A question to those out there who sell their patterns

[Laialda]

I've gotten several request (though increasingly more so in the last few months) about if I'll be making patterns of my crochet items available for sale...and I'm a bit torn on the subject.

One on hand, I know where they're coming from as a fellow crafter. If I see something in a medium I'm decent in and would like to make it myself, it's certainly much easier to use an existing pattern than to make your own. That way I'd still end up with a good quality product for myself or maybe a friend/family member.

On the other hand though... Certain people leave a bad taste in my mouth about what will (more than likely) happen once I do release my patterns for sale. This one person at a past convention actually asked me if I'd ever considered hiring people to help make my items to sell. Are there people who make enough money making crafts like things that something like that is feasible? I know it's not for me, but that doesn't mean they aren't out there. Anyway, it just left me wondering how likely it will be that when people buy my patterns that they will then just make them to turn around and sell it as their own.

So that's my question. Do those of you who put your patterns up for sale find a large amount of people just selling the finished items on their own in the end? I might not be too upset about it if they credit me back as the originator of the design/pattern, but I know the internet is not always keen on referencing the source. :/

[blackmageheart]

I can see why you'd be torn because sometimes it IS nice to find or buy a pattern from someone else, and make that item for yourself or a friend or whatever. But then there's the unscrupulous people out there, who are only around to make some quick coin. It is a problem, and there's no real way of preventing them from selling the items on (with or without credit to pattern maker) - all you can really do there is catch them after they are up for sale, maybe get them taken down and all the stuff that goes with that process, but that requires your valuable time to go looking for them.

I would say if you have doubts or feel apprehensive in any way, then don't put your patterns up for sale. Not sure if that really helps you, though!

[kuja.girl]

I have released most of my cross stitch patterns for free using this forum because I make them for my own enjoyment and I love seeing other people get the same joy from them.
IF I was making finished pieces to sell then no, I would not release the pattern. That's a source of income on it's own (even if it just covers the cost of creation). If there are a few people you trust you could also email them the pattern and ask that they not distrubite it, but that's a personal call.

Final recommendation - if you just make them for enjoyment then consider sharing your patterns but if you want recognition as an artist (used loosely) then don't.

[Ally]

I'm not fantastic at making patterns so this probably doesn't apply to me, but I've recently taken up crochet again after many years in hopes of making some Pokemon/Mario/whatever else amgurumi (because it'd REALLY make my life easier when it comes to birthdays and Christmas). I've seen that there are quite a few people giving away patterns for free (Wolfdreamer is a great one in particular) who are fantastic at making them. I like that because otherwise it'd be DAMN hard to find the patterns you need, much less make them yourself so these poeple are saints to me! I do agree with kuja.girl though, if you plan on selling the finished product then don't sell them or give them away.

[CraftySasha]

I completely know where you are coming from. As crafters, we all prefer to make items ourselves rather than buy the finished product. I agree with everyone else when they say if you are planning on selling the finished product, definitely do Not offer the pattern for sale or for free anywhere.

If you do decide to sell the pattern, though, from a legal standpoint there is nothing stopping someone from making a bunch of that item and selling it to everyone. There are no rules or laws preventing this.
As a crafter, this is a great thing because there isn't anything stopping you from making something that someone else came up with and selling it. However, as the pattern maker, this can be a bit upsetting. I would simply request credit for the pattern if the buyer chooses to sell the finished product (there isn't much that can be done if they don't, though).

[Philpepe]

Guess I'll throw my 2 cents in since I just started listing patterns on my etsy store a few weeks ago. I think whether you decide to only list the pattern, the finished product, or both, depends entirely on the item. For instance, I currently have patterns for a set of Zelda bookmarks up on my store. I am also currently in the process of stitching final versions of these bookmarks to sell as well. As it turns out, even though the patterns are quite simple, actually stitching these bookmarks is turning out to be somewhat of a pain. So, that (and the fact that I haven't sold a single pattern yet) leads me to believe that at least some people out there are more interested in the final product because they don't want to go through the hassel of making it themselves, even though they might really like the pattern. If the final product was something easier to stitch, then I would probably just sell the finished product and not the pattern, but in my case I plan on doing both.

Also a consideration, and something else I've seen others do, is offer not just the pattern, but a kit with the pattern, thread, aida, and whatever else a person would need to complete the project. Then you cover all bases and offer options to meet everyone's needs. I think this would only work with the more difficult patterns though. Like I said, if it's an extremely simple pattern, maybe something you can stitch in a day or so, then people will probably just buy the pattern... unless they're real lazy or can't cross stitch, lol.

[Laialda]

Thanks for everyone's input so far, and sorry for my delay in responding. Just started my new job so online time has been at an all time low.

I certainly see everyone's point and the logic that I shouldn't sell patterns if I plan on selling the finished product still. At the very least, that could mean I hold off on making them available until after I move to Canada as I'm not sure how active I will be in the convention scene once I move. I will at least keep going with making the patterns though as it is nice to have them all looking so pretty and professional looking instead of just blocks of text in a word document. Sad that it has to be this way though isn't it? :/