Asking For Patterns: Opinions, Please

[HARVEY]

We sure do see some great looking designs and patterns on our site. Question: is it bad form do you think to ask someone if they'd be willing to share? What do you think?

[Brandon]

  HARVEY said:

We sure do see some great looking designs and patterns on our site. Question: is it bad form do you think to ask someone if they'd be willing to share? What do you think?

Be it good looking or not when someone asked I'll share it and I'll not hesitate to ask too but from my pass expriences not many will say "THANK YOU" after they received it!It just give you that feeling that you owed them!If you want me to name them, I could but that's not courteous eh?

  Brandon said:

Be it good looking or not when someone asked I'll share it and I'll not hesitate to ask too but from my past expriences not many will say "THANK YOU" after they received it!It just give you that feeling that you owed them!If you want me to name them, I could but that's not courteous eh?

[TomSwede]

I don't have the same experience as Brandon. I have helped with some images that I scavenged internet for and have sat down and written basically what is instructions for a technique or construction and stuff like that and it has been very appreciated and I think for every single time I've seen big thanks when people published a finished project from whatever input I had.

So onwards I move to the core issue.

If this were a marketing/selling business site I think asking for patterns and stuff would be maybe not inapropriate butt a bit unfitting.

However this is a forum for leatherworkers and we are all here to learn and without sharing stuff we could not do just that so just ask away but be sure to show your gratitude and give back and we'll keep this forum run forever and get our products out there and soon enough we'll be rich and famous and people will pay anything we want for our stuff...eh oh well maybe I drifted off there a bit;-)

Tom

[ClayB]

I dont think it's bad form to ask. I really hope it's not bad form to ask, becasue I do it! But if you do, make sure to thank them and let them know it's appreciated, and also give credit to them for the pattern when you use it. If you did ask and they didn't want to share a pattern for whatever reason, I think you need to respect that too.

I do think it's in bad form when people ask for a pattern someone else has done, say in a book. When they say,"I really like that pattern, but I don't want to pay for the book, could you make a copy of it for me?"

[Johanna]

One our members drew some patterns for a fellow member, and when the person attempted to pay, she directed them to make a contribution to LW instead. I don't think it's wrong to ask- if someone doesn't want to help, they wll say, "No." It isn't right to just lift someone else's work and call it your own, though. I know members have shared patterns and said, "I made this, but Mrs. SuperKnife drew the pattern for me." It's also a no-no to photocopy Tandy patterns and share them because Tandy sells the patterns and they are copyrighted. No one may know but you, but it's still wrong.

Just my two and a half cents this morning.

Johanna

[ClayB]

  Quote

One our members drew some patterns for a fellow member, and when the person attempted to pay, she directed them to make a contribution to LW instead.

Ain't she something special!!

  Quote

It's also a no-no to photocopy Tandy patterns and share them because Tandy sells the patterns and they are copyrighted. No one may know but you, but it's still wrong.

Back when we had a local leather store, I liked to hang out there sometimes. There was a lady filling in that didn't know a lot about leather stuff. One day a guy comes in and wants to make a shoulder holster. He didn't know anything about it so I went over and got the Stohlman book on holsters and found the page on shoulder holsters. He said "that's just what I need, do you have a copy machine?" The lady behind the counter said "no, why?" He said "well I dont want to buy the book, I just need that one page". He then found a piece of paper, traced the pattern, and started to write down the notes. I had to leave.......

Drawing patterns takes a different talent and can take a lot of time. I really appreciate those that do it well, whether they share for free, sell them, or keep them for thier own use.

[rickybobby]

  Johanna said:

Tandy patterns and share them because Tandy sells the patterns and they are copyrighted. No one may know but you, but it's still wrong.

Just my two and a half cents this morning.

Johanna

Johanna,

If I were a packrat of leather information for the last 35 years and had a pattern set that tandys discontinued, and someone requested that information and I have it. Then photo copied the discontinued patterns and only asked for copy and postage would that make me a "snake in the grass"?. lol!!

I have sent patterns that are not available any longer to folks and only asked for postage and copy money back. The people were thrilled and it was a great help to them, as some folks out side of the forum would not share and they were not able to even know how to start the project.

They thanked me over p.m.'s when they got the information.

Rick Jorgenson

[rickybobby]

  HARVEY said:

We sure do see some great looking designs and patterns on our site. Question: is it bad form do you think to ask someone if they'd be willing to share? What do you think?

Ask away,

I think Clays response has the best insight and moral tone. Most of us here are learning and sometimes we just need a hand to finish a project and to learn something.

I try to share and have spent time at a copy store and then at the post office for folks in need of something at my own expense and other times I have asked for postage and copy fee's. Everyone has been very thankful and have never "skipped out" on payment for my cost's. I have sent leather to begginers and extra books I have collected in a flat rate postage box to help them and encourage them to keep practicing, (my own expense) it is something that I do to help keep the art alive (bring in new people).

This site is about sharing and I thank Johanna and the others that I know spend countless hours here giving advice and encouragement.

Just my .02 worth

Rick J.

[Ian]

I'm not sure about this one at all. I have found that pattern making is very often a huge part of the project and a skill that is an important one that anyone who does custom leather should develop. Asking someone to turn over many hours of pains taking work is a bit much, especially when it comes to a unique design. I have never used a pattern from a book. I have at least a hundred patterns that took me countless hours to develop. I'm stingy when it comes to sharing them.

When I get a private IM asking about how to do this or that, I try to be as helpful as I can, and usually folks are grateful for the time it takes to reply. I have had a few guys who, after I've taken a lot of effort to peck out detailed responses with my slow, one fingure typing skills, have just dissapeared without even a thanks.

One guy was purchasing the same harness stitcher as I have and had a lot of questions - no problem, I told him what I know. Then after he got the machine he had more questions. I took a great deal of time explaining the machine, needle and thread sizes, stitch-per-inch for the type of harness he was making, leather types and general harness making questions. Wouldn't you know it - not a word in reply, least of all a thanks. I don't believe this thing is typical of the regular members who have always been more than grateful for replies.

But, when it comes to asking for someone to turn over something that has taken a great deal of time to develop it is sometimes going too far.

[Tina]

  Ian said:

I have found that pattern making is very often a huge part of the project and a skill that is an important one that anyone who does custom leather should develop. Asking someone to turn over many hours of pains taking work is a bit much, especially when it comes to a unique design.

I agree with the time it takes, the pattern takes at least 1/3 of the project times (manny times even more) then the carving/tooling and assembly takes the rest of the time, but...The idea starts maybe even months before that in the head:-) This is a part of the craft that if you dont draw your own designs and are used to craftaids and such... It might be a mystical of how much time it actually takes, to first come up with an idea and then get it down in the right size on paper. Not to mension how many times you change gear in the middle cuz the "new take" is much cooler, Mama Mia I have loads of them halfway project laying around

I will write some more in this subject during the day in the pattern area:-)