Hello

Balls!

September 21, 2007

Had a couple of emails questioning me asking people to make balls for Mikes – comparing it to making Miss Buttons and reselling it, i think? – I’d just like to let everyone know that patterns for balls are all over the internet – as a standard sort of pattern – it’s just a segment size that you sew together.

I am certainly not suggesting anyone replicate the pea! I just wanted you all to see how gorgeous it was – and the lovely blogger who made it shared the link where SHE got the pattern from! (And it’s just a basic segment pattern!)

Likewise the knitted ball – think hackysacks etc etc – it’s a basic pattern used in many many books and on many many sites! Although the swirl is lovely!

I just love softie balls and would encourage anyone to put their own spin on it! Hope that clears up any confusion.

If anyone makes knitted balls, amigurami balls, crocheted balls or softie balls – then I’d love some for Mikes!

xx pip

Ps – yikes!

14 Comments

  • Reply ingrid September 23, 2007 at 11:08 PM

    YAY gemjones! Well said.

    What worries me about all these discussions is that they will put of new crafters from joining in the fun for fear of being branded a thief.
    Theft is theft I agree, and the miss buttons example is a valid one. But truly, how many patterns for balls can there possibly be?

  • Reply gemjones September 23, 2007 at 1:22 AM

    craft comes from traditions. it only exists on account of passed on learning. make, share, celebrate, relax.

  • Reply Violet & Rose September 22, 2007 at 9:42 PM

    Hey Pip, the world’s gone mad! As a maker of things (my official title), I agree with Cinti. We all get our inspiration from somewhere, we take it and do something a little bit “us” (or “me”) with it. If someone is going to lose it over a basic ball pattern, then we may as well all go to ground! Yikes indeed.

  • Reply Violet & Rose September 22, 2007 at 9:42 PM

    Hey Pip, the world’s gone mad! As a maker of things (my official title), I agree with Cinti. We all get our inspiration from somewhere, we take it and do something a little bit “us” (or “me”) with it. If someone is going to lose it over a basic ball pattern, then we may as well all go to ground! Yikes indeed.

  • Reply Violet & Rose September 22, 2007 at 9:42 PM

    Hey Pip, the world’s gone mad! As a maker of things (my official title), I agree with Cinti. We all get our inspiration from somewhere, we take it and do something a little bit “us” (or “me”) with it. If someone is going to lose it over a basic ball pattern, then we may as well all go to ground! Yikes indeed.

  • Reply posiepatchwork September 22, 2007 at 12:44 PM

    Oh, all political. You know what, i don’t use patterns, there i said it, so i can’t be accused of copying anyone. Helps me sleep at night. After 5 years in business, i still make my own templates from cardboard (cereal boxes, cardboard that comes with bedlinen is especially handy). No one is reinventing the wheel here, in the end, people will buy what they like the best. A ball is a ball, make it more pieces or like me, put a patchwork spin on everything & mix up the prints. Kudos to Three Buttons, who was so overtly ripped off but didn’t she deal with it with dignity. Miss Buttons is a bit too original for copy cats to get away with it. Must say, customers are discerning, i’ve had half a dozen people accuse me of copying the Edna&Alice May stuff in Mike’s, selling it under Posie at the markets 5000km away in Darwin. he he he. Love Posie

  • Reply Lara September 22, 2007 at 12:27 PM

    just thinking… it’s so important for people not to get too stressed out about potentially copying. similarities are inevitable. I had a girl contact me today who was worried one of her designs (a ginkgo pattern) might look too similar to one of mine and that I might think she was copying. I told her nonsense, it was fine, and very different anyway. We were both using an element of nature as inspiration so of course there’s going to be similarities. I reckon that sort of thing happens all the time.

    Anyway will stop bombarding you with comments etc 🙂

  • Reply Lara September 22, 2007 at 12:19 PM

    hmm anyone who’s managed to misconstrue your previous ball post as somehow hypocritical (?) needs to sit back and have a bit of a think – they’re probably just stirring up trouble for the sake of it. It’s completely different!

  • Reply boobook September 22, 2007 at 10:31 AM

    People who know you, know what your about Pip! Credit where credits due is your motto after all!!

    xoxx

  • Reply three buttons September 22, 2007 at 7:23 AM

    Hi Pip, I love your idea of asking others to share their own creative spin on a basic ball shape! The examples you gave are fantastic… other ideas that come to mind are a bowling bowl face, a sad grape or a knitted globe!

  • Reply Drewzel September 22, 2007 at 3:12 AM

    By the way, I know nothing about the earlier Miss Buttons discussions, other than that she’s very cute! I was just talking in general.

  • Reply Drewzel September 22, 2007 at 3:10 AM

    I’m also agreeing with my poppet…some things are obviously one-of-a-kind designs and others are more generic. And everyone has influences, no matter how “original” they think they are!

  • Reply Kirsty September 22, 2007 at 2:12 AM

    I agree with my poppet 100%.

  • Reply my poppet September 22, 2007 at 1:54 AM

    Hi Pip, I am finding this whole copying disscussion quite interesting. It really bothers me when someone posts a really generic pattern like a ball or circle skirt and then asks people not to sell anything from that pattern! They didn’t invent balls or circle skirts etc…I can totally understand the Miss Buttons issue – theft absolutley! But designers have been influenced buy previous designs for 100’s of years, I think as long as you put your own spin on something, you have created something new!

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