3 September 2011

Mumbling about copyright!

I saw an interesting blog post the other day about this over here.

There have been many, many interesting discussions and arguments on this subject over the years and I always read them all with interest and sometimes a certain amount of 'grumpiness'!!!!  

If you've the time (or inclination!) then read on but if you haven't then don't bother - this is only my opinion!!!  

Over the years I've been doing this craft things have changed dramatically but I think the most dramatic change has come about with the internet.  This has given us access to many, many more patterns, techniques and friendships than anything else.  New tatters come along in droves (thank goodness) to try their hand at our craft.  After a few patterns have been made up they can then see 'improvements' and other ideas stemming from these.  Great - BUT.  Hang on, shouldn't we not only encourage this but also add a word of caution here?  

I read many, many blogs each day and get very bored with the same old, same old claims by people who have 'designed a new pattern' for us.  Great - if it is new.  But what if it isn't and mostly they aren't!!!!  They are what I call 'generic'.  A lot of the current - 'this is MY new pattern' claims are just these.  They ARE new to that person but NOT new to tat land.  I feel we should encourage these 'wannabe' designers to check, check, check to see that their 'designs' haven't been done before!!!  This is now SO easy through blogs, forums and groups and by just asking around!!  Also internet searches are a lot easier too.

I feel that through these simplistic generic 'new patterns' we are actually 'cheapening' our craft.  I think we need to stimulate new tatters by offering more interesting ideas.  Not those beyond their capabilities (I am so often guilty of that!) but by putting more thought into what we do.  Let's not criticise those who 'steal' these simple generic designs but rather point out that they must have been done before because they are so 'simple'.  Let's encourage more checking out of our work before publishing it as 'ours'.

Many years ago I came up with the medium seahorse which was commissioned by and published in a weekly magazine in the UK.  Imagine my HORROR when the Ring of Tatters published it a few years later in their Newsletter, very badly notated and altered and with somebody else's name on it as the designer and owner of the copyright.  Imagine PICOTS all over it and you get the idea.  To say I was unhappy is to put it mildly.  This was actually a case where the new publishers were MORE to blame than the person who had 'stolen' my copyrighted work simply because they HADN'T CHECKED.  The old lady who'd 'stolen' my work thought that as she'd paid a few pence for the magazine that the pattern was hers to do what she liked with.  Simple (to her!) alterations to something which took so many hours of my time.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings - I'm off to have a shower and my breakfast!!!!!

2 September 2011

Hidden gems - part 3

Oh, heck!!!  Yesterday I forgot to release this post (two small grandkids and lots of excitement for the last few days) and then today I nearly forgot too and am somewhat later than normal.  I always use the 'scheduled' button on blogger but for some reason it just won't work at the moment so I have to rely on my hit and miss memory.  Lately more miss than hit!!!!  Here we go finally!!!

In Eska's final book I see a small resemblance to some of Mary Konior's work in this design.

In this book there's a date of 1952 so she would have been ahead of Mary!!!!  I wonder if Mary ever saw Eska's work?  Even though I've been collecting books since around 1956 I've never seen this Dutch lady's work until recently.  I feel an urge to get to grips with translating some of these for myself and making one or two pieces.  Certainly all three books are little gems and my many, many thanks go to Riet for sending me the final two in the series.


31 August 2011

Hidden gems - part 2

I really want to show you one of the stunning doilies that Eska has in book 2.  

Can you see how interesting this one is?  I love the way it has a more open centre which becomes denser and then opens out in the final row.   She uses this type of edge to two other doilies in this book.  Even in this design she can't resist the node stitch!!!
Even tempts me to try one!!!  A doily, I mean.  I gave up on those over fifty years ago - sooooo unnecessary in a 'house of clutter'!!!!!!!

30 August 2011

Whatever NEXT?

When I originally did the Fandango edging I never in my wildest dreams thought of it as anything more than 'just an edging'.  
Thanks to all the talented tatters in tat land this has now become a square motif (Valerie Ho) and a bookmark too (sorry, can't remember who suggested this - please own up).

NOW look what's happened to it thanks to Geraldine!!!

I am currently writing this up with the help of brain cell 3 who is struggling with how to write it the easiest way.  Not hard to tat but difficult to write in an easy way for others to follow.  


It's a stunning motif and I have completed one already.  Just making another to 'check up on myself'.  Thanks SO much, Geraldine.  

29 August 2011

Hidden gems - part 1

Some time ago I won some books on Ebay.  Do I need more tatting books?  Answer is, of course, not!!!!  This was a gamble which paid off and you can read some more about the purchase here.
Now what happened next is down to the generosity of a very dear friend in The Netherlands called Riet who kindly sent me the other two in this series which you can see below.  This is Riet's blog.

The progress of this artist's creativity is interesting.  Eska uses a lot of node stitch and combined with what look like very long picots this gives a very lacy effect.  The picture below is from book 1.  More to follow.



An addendum to this post from Bonnie who says the following:-


"Ms. Jane, I believe in your first paragraph you miss spoke.  It should be correct as follows ... Answer is, of course!!!!
The tatting pictured looks like a portion of a crown.  Happy Monday :-)  Until next time, tat on Girlfriend, tat on!"

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