Basically there are only so many patterns both knitting and sewn out there that are original however if someone as taken time to adapt a pattern , correcting the size and making it fit only for someone else to make a direct copy and start churning them out at a cheaper price or not, it will cause friction and ill feeling.
However , noone has exclusive rights to use a certain fabric or wool on a basic pattern and call it there own ! Who knows ,especially if you are new ,to the making for that group that some else as not already used that style to knit or sew already. However if someone as taken that basic pattern and cut or styled it in a new and clever way and then you copy it exactly then that is a direct copy!
Lots of people have ideas that maybe they never put into the public eye and may then see someone else whose had that same idea and actually run with it.
I will show you how it should be .. she says...
I bought it from a lady who had her own website selling clothes for Sasha and Gregor, her could be Sheila Vincent but I am not sure, so I apologise if it's not made by her and by someone else.
and found that pattern details in one of my knitting books.
I can here you knitters ! muttering .. that looks interesting... that looks easy ..
anyway, so I knitted a sweater dress with a ruffled bottom in 4ply yarn however once I had finished I did not like how it sat!
and here it is because I was not happy with it I just put it aside and left it.
What I should have then done is knit it again in 6ply and a plain yarn and adjust the cross over between the ruffle and the stitches above but I did not , I left it and this is the only one I ever made. When like me you work all day and knit quite slowly if it does not work the first time you tend to move on, which is what I did.
About six months later Jackknits came out with her pattern for a pleated/ruffles skirt on a knitted dress/tunic for the 18 inch doll and those dresses started being sold for Sasha's.
So you can see that I was inspired by the cardigan to start to adapt it for a sweater dress and this is what should happen when you see a design you like by someone else.
I am and always have been an idea's person unfortunately I mostly do not have the skill or if I do the time to put those ideas into production but for those that do, I do understand where you are coming from if others copy or appear to copy.
Lets see what happens... :)
*********************************************************************************
I'm completely with you Dee. It's like my ra-ra skirts and ra-ra dresses. I appreciate that the ra-ra skirt has been in fashion before but when I came to the Sasha world I'd not seen a Sasha wearing one, that is not to say that they'd not been done before, but I'd defintely not seen one, so I thought I'd give it a go. I can't remember who I spoke with about it, but they agreed and I started to make them in Sasha size. I can't stop others from making this design but I have seen what I'm sure are direct copies for sale on ebay and elsewhere. Someone who is very well known in the Sasha world even emailed me one day to show me what she felt was a direct copy of one of my outfits....I find it frustrating but there you go. As for other ideas, I've had loads of ideas but not enough time to make them up for Sasha dolls but you'd only have to look at my photos on Flickr to see that I've made very many different styles of outfits but just in other sizes. Someone once complained about someone 'copying' her exclusive design....and I thought 'exclusive? I don't think so!' because sure enough, when I looked through my photos, there was the very same design sewn some 9 years ago, just in a very tiny size! And this was from a pattern that was freely available on the internet! It's just the way life is, I guess. I've been asked to make things that are very similar to those made by another seamstress but I don't do it...I prefer to do my own 'take' or 'twist' on something. I can't be doing with copying.
ReplyDeletePS that is a lovely cardigan by the way! And your knitted dress would definitely work in another type of yarn, you will have to give it a go one day :)
xxx
What I find annoying about the copying that goes on is the platitudes offered up by the friends and followers of the copier. It is not a form of 'flattery' or 'respect for your talent in designing' when some copies and even sells items you have designed. It is theft and, if you put your work under copyright, it would be illegal.
ReplyDeleteMany years ago, I used to design and make farlisle sweaters for teddy bears. They were sold at a huge mark up in a Kensington toy shop. The price difference wasn't an issue for me as I enjoyed the work. What did annoy me was seeing a dozen or so being sold on EBay some years back, with a claim that the seller had made them herself as a little child. They were selling at huge prices to people being misled, purely because she claimed to have designed and made them at an age when most children can't knit a stitch. Of course, they were not labelled, so I couldn't disprove her tall tale.
As you say, Dee, there are a finite number of styles and fabrics/yarns, but there are a huge number of each of these so, while nobody owns a style and nobody can claim an exclusive right to use a certain material, it is highly improbable that an exact copy can come about by accident.
I would never buy a Hattie hat or rara skirt Se
from anyone but you -or Hattie- or a rara skirt set from anyone but Sharon, as no one could make them to suit my kids' insistent desire for originals.
Nice discussion Dee and I am all thumbs with no knitting or sewing talent but I do love the designs by a few of my favorite Sasha designers and I am not alone since they always sell out quickly!:)
ReplyDeleteThe copying also extends to copying photos too which has also upset a lot of people. This does not concern me very much though I can see how some people could think their photos are the same property as a knitted dress. If I google "Sasha Morgenthaler", I always see a few photos of my dolls copied by people I do not know along with other blog photos. So, it is an interesting topic and I thank you for the open discussion here on your blog. :) xxx
As an artist I find this discussion very interesting. There is a common saying in the art world that "every artist stands on the shoulders of those before us". We go to museums (and copy work to learn from the masters) and attend art shows to study technique, color and composition. We take away ideas and inspiration to help us become better artists. Everyone knows a Picasso and a Rembrandt...they are unique unto themselves. We do not copy them, but we learn from them.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to clothing, including Sasha doll clothing, there are basic universal designs for all to use, such as overalls, shirts, kilt skirts, pleated skirts, hooded coats, jackets, and shoes, etc. It is the creator that gives the clothing a very personal touch and it is that touch that makes the work unique. I believe that we owe respect to those creators who create those personal touches and not copy them. However, I do not believe that anyone can claim a basic design as their own because they were the "first" to sew it for a Sasha doll. If I had created the "first" kilt for Sasha to wear, I do not think I would have any claim to the design. It is worn around the world. There is nothing unique about a tired skirt. They exist in many cultures. There are existing patterns for that design by Peggy Trauger (#81 dress) and it is the style dress that Sasha Princess came with. What shouldn't happen is for other creators to copy the someone's creative touches that that person spent time with to make them unique.
An additional thought...A dear friend of mine makes beautiful hooded coats and jackets for Sasha. In the past year or so several other creators have made similar, but not exact copies, of her coats. She has been an inspiration for many who sew for Sasha. However, her gracious response to those who are inspired by her work is: "that there is room for all of us." Indeed, there are so many of us with dolls that need clothing that it is very nice to have a variety of designs to choose from. Ellen
ReplyDeleteEllen you are completely right in that there is room for everyone and that just because you might be the first to make something for a doll, you don't own the design, I'm with you all the way on that. However for me it was the blatant copying of 'those creative touches' that I find annoying! But at the end of the day they're just dolls so hopefully no-one loses any sleep over it. :)
ReplyDeletexx
I've pondered that topic since I read your post, and I had some clever thoughts about it - but Ellen had them first, and she put them in better words.
ReplyDeleteThere's a thin line between inspiration and theft. Is it theft to sew a plain yoked long-sleeved gingham dress? Or is that just what suits a Sasha best?
Years ago, I designed and sewed teddy bears. All the patterns I made myself, without taking a Steiff bear apart before I started. Still a bear is a bear is a bear, and there's only so much to make it personal. (I put some photos on my blog, if you want to see what I mean.)
You're right about the sweater, Dee: it's very pretty, and it doesn't fit your Sasha girl perfectly. Maybe you just have to find the right doll for it?