribly verbally abused when I apologized for my mistake that I had to hang up on her. Needless to say, I won't ever buy or use her patterns again.
I won't mention the name of the person but it wasn't Christine Allan whose patterns I adore and use often and will continue to use.
Anyway, the lady I spoke to said that I wasn't allowed to post any photos of my table runners if they showed her patterns because that was an infringement of her copy rights. I had no idea! I always thought that my work was my work and I'd paid for the pattern so why shouldn't I be allowed to show photos of it?
Just a note: No-one has the right to abuse you verbally. I'm an old lady and my time is too precious to argue with unreasonable people and I sure as heck won't take abuse of any kind. I made a mistake, I apologized, and I removed the photo.
She's most likely wrong; posting pictures of your work is not an infringement on her copyright. She can copyright the graphics and instructions to the pattern but not your work. You can even post pictures and sell the work as long as you make it known you didn't design the pattern. It's only a courtesy to name the pattern designer and it sounds like you tried to give credit and make it right when you discovered the mistake. Either way, you were already making it clear that you didn't design the pattern. She sounds like a miserable person. I'm working on my first swedish weaving project and found your blog through google when I was trying to determine if caron yarn would work.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Swedish weaving! I've found everyone (except one) to be extremely helpful and encouraging and I'm sure you will, too. Make sure you join the Swedish weaving websites like "Swedish Weaving Around The World" because they are very informative. It's such a pleasure to see the beautiful work that others post, too. I hope you find my little blog informative and be sure to ask questions any time and also to send me photos of your work so I can post them.
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