This morning I had an email from a lady asking about using my patterns for classes at a quilt shop. I read my copyright blurb at the top of my “free patterns” page and I had not included any information regarding this issue so I’ve updated it and it now reads as follows:
Please respect copyright! Even though a pattern is offered for free, it is still subject to copyright. If sharing a link to my free patterns, please link to this page. Click on the quilt picture to get more details and the free pattern.
You are welcome to use my patterns to make quilt to donate, to give to friends or family. My patterns may not be used for any class or project in which a fee is charged for the class or project. These patterns are posted here for quilters to use for free!
My intent is that these patterns are there for your use for free! I do not want anyone to have to pay to take a class, where the teacher and/or shop are making profit from the pattern. It isn’t that I don’t want folks to make a profit . . I just don’t want anyone to have to pay for something I’ve offered the quilting community to use for free. I hope this makes sense and doesn’t sound like I’m being overly protective, and is clear and easy to understand.
Debbie Rhodes says
sounds perfectly reasonable to me… I share at times with my mom who doesn’t have a computer.. she is the one who led me to your blog.. you spoke at her quilt guild in Wichita. I am always telling her ” you know that Judy that came to your guild!!”
Kathleen says
I actually think it’s quite generous of you.
Shelia says
Thank you for giving us so much.
Pat K says
I think it is clear, concise and easy to understand. Can’t see why anyone would have a problem with this policy. I love your work and really appreciate all that you share with us. Thank you for being so generous.
Sharon Eshlaman says
Thank you for sharing your patterns with us. I do not feel your policy is unreasonable, makes good sense to me.
Susan says
Sounds good to me.
Kaelyn says
Hey Judy, just a thought about your acceptable use statement. I’m not sure I see the issue with using the pattern in a class where a fee is paid to the teacher to teach the class. I can completely understand not charging for the pattern and would be very upset if anyone charged me for a pattern I could get for free, but I think the teacher’s time is worth something. I guess I see it like a college course – you acquire the book separately from the class. If you can get the book for free from a friend, so much the better but you still have to pay for the class. Maybe I’m missing some important piece of information?
JudyL says
The patterns are put up to be FREE, no class fee, no sale . . just a free pattern and that’s how I want them to stay. My patterns are so terribly simple that even someone with the most basic of skills does not need a class to be able to make the pattern. I understand what you’re saying but I just want my patterns to be free — totally free! And about getting that book from a friend . . as an author, my take is that if one person buys a book and shares it with all her quilting friends, it won’t take long before there are no books. It costs money and takes time to write a book, more time, money and other resources for it to be published. So, borrowing a book from a friend is much better for the end user than for the author/publisher.
Linda Steller says
I think that’s only right, Judy. Other teachers should not profit from things you’ve offered for free. If I teach a class using someone’s pattern, I buy the patterns from them for my class, and then the pattern cost is included in the class fee. I wouldn’t feel right charging a student for something that is free on line.