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Designer Attribution
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I rescinded our QOTW award this week as I was not aware at first that the quilt was inspired by a Kaffe Fassett design...the quilt information said...something like...inspired by the floor in a Venice Cathedral
I apologise to the quilter...her work was worthy of an award and her interpretation was fabulous ....but we have to be really vigilant about full attribution of that which inspires us. We owe it to ourselves and the designers who do not get wealthy in this industry and every time someone does not acknowledge their source it is money out of the designer's pocket. This includes work here on flickr...please ask first if it is okay to copy someone's work....they will probably be delighted but ask you to add attribution...it is manners at least!
I have written a blog post about it here
magikquilter.com/2009/11/27/full-attribution/
Please feel free to let me know how you feel...including if you think i have done the wrong thing...i value your input.
Originally posted at 1:33AM, 27 November 2009 PDT
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magikquilter edited this topic 30 months ago.
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I have spoken to stellablu now and have found out that she was influenced by the actual floor in Italy....so that is really interesting. I knew she was an expert photographer ...her stream is exceptional...and it should not come as a surprise that she would have taken lots of photos of the floor if it is that exceptional!
I did see significant differences in the amount of purples used in stella's quilt and I actually prefer her quilt to Kaffe's and that is saying something! I wonder what the actual floor looks like in real life?Maybe one day I might see it for myself.
I would like to thank everyone who was involved in this discussion...it was an interesting learning experience and I am just so thankful that nobody was actually hurt by this.
This an actual case of art imitates life ...so to speak!
Stella mentioned she was influenced by Collen Wise...I do not know that artist/quilter...so much for me to look up!
Posted 30 months ago.
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Am reinstating the award
Posted 30 months ago.
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Wow. This whole discussion here, on your blog, and on FB has been really interesting. If both Stella and Kaffe were inspired by the same floor, naturally there would be strong similarities in their work. I do have strong feelings about people copying others, not giving attribution, etc. but I can certainly understand how more than one person could be inspired by the same source. And -- as Ruth said in her comments -- sometimes we can unknowingly/unconsciously be influenced by a design without knowing/remembering. She gave a very good example, and I have experienced the same thing. One day I posted a picture on my blog (nothing earthshattering, just a picture of my Sue Ross BOM fabrics and templates). Later, as I was catching up on another blog, I happened to scroll down and re-read some of her previous posts looking for something she had written about earlier. Well, I came across a picture she had posted that was almost identical in composition and lay out as the picture I had posted. I realized that I had read her blog earlier and somehow when I laid out the objects for my photo, I copied her picture without even remembering that someone else had posted a similar picture -- let along the exact same one. I sent her a message and apologized, and she was very understanding. BUT -- it really amazed me the way our minds work (at least mine). I had absolutely no recollection of ever seeing the photo before.
I am glad you reinstated the award. As someone who owns the Kaffe Fassett book with his version, it appeared that it had been copied, but -- again -- it makes a lot of sense to me that two people seeing and photographing the same thing could come up with very similar designs.
Posted 30 months ago.
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I really hate this sort of witch hunt, and I'm getting sick and tired of it. Sometimes I think crafting people are some of the bitchiest and mean spirited people out there. My consistant negative experiences are why I feel uncomfortable going into small dedicated quilt stores and also why I am not a part of any local groups.
You have to be very careful blaming someone for copying someone else, especially when you do it publically as it is very difficult to take it back and this stuff spreads like wildfire because people seem to love drama. Personally, I have lost count of the amount of times I have made something that ended up being very close to something someone else did which I found later on. Ideas I am working on at the moment could be called "copying" if you search the internet for similar things, which I have, but I am going to make them anyway because I had the ideas before I saw other peoples similar creations.
Why should she attribute the design to something which is similar, but which isn't a pattern she used or copied intentionally? I would personally be offended if I was accused of copying someone else.
I have recently seen a great deal of false accusations around the crafting community and it gets really nasty. I have stopped going to most of the forums I was originally frequenting because of it. I also left several flickr groups after these sort of accusations started and got really nasty on them. Sometimes I think I should just stop looking at what other people are doing incase someone accuses me of copying something, but that is not fair either. You can be inspired without copying, you can also have a similar idea or similar influences which ends up with a similar finished product.
The main thing is think before you speak, and talk to the person first because usually the accusations are ungrounded.
So in summary, YES, you were wrong to accuse and remove her reward before talking to her, but at least she has had it reinstated.
Originally posted 30 months ago.
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metanoia_cw edited this topic 30 months ago.
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So wait...(I just saw the blog post as you're in my feed reader)...
This whole drama stems from her not attributing her quilt to Kaffe Fassett, but also because she added it to the flickr group you invited her to? Are you serious? I had no idea who or what "Kaffe Fassett" was until this drama so if you'd asked me to add something to that group I probably would have clicked yes without thinking twice about it. They're both called "Venetian Tiles"... and surprise surprise, they're both based on ... Venetian Tiles! Shock!
Lesson hopefully learned - talk to parties involved before jumping to conclusions. Gosh the crafting community gets its panties in knots about nothing. Perhaps the Renaissance Italian Floor Tilers should start a lawsuit against quilters who are stealing their ideas...
My goodness... I'll remember never to use such an utterly simple block in any of my quilts incase someone accuses me of copying.
And good on stellablu for seeing something *In Real Life* and creating a beautiful quilt from it. I hope this doesn't put her off making many more quilts.
Posted 30 months ago.
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So far metanoia you have been the only mean spirited person in this discussion. I asked for people to tell me whether they thought I had done the right thing and you are the only person who has attacked me personally while not quite grasping the extent of the discussion.
You yourself run a group here on flickr so you probably know that though a community of artisans this group is actually the property of the person who runs it. As the person who puts many hours into supporting and encouraging artisan crafters it is also my place to take action if it appears that there seems to be any impropriety...especially copyright theft and abusive behaviour.
I acted straight away as soon as I realised other people assumed that this was a Kaffe Fassett design which was being attributed to someone else. We have since discovered that it was indeed the best of all inspirations...real life and I immediately reinstated the award and updated my blog.I believe it was after 3am by that time but I felt it was important to set the record straight about Stella's wonderful quilt straight away.
Please do not dictate to me in my own group what I should and should not do... your previous bad experiences appear to have impacted your behaviour in groups now as you certainly have misunderstood not only what this issue is about but also what this this group is about. This is a group for people of all levels but it also includes quilters of many years experience who actually study their art and their influences...the way Stellablu studied that floor in Italy when she was there.
True Stella did not ask for the award but she did place her quilt photos here in this group where my rules and the unwritten rules of quilting designing apply. We are a large community of quilters and I think I speak for a lot of us when I say that we are always trying to educate ourselves about our art. One of the reasons we like attribution is so that we can understand the process...Stella's process with her quilt is fascinating to me because she did what I adore above all else...she interpreted a quilt herself from a life source...the way Kaffe did.
But really ... if you had seen the quilt in the book Patchwork....you would have understood this whole discussion...it is patently obvious that you did not understand in the slightest what we were talking about. As is your statement that it was a simple block...nothing in that quilt was simple.
Originally posted 30 months ago.
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magikquilter edited this topic 30 months ago.
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Opinion asked for, opinion given, you don't have to like it, but it is my opinion. This is exactly why I have expressed that this kind of conflict should be addressed privately between parties involved and not aired publically. Unwritten rules of quilting design? Perhaps somebody better write those down quick.
Posted 30 months ago.
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ah well it appears metanoia has left the group...
Posted 30 months ago.
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joan it is so interesting how you say that occurred on your blog...and o agree with ruth that so much patchwork is reinterpretation of work that has come before. My main point is if you knowingly use a kit or copy a quilt or even reinvent a quilt....acknowledge the inspiration.
Posted 30 months ago.
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Kathleen, I'm so sorry for the anger and bitterness that were directed at you and the entire online quilting community. I have found both you and other quilters to be especially caring, open-minded, and generous of spirit.
Posted 30 months ago.
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