I read about seventy-eleven blogs almost everyday, and I came across a very important tidbit of news on Early Bird Special. Unfortunately, a company called Urban Threads has blatantly ripped off designs, instructional demos, and even personality from Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching (who is awesome and someone I admire very much).
Please read the Early Bird Special blog post. She gives a good recap, and links to other blogs that have also reported on the issue. What I am most proud of, regarding the grassroots uprising against dishonest business practices, is the very high level of class with which this is handled in the craft community. Yes, we are outraged, but no one is nasty or hateful. In fact, there is a call for corporations and sole proprietors to work together for the common good of craft.
Show your support for Jenny Hart and Sublime Stitching--visit the web site and buy some patterns! Do NOT buy patterns from Urban Threads! Protest with your wallet and spread the word that stealing ideas from anyone and passing them off as your own is not cool.
UPDATE 5.4.2009
Now that this mess has cooled down some, and I've had time to reflect on it, I feel a little silly for a one reason (regarding my blog post): I definitely responded hastily, and out of an emotional and biased place. Once I read about even the possibility of someone being deceitful and trying to ride on the coattails of a crafter who has worked hard to develop her own portfolio and customer base, I flipped. I think that's understandable, but I do wish that I had waited until more details emerged before I posted something for all to see on the blogosphere. Now people are accusing me of possessing a group-think mentality because of my knee-jerk reaction. Yikes!
I don't know how this will all work out. I hope that the truth becomes visible to everyone, but it might not. I reacted so strongly because of my admiration for Jenny (even though I have not met her, that doesn't mean I can't be a huge fan of hers), but also because intellectual property is SO difficult to defend against the ravages of derivative work and all forms of stealing. A person's creative mind is so valuable, and when one takes the time to bring to fruition the beauty that they see, I want to celebrate it. I also want to defend it, even if I end up going against my better judgment and write a frantic blog post.
Best of luck to Jenny and Urban Threads; I hope that they can reach at least a polite understanding of what happened and move forward in a positive direction. It would be really great if this situation could serve an educational purpose for all of us in the art and craft world. I've learned my own lesson about how wildly stories can take off on the internet!
Also, Niamh O'Connor has left a link to her response in the comments section of this blog post. Please take the time to read it.
