Why you should not share your designs unless you are selling them, and why you should make sure your designs do not fall into the wrong hands

Why you should not share your designs unless you are selling them, and why you should make sure your designs do not fall into the wrong hands

I will not share my designs unless someone wants me to hand-draft a copy of my pattern in one specific size and sell it to them for at least $32, because it takes at least 4 hours to properly size and draft a viable, usable pattern. It takes even longer to test it and make sure the fit is perfect, then adjustments must be made to the draft.

This being said, with all the work that goes into making your own designs and proudly showing the professional pictures you have taken of your work after you finish sewing your design, imagine how sickening it would be to find YOUR design, YOUR photos, on someone’s website, WATERMARKED AS THEIR OWN! That, my friends, is intellectual theft. People are evil enough to take screenshots or snips of designs shown on YouTube videos to use them on their websites, claiming that they can replicate the design shown. YOUR DESIGN! YOUR WORK! The best part is that once someone orders that product, the picture is no longer on their website just to make the site look good. It is now their responsibility to figure out how your pattern works, and the copycats will scramble to pull together a mediocre version of your design. This is not right, this is theft. It is ILLEGAL.

I advise upcoming designers to avoid sharing their designs, portfolios, or sketches with anyone, including potential employers or big pattern companies. Sure, Gertie got her patterns into the big leagues, but once they have your design, they OWN IT. It is NOT YOURS ANYMORE. This is especially sad since young designers work so hard, only to have their work ripped from them by a large corporation that specializes in replicating new trends. Then, they sell your pattern and design to the general public, who will appreciate what they see and what is available, but consumers will never know how much work goes into your craft.

This is why I cannot share any patterns, layouts, or sketches without a LOUD watermark that CANNOT be removed no matter how hard someone tries to photoshop it. This makes me sad, but at the same time, I will not stand for my work and my legacy being stolen from me. Only my daughters and granddaughters will have access to my designs unless purchased by consumers at a price that reflects the work I put into making the patterns and designs I have to offer. I am amazing, and my mind is overflowing with creativity. If someone wants to steal my ideas, they will have to pry them from my cold, dead brain.