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I'm asking this here, because just about everyone I know who would probably know the answer hangs out here.  At least I hope you all still do :)

If I purchase a pattern for something, say a sweater or a skirt or whathaveyou, can the designer put the condition on the copyright that I cannot then sell the product that I have made?  To me it seems like reaching.  I get not reselling the pattern online, but if I've paid for the instructions, do they really retain the right to decide what I do with something that they didn't make?

I've seen this a couple of times on patterns on ravelry, and I'm thinking that that really can't be enforceable in anyway.  Just because you design something doesn't mean that you own all connections to it until the end of time.  It's reasonable if you are giving it away - maybe - I'm not up on copyright law - but it would seem to me to be in line with having a school teach you how to do something (run a business, lets say) and then saying afterwards that you can't run a business that makes any money because the knowledge you now have is copyrighted to them.

Thoughts?

Good pun, eh? LOL Seriously, though, I have been sewing. And I remember now why I love making my own clothes so very much. I get to make exactly what I want, and I get to make sure that everything fits perfectly ... what I am left with is a wardrobe that is very *me*.

When I was young, I learned to sew because clothes were expensive, and fabric was cheaper (and that way I could have nice clothes for less than hundreds of dollars). That is not so much the case anymore. The fabric I like is often $14+ a metre, and my trims (lace and whatnot) range about $3-$5 per metre. That, however, is ok. I am not poor anymore. I sew because I love to, not because I have to.

I reach lazy stages where I just go out and buy something because I can't be bothered to make it, but when I get into the right mood ... yesterday I altered 4 shirts (only two of which I wasn't wearing regularly). I now have freer range of movement in my bell sleeved tunic, and two of my t-shirts are sporting 2" wide lace trim on the bottom.

Today I am going to make my wrap-around pants (those are just as they sound, like wrap skirts, but pants ... they tie in the back and then tie again in the front ... perfect breeze summer pants). I also have a pair of jeans that I have been fighting with for a few years now, that I might take out of my mending box again. They are designed for women who are shaped like boys (ie no hips), but they have pretty butterflies on the ankle, so I am determind to work something out. I am thinking I might slash them up the sides and fill the hips and ankle bells with some of my left over fabric (I have a lovely greenish blue patterned silk-like material that I got when my local discount fabric store was closing down).

In other news, I am still losing weight! Hooray for me! I have noticed that even in the midst of the PMS bloat, my bras are fitting better than they have in years ... just think at how well they will fit in a few weeks once the hormones wash away! Woo Hoo!

I was thinking of doing something special for the solstice, but I think that I will just enjoy my day. It feels peaceful today, and I don't really want to wreck that. I may clean the kitchen, might throw together a meal or something sweet, but on the whole, I am just going to relax, enjoy the summer sun, and sew to my heart's content.

--Phae