PDF pattern buying guide

Did you know that if you google how to buy a pdf pattern or pdf pattern buying guide, you get not much?  With the explosion in popular of pdf patterns, I am sure I am not alone in using a guide to help me choose.  So, google, here you go!!  A guide to buying pdf sewing patterns.

So, let me explain. First of all, pdf was invented by Adobe Systems and stands for Portable Document Format (PDF).  It is open standard for electronic document exchange.  It is a way of sharing files online.  Adobe makes Acrobat Reader, the free software product most of us use to read these documents. If you want to edit one or make your own, you will need to purchase other software to do so. 

Secondly, pdf patterns used to be called e-files, or electronic files, but now seem to mostly be referred as simply pdfs.  When you purchase a pdf pattern, the designers sends to you the file necessary for making the pattern. It will include directions and pattern pieces, if necessary, and also should (in my opinion) also include a lot of pictures. The great benefit of pdf patterns, the thing that makes them so much better (for the most part) than paper patterns is the photos! Pdf patterns are tutorials!  The photos help you understand the directions. 

When you buy a pdf pattern, and after you download and open the file, you will have the option of printing the pattern pieces at home or, occasionally, at a print shop.  You need to read the directions and stick to them.  The pattern is copyrighted, so be sure to read my blog about how to follow copyright.  You may be able to print your pattern pieces at a print shop but you should not be emailing it anywhere to do so.  If you have any questions, email the designer. She should gladly help you! And remember! - no sharing of pdf files with friends or family!!


So, now that you know what a pdf pattern is, how do you choose one? There are hundreds! Perhaps thousands!  If you search google, you will find so many it is mind-boggling. Even going to craftsy or etsy or youcanmakethis.com or other pattern stores, there are often dozens of choices for any particular style.  How do you choose which one to buy?  That is where the pdf pattern buying guide comes in handy!


1. Stick to designers you know and love

If you have a designer you love, you can be sure her new patterns will also be the high quality you expect. I know, when I buy a Brownie-Goose pattern or a Millie-Rose pattern that their directions will be clear and fun to read and their photos will be excellent and helpful.  Amy, of BG, and Melissa of MR, are my friends, though, so trying their patterns out was a no-brainer. Of course, I wanted to support my friends' businesses.  Now I know their patterns are as excellent as these ladies are sweet. But, I had to start somewhere in choosing a pattern when I was first starting to use pdf patterns.

2. Check out photos

When I first started using pdf patterns, the first place I looked was Etsy. The very first pdf pattern I ever bought was on February 6, 2010 and it was Monkeybug's Easy Twirled Skirt. I had seen pictures in a sewing group of skirts made by others, using that pattern and thought it would be a very useful pattern for someone with two girls. And it has been a great pattern!!  I have sewn it many times. Sewing forums are a great place to find pictures of what real people do with a pattern. I highly recommend you look past the pictures in the designer's pattern store and look at the tester photos, flickr photos, sewing group photos, and any other photos you can find. When you look at how others made the garment, how does it look? Do the seams look straight, is the collar even, do the cuffs seem to fit, is the length good for the model? Use a discriminating eye. If the collar looks wonky or the sleeves too long or the seams not straight, in every picture, something is probably wrong with the pattern.  Don't waste your $5-12 on a pattern that repeatedly produces a garment that does not look very nice.  And trust me, they are out there. There are patterns like this. The finished garments should look good! Consistently.


3. Ask friends for recommendations

There are a variety of places you can talk to actual people about sewing patterns. On Facebook, if you search for sewing groups, you will find at least a dozen. Sew, Mama, Sew has a community you can join.  Sewing Mamas has a chat forum.  There are plenty of places to talk to people about patterns. Not everyone is going to be unique in their impressions of a pattern. Ask questions.   Is the pattern worth $12? Maybe not but maybe it is worth $5. What makes it worth more? The point is to spend your money wisely.  Be sure to ask specific questions. Some people are better at sewing and some need beginner options. What do you need? Do you like a lot of options or do you want a simple pattern that has very clear directions? And what do you want to do with it? What have friends done with it?


4. Look for deals or bundles

Many pattern designers offer bundles. Tie Dye Diva, for example, offers you 25% off if you buy 3 or more patterns, with code BUNDLE.  Create Kids Couture has a pattern of the month club.  Southern Institute has the occasional Sew Fab deal.  Watch for them!  They can be a great way to get more patterns for your buck.


5. Read reviews

There are a number of places to find pdf pattern reviews. When you go to youcanmakethis.com, you can search patterns by ratings. This means number of stars. But, you can also look at reviews for patterns. For example, this Violette Field Threads pattern gets 5 stars but also has several very nice reviews you can read. These rankings are done by users, of their own volition, and they are not edited, so they are a good measure of what the pattern is going to be like.  At the pattern review website, you can not only find and write reviews of patterns, but you will also find a free forum you can join where you can chat about patterns and machines with members.  These reviews are also written by members and not edited, so they are also a good measure of what the pattern is really going to be like.  For example, this Scientific Seamstress pattern got a very good review!  The third place I know of to read reviews for pdf patterns is the Pattern Revolution blog. These reviews are written by request from the website and they do not publish reviews with anything negative in them, so they are not exactly a true review. They are fun to read, though, and you can definitely judge the pictures a bit for how well the pattern is written. Interestingly, there is a wide variety of garment quality in these reviews, which you can tell by examining the photos.  Judge them wisely! 



I hope this guide helps you buy patterns more wisely!   If you have any other buying ideas, please let me know!

The Digital Millenium Copyright Act and the home sewist

Are you a home sewist who buys pdf pattern files? Then this post is for you.  Did you know that when you buy and download those files, you are buying a copyrighted pattern from the designer?  You are given the right to print out that pattern but you are not give the right to make another copy of that file. Meaning, you are not legally allowed to email that file to a third party.  So, sending that file to your husband to print out for you at his office is not allowed.  Buying the file and then emailing it to a friend as a gift is not allowed.  Trading it with a friend for a pdf pattern she has is also not allowed. Why? Well, in a nutshell, because you are making a copy of the file to do this sharing and you are only legally allowed to have one copy.

 Tiedyediva Square Neck Dress pattern

Now, let's back up a second. What does all of this mean and is Kathy sure of what she is writing? Well, first of all, I am not an attorney.  On a good day I feel pretty smart, but some days I feel darn right average. Still, I do my best to understand my topic and I  have done some reading and I wrote about this topic once before, here.  That blog post was about the idea of using a pattern you purchase to sew a garment you then sell. 

 Brownie Goose Nelle Pattern 

This post, however, is about sharing with others the pdf patterns you purchase.  Copyright refers to the exclusive right to make copies, license, and otherwise exploit a literary, musical, or artistic work, whether printed, audio, video, etc.  When someone designs a pattern, they can copyright it to protect it. When you purchase a copyrighted work, such as a book, a sewing pattern, the lyrics to a song, etc, you will see something like this written on the document: This document is protected by copyright laws and any reproduction of it, including electronic transfer to a third party, is strictly prohibited.  That all means that you cannot share the pdf with anyone. Period.  

Tulips and Edelweiss Lara Ruffled Hoodie pattern

Now, you may think that it is not really THAT big of a deal to share a pdf pattern between friends. With paper patterns, this is a common practice.  But, here's the difference.  When you share a pdf pattern, you still keep a copy of that pdf file on your harddrive. Now there are two copies for the one purchase price.  You could do this ad nauseum, sharing this file far and wide, and the artist who created that pattern could potentially lose out on dozens of sales. You are taking money away from the artist when you share this file.  It doesn't matter if it is a book or a piece of music or a sewing pattern.  The laws are the same. If the article is copyrighted, it is protected by law from being shared electronically. 

Jocole Crossover Dress pattern

And, in 1998, this sharing of files became an international issue. In 1996, a group within the United Nations called The World Intellectual Property Organization ratified two treaties: the WIPO copyright treaty and the WIPO performances and phonograms treaty.  Two years later, then US President Clinton signed into law the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DCMA). You can access a copy of this act here.  The DCMA criminalizes sharing of copyrighted materials and production of means of sharing them.  Generally, you are infringing copyright if you download or store copyrighted materials on your computer without the permission of the copyright owner, unless fair use or another exemption under copyright law applies. Most downloading over the Internet of commercially available copyrighted works, such as music or movies or sewing patterns, through file sharing systems is illegal. You might recall that, a few years back, Napster users were found guilty of sharing files. Many fines and jail times were doled out.  For sharing music files.  

So, the next time you purchase a pdf sewing pattern file, keep it for you and you alone.  And remember that these laws apply to all sorts of files, including photo sharing!  

Some further reading:

Harvard has a good summary 

Wiki, of course, but remember that it is Wiki and don't take it as gospel.

Stanford also has a good summary

PS All patterns pictured here are pdf files I purchased.

UPDATE!

 It has been brought to my attention that some people are truly stuck with no way to print a pattern at home.  So, what options do you have? Well, that is a very good question and I would recommend you write to the pattern maker and ask their advice.  I don't have a good answer that is going to work for every situation.

PPS I certainly did not mean to offend anyone with my comment that I am smarter than the average busy bee mama.  I apologize.


 UPDATE #2!

Backing up your files is allowed!

"Systematic backup practices do not fit the structure of section 117, which is limited to making a copy of an individual program at the time the consumer obtains it. It was argued that such a discrepancy between the law and commonly accepted practices undermines the integrity of the law. Such a fundamental mismatch creates the perception that the law need not be literally followed, thereby creating a slippery slope. "  

http://www.copyright.gov/reports/studies/dmca/dmca_executive.html

Copyright and the home sewing business

I have been reading a lot about copyright issues lately so I have decided to blog a bit about what I know.  Now, first of all, I am not an attorney.  So, don't quote me or use me as your legal defense!  Secondly, I am a home sewist who likes to sell a bit of sewing to others and I have researched this as much as time allows.  So, I feel like I have something useful to share.

So, what is copyright?   Princeton's Wordnet defines it as "a document granting exclusive right to publish and sell literary or musical or artistic work."  Now, what this means with a pattern is that, if you have it copyrighted, you have legal right to the pattern itself.  Only you can sell and publish that copyrighted item.  But, with sewing and knitting patterns, what does this mean for the article you create from said pattern?  Technically, in the United States, a copyright does not give you control over the articles made from your pattern.  Many people who create patterns think that it does and they will even list on their pattern that they do not give you the right to sell anything you create from it.  But, they are wrong.  And sometimes they will sell licenses for you to make their products, but, according to what I  have read, they don't actually have a legal footing on that one, either!

So, how do I know all of this?  Well, first of all, there is an interesting website called Tabberone and they have a great deal of information online about all of this.  They have a page for copyright definitions.    From their page on patterns:

We cannot locate a single federal lawsuit that went to trial where someone has been sued over the use of a pattern. Consider the millions of patterns that have been sold in the last sixity years plus and not one lawsuit? It certainly cannot be because purchasers are strictly following the demands of the pattern manufacturers. Patterns manufacturers do not have the legal right to make many of the demands that they make. Of the major pattern companies, Simplicity, Butterick, McCalls and Vogue, not one has posted on their web sites anything remotely concerning customer limitations on the use of their patterns. Why do you suppose that is? They know they cannot legally restrict the use but they will tell you differently if you email them. The pattern companies are in the business of selling patterns and the great majority of them routinely lie about the use of those patterns.

Now, doesn't that make sense?

A pattern can be a template, or set of templates, for manufacturing an item, be it a bird house or a dress. Templates are not copyrightable. A pattern can also be drawings accompanied by instructions for knitting, crocheting or quilting. A method or procedure is not copyrightable. While the drawings themselves could possibly qualify for copyright protection, the actual instructions are not copyrightable. The only other aspect of patterns that could possibly qualify for copyright protection would be the artwork and that would only be if its intrinsic properties allowed it to be separable from the design, which very, very few designs can do. And to be enforced a copyright almost always must be registered.

Now, that makes even more sense!  And, according to Tabborone, pattern makers are lying if they try to tell you that you cannot sell something you make from their pattern.  

Now, I know that I, as a home sewist, would be very scared if Amy Butler or Ottobre or some other company sent their lawyers to call on me to tell me to stop selling items made from their patterns.  I purposely do not sell items I make from those patterns.  But, I do find it annoying that they try to bully people into buying with these lies that you are not supposed to do it!   And I wanted to share what I know with you.  

A few other items of interest learned from Tabborone:  

You can sell anything you want using licensed, character fabric. Once you buy the fabric, it is yours to do with what you please.  Tabborone has more information on legal actions about that on their site.  

 Cottage licenses are total bunk.  They are just a way for the pattern maker to make more money.  You don't need to buy one.  They are not legally required for you to use the pattern in your cottage business.

Knowledge is power!  Have a look around the Tabborone website. It is incredible!  They have tons of legal citings and definitions. It is a great resource. 

Happy Sewing!