Going back to this post with one of the snowflakes I'm working on I couldn't find anything like it at all - before I put out the post. Stephanie then got in touch and she couldn't either but it prompted me to take another look myself. I keep quite a few things on the icloud and was looking for something else when I came across Betsy's snowflake which is a LOT like mine. Or should I say - mine is a lot like hers!!!
She used regular chains and put clovers at the top of the outer round. Nonetheless mine's almost like hers. Now I KNOW she couldn't have copied mine as the copyright on hers is 2004 and she probably didn't know about lock chains back then either.
So, off I went on a quest to contact Betsy. First of all I tried her email address but that bounced. Then I was forced to go to my nemesis - Pinterest where I found this link to the site where it was hosted. That didn't work either. The snowflake, I found out, was in a book by Betsy called 'Let it Snow' but I can't find that either. It seems to have disappeared into thin air - or melted like snowflakes do! Both Sue and Georgia got in touch to say that Betsy had sadly died so that’s the end of the search.
Now I have several choices - either to abandon the whole idea or do something like I did with Juliana. I could attribute the design to Betsy (I would put in links if I had them to her book and the actual snowflake online) or decide that mine's sufficiently different to leave well alone. I want to be fair so any advice would be good.
Meantime - here's the second snowflake in this series. This one has seven split rings (sorry, Diane) and a half double double stitch to make the chains stay straighter and the rings sit up properly on the outside. Again it's similar to others 'out there' and again I don't want to step on anybody's toes.
7 comments:
Wow it got a nice variegated color too and love this with gold beads too!
Pretty. I think it's possible to become over-pedantic about copyright. Just saying....
Haha! The gauntlet has been thrown. I will tat this snowflake, and at the same time overcome my fear of split rings! I'm just grateful that there are no joins on the second half of the split rings!
As for credit, I think you need to do what feels right to you. I never would have learned to encase glass gems with tatting without Edda Guastalla's tutorial. Yes, there are others out there, but her instructions are the ones that clicked with me. When I first began tatting Ice Drops, I made sure I credited Edda frequently. Now that I've been tatting them for three years, I don't give her credit as often. However, if someone is looking for help with different shaped gems, I always steer them toward Edda's tutorial. Is that enough? I really don't know. Since you weren't really tweaking Betsy's pattern, I think you're okay with leaving it alone.
I guess so, Jane, but I’d hate for somebody to be hurt by anything I did so am ultra careful.
Glad you’re gonna take up the gauntlet, Diane!!! How did you know it was meant for you? Just teasing!!
What feels right to me is to do thorough research on anything like this so I can give as much credit as possible. It’s always harder with the easier patterns so that’s why I took up animals instead!!!! I’ve still got one more to look into and then I’ll put all three onto my site.
I must say I've seen similar 'shapes' for snowflakes, but none of THOSE used half double double stitches OR split rings, especially not on the 'points.' I'd guess if you're going solely on 'shape,' none of us can really come up with an 'original' snowflake, but if you're going with 'technique(s) used,' this is definitely a Jane Original. Doesn't hurt to do some research, though. :)
StephanieW
Fabulous snowflake and color!!! :)
As for my still in the learning stages opinion-you have researched and done your best to make sure it wasn't anyone else's design, but you did find one similar which I think is far too possible with tatting, but....the techniques you use and the fact that you were not looking at it and trying to copy it should mean that it's yours. If too concerned, can you just say my design similar to....(whoever's name)???
That's what I intend to do, God's Kid and even probably put a history to the design on another linked page as well.
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