Busy, busy, busy

I feel like I'm at the starting gate this morning as the next three days are going to be a bit on the crazy side.

I have a bunch of work to do this morning, this afternoon I'm supposed to meet up with the bead show guy and help him set up, and tonight I have a class. Tomorrow will see me stopping by the bead show in the morning and heading out in the afternoon for my two classes in Cedar City. Saturday will see me working the bead show. I definitely see me being pooped on Sunday.

I had a couple of interesting e-mails yesterday. One was a mini-interview for the Dixie college webzine and the other was...well...something that pushed a couple of my buttons.

**Soapbox Alert**

It was from a person I don't know who had read a post of mine on a beading forum where I had thanked the author of a thread for reminding me about netting stitch as I realised that it would be a great stitch for one of my classes. The e-mailer suggested to me some patterns I might like to teach that she had found on the web, stating that that's how she teaches her classes.
I was gobsmacked! Can I scream copyright enfringement?

The thing is we designers work hard to design new things, we put in many hours writing instructions, taking photos and illustrating our patterns...it's how we make our living. This person doesn't do that....she just takes the easy (and actually illegal) road. She could approach the designers and ask for permission...she may get it, one designer I know who publishes her patterns on a beading website is willing to give permission. I myself gave some of my students permission to sell my designs at one event (just for that event).

I have come across this before unfortunately. I even advised one person that she could not enter a competition with a piece designed by someone else and was told I didn't know what I was talking about and that if a pattern is published anyone can do what they like with it. This is not true. Patterns are published for personal use only and not for monetary gain....most magazines and patterns state this. You need permission from the designer to sell or teach their designs.

I do wish people would put themselves in the other person's shoes.....because I just know that if the shoe was on the other foot these design thieves would be screaming unfair at the top of their lungs. As one beader said "they're taking money out of my pocket, and my pocket feeds my family". Some starving artists are starving because people keep ripping off their work!

OK....I'll get off my soapbox now because I have instructions to write and illustrate!