Friday 11 April 2014

Thought for the day ...

There was a comment on my last post asking how I can sell the pattern for Wimbledon Squares when the same quilt has been around for ages and can be seen all over the internet? This raises an interesting point and so I thought that rather than replying by email as I would usually, I would put my reply in the form of a blog post so people can join the conversation if they want to. 

I agree the block is not necessarily original, however, if you look at almost all patterns, you will see that they are based on traditional block designs that have been around for many, many years.  As Harry S Truman once said “there is nothing new in this world, except the history we do not know”.  However, what hasn't been around is my version of the pattern.  A designer does her own calculations on fabric quantities, writes her own instructions and draws her own diagrams for how to make the quilt, from how to cut the fabrics and sew them together to make blocks, through to adding the binding to make the final quilt.  All of this is in her own words, and has taken up her time, and that is what she is selling.  In short, I believe that any designer who does this has the right to expect to be paid for her work.

I also think that quilting would stagnate if designers were only allowed to produce patterns using blocks that have never been seen before.

The commenter also stated that she has made quilts like this without a pattern, as have I and many other people, I am sure, but I doubt that a beginner would be able to do that.  If we don’t help those beginners by giving them straightforward patterns with instructions, they won’t be able to increase their abilities and confidence and they might well lose interest and drift away and then there is a danger that the art of quilting will gradually die out.

I think my friend Nancy summed this up by saying “none of us ever got up on our legs for the first time and ran a marathon”.


16 comments:

  1. I think you reponded to this quirey wonderfully.

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  2. thanks for your response - it was I that asked the question and I do hope you didn't take it as a criticism as I didn't mean it to be in any way - I have just been very curious as to how some of these patterns that you see over and over can be "new" you explained it well - thank you! And yes you are right - people new to quilting do not find all patterns easy - when I made my last one like this which I called "square in a square" I was asked for directions - and "how did you do that" what was easy to me was not for others

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  3. Despite being involved with crafts for many years, I had never attempted quilting until my happy encounter with Sue, on a train (!) three years ago. I had always thought quilting was beyond me. I really appreciate Sue's "can do" approach to quilting and I think this pattern reflects that. I would never have attempted Wimbledon Squares without her printed instructions. Patterns like this allow so many of us to participate in quilting.

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  4. Thank you Karen for asking the question and thank you Sue for your excellent response.

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  5. Good question and good answer. I love the quilts made from this pattern. Y'all did a great job!

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  6. Interesting both question and answer. Years ago a friend saw me working on a quilt from a magazine. She was so excited about it and asked if she could use it for the guilds mystery night. I said sure..it's not mine. The next thing I know she rewrote as her own, renamed it and sold patterns. I thought bold of her. But now years later thumbing through older quilt pattern magazines I find pretty much the same patterns but newer fresh fabrics, new tools and new shortcuts. The Internet also has all those tutorials, free patterns and then Pinterest! Who knows what the right answer is here...just keep on doing what your doing because everybody else pretty much doing the same! I agree...lots of time goes into the pattern process and time is $$$$$$$

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  7. I agree with what you have said and was sad to see that first comment. Ideas come to all of us, we change measurements to fit in with new fangled stuff, (like rotary cutters & jelly rolls), to name just a few. I've made quilts from my graph books from way back and then seen the same or similar in a magazine, well after I've produced mine, but nobody else ever saw it, so these ideas come to many of us who quilt. Keep on doing what you love is all I say, as there will always be somebody new to quilting who has not come across many patterns. Hopefully we all inspire each other, no matter what. Take care all.

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  8. Great job my friend, your response was well rounded and thoughtful, and I'm so glad to see that Karen reached out again.
    Quilting has been enjoying a lovely renaissance for some time...it won't last if we aren't supportive and take responsibility for passing our knowledge on to future generations. Who knows what new fangled toys they'll come up with to make our work look overly laborious in the future! I'm reminded of two little ladies I overheard talking at a quilt show..."There's No Such Thing As A New Quilt Block! They've All Been Done!" I think I'm going a quest to figure out a block that no one has ever thought of on my Quilt Bucket List! Well, maybe not...

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  9. Nice post. Both you and Karen expressed yourselves well.

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  10. Excellent response Sue, and while I am not a Bible thumper this verse comes to mind.

    What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
    Ecclesiastes 1:9

    What is great is that we share it with newbies so that they too will learn. Patterns go out of style and print, tools change, and we come up with new techniques. These new patterns embrace those changes.

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  11. While the final block may look the same as one from years and years ago, the technique of assembling them can be vastly different. Even as a quilter with some experience, I still have trouble with scale. I'd rather buy a pattern where the project ends up right sized, the blocks look to be the right scale for the project and the fabric requirements have been tested than go through all those calculations myself and risk the final outcome being garbage.

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  12. If someone wants to look at a traditional quilt and make it for themselves that's good. If someone wants to buy a pattern where all the details are already worked out for them and tested ... That's fine too. I see very little that is new in quilting we all work from the same basic designs and no one has to buy a pattern if they don't want or need it.

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  13. being a new comer to quilting I need instructions for every thing at the moment so without patterns I would be lost, still get lost sometimes even with instructions! Your explanation was very well put and good to see no offence was taken by either of you

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  14. Well said, and well written (just like your patterns).

    Without designers taking the time and trouble to create all the wonderful inspiration which surrounds us, our lovely hobby/obsession would be much poorer.

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  15. Writing clear and concise instructions is a very difficult thing to do. You're selling your expertise to help those of us quilters who need that support. Awesome job!

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