INDEPENDENT NEEDLEWORK NEWS

For all you procrastinators out there — like me — the good news is that right after you finish your taxes and get a good night’s sleep, you can go shopping in your PJs if you want to at the online Needlework Show, which opens on April 16th and runs through the 21st.

This is a wholesale show, which means you’ll need to put together a list and give it to a participating shop to purchase for you … But I believe the online Needlework Show is the best opportunity we stitchers have not only to find out what is actually available in the needlework market, but also to let store owners know exactly which of those available products we want to see in their shops and will buy if they are there, in stock, in their shops. Other needlework markets are a guessing game for store owners, but the online Needlework Show doesn’t have to be since it allows for stitcher input; however, we stitchers must do our job and provide that input for the idea to work. So let’s get out there and do that once again this April!

If your local shop isn’t one of the participating retailers in the show (then you should have a chat with them regarding future online shows, but … ), there are plenty to choose from to place your order(s). You can even spread the wealth! Country Cottage Framing and Needleart is one of my favorite shops to order from; Shirley is just the best — she always makes sure to get everything on my list! Which shop do you like to order from when it’s time for the online Needlework Show — and why?

Kathy Hackford of Designs by Lisa has released a sneak peek of her designs to be released during the show … Do you know of any other sneak peaks to share with your fellow INN readers?

A while ago, I told you Nancy Sturgeon, of Threads through Time fame, was selling her needlework book collection … Well, she has reduced the prices on the books she still has left — which still include some of the rarities I initially mentioned! Now is definitely the time to get them!

Here is the list of what is left. The actual price is 50% off the price listed (shipping is additional). Yes, that’s 50% off the price listed even on those really rare books like Alice Starmore’s Aran Knitting and Samplers of the Pennsylvania Germans.

Hey, if you don’t need or want them, think about reselling them on eBay! (And now you know I’m totally broke, or I’d have done that myself. )

Contact Nancy directly to inquire about anything which interests you!

It doesn’t have to be a bad word, you know — “newbie,” that is. I know most of us don’t like to be considered “newbies” anymore, but a fabulously enabling friend of mine (thanks, as always, Susan of Desertsky Quilting! ) has pointed me to something very special which is only available to people who are “newbies” to crazy quilting (defined in this instance as those who have been crazy quilting less than a year). It’s so special, in fact, I think Susan is more than a tad jealous she isn’t a newbie herself!

Carolyn Cibik, who owns the wonderful shop Evening Star Designs, has recently decided to start an ongoing program for crazy quilting newbies. All the information you need to find out if you qualify and to sign up as a CQ newbie is right here, along with a list of the first three items Carolyn has picked out to discount for you — and they are terrific items indeed! I already have two of them, so although I’m a newbie, too, I can speak with some knowledge, ha ha! Just looking through The Magic of Crazy Quilting by J. Marsha Michler or The Treasury of Crazy Quilt Stitches by Carole Samples will have any needleworker itching to try out this exceptionally attractive form of needlework for yourself. They are both stunningly gorgeous books — and written by perhaps the two best known authors in the crazy quilting universe, so these are both books you really NEED in your stash if crazy quilting is something you want to do. I’m buying Carolyn Cibik’s CD Book Blocks with Variations in my first newbie order!

Carolyn’s first Newbie sale is in effect through midnight eastern time, tomorrow, Sunday, March 9, 2008 — and don’t forget you have an hour less to shop (or stitch ) this weekend because we must unfortunately set the clocks forward for Daylight Savings Time.

At least as far as crazy quilting goes, I am definitely a newbie. While I’ve been admiring this type of needle artwork for ages for all the lovely ways it allows a stitcher to use those gorgeous sampler stitches we all love to look at (even if, perhaps, we may hate to stitch one or two or them ), and thinking for almost as long that I really must delve into it myself so I can actually use those same gorgeous sampler stitches — many of which I really do enjoy actually stitching myself — I have not yet taken the plunge.

Like so many of my fellow stitchers, though, I have plenty of stash. I’ve been collecting in preparation for crazy quilting for a long time. I’ve got fabric, trims, a pretty good stack of resource books, and all kinds of Internet resources bookmarked. Plus, for years, I’ve been saving all my scraps of fabrics and trims from finishing off my “regular” stitching projects. I have even been caught snatching up the scraps other people leave behind, knowing they’d be of use to me in crazy quilting (not to mention card-making and scrapbooking ).

But only in the last couple of months have I really gotten “serious” about crazy quilting.

For that, I went with my fabric choices for my first two “small” projects (they turned out much larger than I expected) to my mother-in-law, who is a hand quilter (but who usually does her piecing by machine, I believe), and asked her to show me how to piece them together. She did the piecing on her sewing machine for both of them in less than thirty minutes total. She’s also an amazing seamstress — so good she makes wedding dresses for hire. In other words, unlike me, she is certainly not afraid of her sewing machine, although, as I plan to tell you more about soon, I’ve been working on remedying that problem lately, too.

However, I have yet to lay my needle to fabric on either of the crazy quilt “blocks” (they didn’t come out to be squares, so I’m not entirely sure what shape they’ll end up being!) my mother-in-law pieced together for me. I’m still a bit scared to start actually stitching, to be honest. I want my crazy quilt projects to be as pretty as the ones I’ve imagined in my head, but for that, I need to be able to stitch fairly accurately without the guidance of the holes in evenweave, aida, or even linen, or, in other words, without the guidance of any holes at all. Gulp. (I did, at least, make it easy on myself to some degree by leaving curved seams out of my first two crazy quilted projects. Or, I should say, my mother-in-law left curved seams out of my first two crazy quilted projects-to-be. )

Suddenly, the task has become more than a bit daunting for me. So, when I haven’t been sick, or busy with medical appointments, I’ve been scouring the Internet and/or badgering Susan for hints on how to get the stitches to look nice along the seams.

My questions have included some of the following:

• Do I draw my “stitch guides” on first, and if so, with what? Not all of the fabrics I used in these crazy quilts are washable, so I will have to use something that does not need to be washed out if I draw on the fabric — or my stitches and other embellishments will have to completely cover anything I use to write on the fabric.
• If I were using all washable fabrics, and if I were then also planning to use all washable embellishments and threads, and to then wash my finished crazy quilted piece, what else could I use to draw on my “stitch guides”?
• Do I use something, on which I draw the guides for the stitches, on top of (and probably pinned to) the fabric as I work — and then remove that after I’m done stitching? If so, what do I use?
• Do I do all the stitching on all the seams first, and then remove whatever I’ve used to help me get the stitches the way I want them?
• Or do I do this a section at a time, removing whatever I’m using to guide me as I go?
• Etc. Etc. Etc.

I’m very fortunate Susan does not appear to think I’m a complete nuisance already! She has given me some great advice, all of which I plan to try to see which technique(s) I prefer — and I can share her answers later here on INN if she doesn’t comment and do so herself — but what I would really love to see are comments, or better yet, blog posts from experienced crazy quilters on your own blogs telling us how you go about this process. Please explain — and use pictures if you can — to us newbies exactly what you do to get your stitches to come out how you want them to look. Help give us that final instruction to make crazy quilting seem less intimidating. Then, so we newbies can find you, please comment on this article and include a link to your post. (If you aren’t sure how to include the link in your comment, email me the link to your blog post, and I’ll be happy to edit your comment to add it for you. A trackback link in your post to this article on INN would be much appreciated, too. )

By the way, I will write another article very soon reviewing a fantastic resource I found in my search for answers to the above questions, so anyone who is new to crazy quilting or at all interested in it will want to come back to Independent Needlework News very shortly. Even seasoned crazy quilters may well find this resource of use, though you will most likely already know about it.

Okay, now, hurry on over to Evening Star Designs’ Newbie Page and get yourself registered as a crazy quilting newbie! Then you and I can learn this lovely needle art form together!

This issue is happening too frequently for me to continue ignoring it, or responding just in comments. Perhaps my regular readers will have guidance on how best to handle this — or even encouragement that I’m handling it properly already (checks and balances are always a good idea ).

Some people think they have the right to attack whatever they please here on Independent Needlework News — and also that they can be as cruel as possible when doing so. They rarely use a valid email address when they do.

So far, I’ve always approved their comments.

“Susy’s” comment is the most recent example. I have no confidence “Susy” is her actual name, especially as it’s a misspelling of both “Susie,” and “Suzy,” and as her email address, stitchashash@yahoo.com, is both nonsensical and fake.

Of course, I never hear from these particular individuals at any other time (or, at least, not under the names they choose to use when criticizing me). Clearly, these are people who are happy only when they are tearing others down and being mean; they aren’t interested in promoting the stitching industry in any way by lifting others up, or by making anyone feel good by thanking them for what they do.

Perhaps I shouldn’t bother approving their comments at all — and there is certainly no requirement that I do so. What do you all think? Is a change warranted here? Should I email everyone back and not print comments from people who enter invalid email addresses? Should I do something else?

Sadly, since it would resolve the problem, these whiners (who may well be just one or two people writing in under a different fraudulent name and email address every time) never make good on their threats to stop reading INN. They’re either lying about how boring they find me, or they actually get substantial benefit out of my other articles.

In any case, I’m tired of the nastiness they think they can throw at me just because I own and write a site called Independent Needlework News. The fact is, I’m tired of all the nastiness within the needlework world, period, and I’ve already vented about this in my personal blog once — with some lovely results in terms of one person, by the way.

Writing INN takes a LOT of time — time which takes away from my stitching, and time which I put in out of the goodness of my heart. I kept encountering so many stitchers saying that with the advent of the Internet, they were doing more researching of their stitching hobby online than actual stitching, and as someone with the same experience, I wanted to do something to change that … which is how INN was eventually created.

Generally, INN has met and even far exceeded my expectations. Sharing my finds with other stitchers has been rewarding, and many of you stitchers are in return bringing things to me to share with others. Overall, this has meant I am getting more time to get back to my own stitching — after “dashing off” a quick informative article or a few articles for everyone else.

I know I’m verbose; that’s just my style. When a teacher in school said s/he wanted an eight to ten page paper, my worry was usually how to edit it down to ten pages, rather than how to get it to at least eight. I’m not going to apologize to those of you who find my writing too long or too boring because you know what? First of all, you can skim it. If that doesn’t work for you, then, if you hate it so much, you can go somewhere else for the information. Belittling me says far more about you than it does about me. You’ve either got to admit you’re getting something out of it, or that you are CHOOSING to waste your time, but you can’t blame me as the problem. I’m not going to let you make me feel small just because you’ve made the choice to read what I write. Grow up and take responsibility for your own actions. Either recognize the benefits you’re getting, or the fact that you can’t look away for whatever reason, but stop your complaining — or go away. I’ve had it with your nonsense, and I’ve got better things to do — like stitch, for starters.

As for “Susy’s” argument, I stand 100% by what I said in my article, Missing the Gift. When Kirsten Edwards has done all the incredibly hard work to turn The Gift of Stitching magazine and thegiftofstitching.com into a profitable business over a period of two years, snatching it out from under her the second it’s (temporarily) available is nothing other than STEALING. I firmly believe someday the laws will start catching up to the technology, but until then, I (along with a handful of other ethical individuals) will speak up for what I believe is right. Just because something is possible, or even because the current laws don’t specifically address it, does NOT make it proper or ethical to actually do, nor does it indicate that it should be legal.

There are a multitude of reasons why the renewal may have slipped by Kirsten. I can well imagine, as my life has been absolutely crazy over the past six months, and so I’ve experienced a multitude of possible reasons myself for missing such an important occurrence. (And, no, I haven’t received any reminders from my hosting service about renewals … I’ve only received the bills. Email is notorious for going missing, even with being able to check SPAM mailboxes, etc.) What if Kirsten changed hosting services sometime in the middle of the past two years (which I am currently considering doing myself because I am not entirely happy with my current hosting service)? What effect would that have on these supposed reminders “Susy” assumes Kirsten received and overlooked? Would a new service really remind her of deadlines created under the initial hosting service? I certainly don’t have the answers for these questions, which are all speculation to begin with — and my point is that I know “Susy,” who doesn’t have these answers any more than I do, is making a lot of completely unsupported assumptions which she is then using to judge Kirsten very unfairly.

Perhaps someday, “Susy” will learn her own hard lessons by going through a similar experience … and if that happens, she’ll be surprised to find, even though she’s been a complete nincompoop to me during this current situation, I’ll still support her right to a URL and corresponding business name if she purchased it and put months or even years of work into it.

That’s because my beliefs don’t change based on what is convenient to or for me — though I suspect “Susy’s” probably are malleable based on what’s convenient to or for her (that’s called hypocrisy, by the way).

More importantly, unlike “Susy,” I’m not going to pretend I’m perfect or could have done any better than Kirsten did, and especially not when Kirsten is already working her behind off putting out one of the most fantastic stitching magazines EVER to hit the market — and doing so EVERY SINGLE month, with every month’s issue only better than the last. I can understand very easily how Kirsten could have missed the reminder emails “Susy” says she must have received, what with everything else I know Kirsten has going on, and it doesn’t take much for me to accept that Kirsten has a lot more going on than I’m even aware of, too, so I’m entirely willing to be open-minded about the situation. And the point is that Kirsten put all the work into thegiftofstitching.com … and whoever it is that snatched it out from under her as soon as it was TEMPORARILY available is nothing more than a thief who is taking advantage of her in my book. (Oh, and INN? It’s MY book. )

I readily admit I am human and struggle as valiantly as I can daily to make some semblance of worth out of my life. I CHOOSE to make MY business here on INN not just one of showing sensitivity toward others in such a position, but also one of trying to lift up and promote this business and those in it who aspire tirelessly — and ETHICALLY — toward making wonderful products available to all of us stitchers.

A “business” which makes its living off of others’ misfortunes, or even off just their short term delays in being able to complete their obligations, is not one I consider honorable — and I’m not afraid to say so. I put a “business” like this in the same category as I do most lawyers, most doctors, political lobbyists, drug company representatives, and insurance companies. Just because something is “current business practice” or even currently legal does NOT mean it is ethical, proper, honorable, or moral — and this situation is most certainly one of those where what may be legal is NOT what is ethical.

I will not apologize for saying these things or be made to feel small by people like you, “Susy,” who make it your business in life to be cruel to others and to open your mouth up only to show you cannot think a situation through and thus to make a complete fool of yourself.

I’ll also never make any apology for repeating myself when it comes to trying to hammer home the point of why it’s important to be ethical and follow such laws as copyright laws. Simply by your comment, “Susy,” you prove that it is important for me to continue repeating myself on these issues.

Well, there you go, “Susy” … a whole post just for you. If you’d kept your mouth shut, maybe you wouldn’t be so bored right now. Don’t even bother replying, by the way … I’ve already decided that you, with your fake email, can go climb a tree.

If you’re wondering what happened to The Gift of Stitching’s website, here is the official answer from editor Kirsten Edwards (initially posted on The Gift of Stitching Magazine Yahoo Group on February 24, 2008):

Hello everyone,

Well… this is very embarrassing and I’ve been up since 4am trying to fix the problem. Basically our domain thegiftofstitching.com has expired, we didn’t know it was going to and now we have to negotiate and buy it back from a parking domain business that likes to profit out of people wanting their expired domains back. OK, lesson learnt the hard way. Buy this domain back is going to take sometime - up to 2 weeks.

In the meantime we have bought www.thegiftofstitching.com.au and are currently working with the hosting company to get it attached to our account so we can get the website up and running again. This will take up to 72 hours to travel around the world and update all the servers. Hopefully most will see it in the next 48 hours. Keep coming back and press refresh to see if it has started to work.

Once the domain is working for me, I will be sending out extensive emails so all subscribers/retailers/designers so they know what is going on.

Thanks for your patience, I am really sorry this has happened. We are working as quick as possible to get this fixed.

Kind regards,
Kirsten

–
Kirsten Edwards
Editor
The Gift of Stitching
www.thegiftofstitching.com

In my opinion, this kind of thing should be illegal. It’s stealing, pure and simple — and stealing someone else’s name is about as low as one can go.

Let’s all hope The Gift of Stitching is soon back up and running — on both the old and the new websites. (The new website is already working for me, though I’ll have to re-figure out how to get my sidebar buttons, which seem to have disappeared with the WordPress upgrade, working again. However, the TGOSM button disappeared altogether from my personal blog, too … so that one needs redoing completely, I guess.)

Also, I would like to ask a personal favor of everyone who can spare a moment to say a prayer, send good thoughts or positive energy my way, or whatever you may call your form of hoping someone or some animal does well …

I mentioned in my last post that I’ve had a terrible cold, and it turns out I passed it on to five of our eight cats. Three are recovering nicely with the help of antibiotics, but two really need some extra assistance beyond that. Magic is probably going to be just fine, but we are extremely worried about Dumbledore. It is extra devastating for us that he is so sick because since he is deaf, he is very hard to comfort. We can only communicate with him through touch and vision, but he’s not really interested in looking at much right now, or in being cuddled. To make it even worse, it seems every time we do touch him, it makes him sneeze (which may actually be helpful in getting the crap out of his nose, but it makes us feel terrible … ).

We’re doing all we can, but we’re also supposed to head to Michigan first thing tomorrow (Monday) where I have a doctor’s appointment, and right now, we dread leaving him. I may try driving alone (even though my husband took two days off specifically to drive me because I’ve been having so much difficulty staying awake while driving — something which started after the kidney failure in November), or we may board Dumbledore (and maybe Magic) with the vet while we’re gone.

I can’t cancel the appointment because I have to maintain a good relationship with this Michigan doctor (and who knows how she’d feel about my not showing because of a sick cat), especially after having been terminated by my primary care doctor here (the one I thought was so good but it turns out he nearly killed me — yes, that’s right, he caused the kidney failure … and then he terminated me because he’s scared of making another major mistake) and being as yet unable to find a new primary care doctor (because every one I’ve seen so far looks at a 38-year-old woman who has had kidney failure — and has significant signs of permanent kidney damage as a result — as a malpractice case waiting to happen), but I must admit I’m very torn.

Leaving Dumbledore with the vet may be the worst thing for him, as he might feel we’ve given up on him. Right now, he is at least in comfortable, familiar surroundings with the other cats he knows and loves.

I really am not sure what to do. All positive thoughts are very much appreciated right now …

Here are pictures of Dumbledore and Magic at their best:

Janet M. Perry of Napa Needlepoint is seeking stories, primarily about needlepoint, from needleworkers like yourself.

There is little sense in my re-writing what she has already written very well, so I’ll just quote her request directly, and hyperlink to her email and other informational pages:

Stitched with Stories
Sharing our Love of Needlework

Stitched with Stories will be a collection of stories about stitching, most specifically about needlepoint. The book will be similar to the KnitLit series, and will be available for Summer 2008.

You have a great chance to share your love of stitching with others. You can write about how you learned to stitch, a wonderful class, a great canvas, a terrible canvas, teaching others to stitch, what needlepoint means to you - whatever you like!

Don’t worry if you aren’t a professional writer, a great story is better than great writing!

If you have a great needlepoint story, I’d like to consider it for the book. The stories should be engaging (so you want to read more). They can be thoughtful, heartwarming, funny, poetic, witty, or even mischievous.

The stories should be to me by May 15, 2008 for consideration and should be 1,000-1,500 words in length. If you have an idea but don’t know how to write it, email me with your idea.

Email submissions to Janet M. Perry at stitchedwithstories @ gmail.com (remove spaces).

If you’re a writer and want to submit the story elsewhere, the book is only using first time rights.

Pass this notice along to any stitchers you know, to the folks in your guild, shops you visit, teachers you know, or wherever.

Let’s let the world know about our love for stitching!

Come on, everyone, put down your needles momentarily and instead wear your thinking caps for just a bit. Let’s make Stitched with Stories something to talk about at stitch-y get-togethers the world over!

Lots of designers have been asking what’s going on regarding the new venture proposed by Donna (of Stitch A Painting), Karen (of The Art of Stitching), and Rick (of Rick’s Chart’s), which I highlighted in my earlier post, Designers Wanted, while it was up very briefly on January 7, 2008. (That post is now back up — with some necessary corrections as required for truth in reporting/advertising — and as a point of reference for this post.)

Donna, Karen, and Rick, who will be referred to from here on in this post as DKR, opened this promising new venture which they intended to call “Designs on Demand” (but which they then briefly named “DesignsOnDemand.Org” before soon switching to its current title of “Designs On Demand.Org”), on January 15th, 2008. However, the designers involved with this venture or contemplating becoming a part of it may not be aware of the important behind-the-scenes events which have been the reason for those name changes — or, more importantly, that those name changes may continue.

Before I write any further, I want to make it clear I really do believe DKR’s new venture IS a VERY promising one — I am not using my words lightly here. They have many good ideas, and I believe this venture has a terrific chance to bring a large number of independent designers to the attention of stitchers worldwide — and that is a very good thing for both the stitchers and the designers (as well as the three masterminds behind this venture ). However, DKR have run into a very significant problem right at the start of their new venture. It is a problem which came to my attention shortly after I wrote “Designers Wanted“; it is a problem which could negatively impact any and all of the designers who are signed up with DKR’s venture; and it is a problem which DKR are, so far, either compounding, or attempting to ignore — or both.

I am still working on a more detailed post than this one (the one which you are reading right now, that is), but I would be negligent if I waited any longer to inform the designers who are already working with DKR, and any designers who are considering working with DKR, of the central issues in this situation.

DESIGNS ON DEMAND IS ALREADY TRADEMARKED BY SOMEONE ELSE!

The main problem is that DKR’s venture named “Designs on Demand” may not be in business all that long — or, I should clarify, not under that name, and possibly not at that dot-org website URL (http://designsondemand.org).

That’s because there is already another business named Designs on Demand — and THAT company has been in existence for nearly ten years. The LEGITIMATE Designs on Demand is a home-based, family-owned business whose focus is providing all kinds of promotional products (mugs, tote bags, calendars, ornaments, mouse pads, magnets, etc.), available in quantities from one to one thousand (or more!), with the artwork or photographs of their customers reproduced on those items for personal or advertising purposes.

One of their most popular products is the yellow ribbon magnet which includes a picture of an individual soldier. In fact, Designs on Demand customers have been followed by other people who wanted to learn where they could have their own personalized yellow ribbon magnets made!

Designs on Demand provides full-time employment for owners Margaret and Darrel Scheperle and supports both them and their four children, two of whom are in college. The Scheperles, who developed their business from the ground up, have not only filed US income taxes under this business name, but they have also filed for and received a certificate of organization for Designs on Demand from the state of Missouri. It is the Scheperles’ company who owns the PayPal name “Designs on Demand,” and the Scheperles have owned and used that PayPal account since 2000. Designs on Demand has been in business since 1998, and the Scheperles have held the dot-com website address http://designsondemand.com since 1999.

Even if the Scheperles were not already in the process of registering “Designs on Demand” as a registered US trademark (which no company HAS to do in order to still receive FULL legal protection under trademark laws; registration simply makes the results of that same legal protection easier to accomplish more quickly), they have certainly been around long enough that they definitely have more than adequate legal basis for “Designs on Demand” to be considered SOLELY their intellectual property as a COMMON LAW TRADEMARK — and all the applicable processes and laws to force DKR to choose another name are absolutely in favor of the Scheperles (which is only fair, of course — and isn’t it great that something in life is actually fair? ).

So, to sum it up, NO ONE ELSE can use the name, “Designs on Demand” at all — certainly not without a lot of legal wrangling — which takes a great deal of time and a whole lot more money, and it’s also obviously a tremendous hassle (which no new business owners in their right minds would want to undertake).

Oddly enough, though, DKR seem set on undertaking this hassle, perhaps because they don’t understand what a trademark actually is.

DEFINITION OF A TRADEMARK

The actual trademark is the NAME OF THE BUSINESS; in this case, that trademark IS “Designs on Demand.”

The trademark is NOT the URL website address, a point which confuses many people. The argument here is NOT simply over the fact that DKR registered http://designsondemand.ORG, but that DKR are trying to use as their own the trademarked name “Designs on Demand” — which I’ve already explained belongs solely to Margaret and Darrel Scheperle. Even now that DKR are using “DesignsOnDemand.org,” they are still using the trademarked “Designs on Demand” as the essential portion of their name, and what’s more important is that they are doing so illegally.

Wikipedia explains trademark issues very well. Basically, although these two companies are dealing mostly (see the next paragraph) in very different merchandise, the trademark issue exists simply because right now they are both using essentially the same name. The different merchandise they deal in is completely irrelevant to the issue of trademark.

(Although the products offered are entirely irrelevant to the trademark issue, there is actually some potential competitive overlap product-wise between DKR’s venture and the Scheperles’ Designs on Demand which is a tertiary concern to the Scheperles. Because the Scheperles offer personalized sew-on fabric patches which they specifically market in competition with similar products that are embroidered. This product has done so well the Scheperles have given it its own website at http://colorpatch.com. Please note the first words on that site say, “ColorPatch by Designs on Demand”; this is specifically to indicate the Scheperles are marketing their ColorPatch product under their already trademarked name, “Designs on Demand.” Unlike embroidered patches, the Scheperles’ patches are permanently dyed onto the fabric background — providing less chance — than with an embroidered patch — for a patch to catch on something and become damaged or torn. The potential problem relative to this product is that if DKR were ever to market cross stitch patterns for a designer who also markets machine embroidery patterns — even if those machine embroidery patterns are never marketed through DKR’s venture — DKR would still be marketing for a designer who is in direct competition with the Scheperles’ company. While DKR can guarantee none of their designers are currently machine embroidery designers, DKR cannot guarantee this situation won’t ever change. At any time, any one of its designers might start creating machine embroidery designs. DKR simply does not have and cannot demand this kind of control over anyone else.)

To help explain both the issue of trademark as well as the separate issue of website URLs further, let’s look at a company I used to work for myself: AT&T. AT&T is the abbreviation for American Telephone & Telegraph. AT&T, as we all know, is a registered trademark, as is American Telephone & Telegraph. Even though all three words (”American,” “Telephone,” and “Telegraph”) are — individually — common English words, when those words are used in that particular string of words — “American Telephone & Telegraph” — they are an extremely well-known registered trademark.

You could bet your last penny that if I tried to call a new company “American Telephone & Telegraph,” or “AT&T,” I’d have AT&T lawyers on my butt faster than I can say, “Oops! Sorry!” You can also bet absolutely everything you hold dear that I’d be saying, “Sorry!” repeatedly and backing down immediately — but I wouldn’t be doing so just because AT&T has a whole bunch of money and could break me financially … I would be doing so because it would be the RIGHT thing to do … because stealing someone else’s trademarked name is just plain WRONG … because stealing someone else’s trademarked name is just that: STEALING.

The trademark — the NAME OF THE BUSINESS — is a very different concept than the URL website address. AT&T owns the dot-com website http://att.com as well as the dot-net website http://att.net. However, AT&T peacefully coexists with the dot-org website http://att.org, which is owned by a Jewish organization called the Associated Talmud Torahs of Chicago. The reason AT&T allows the Associated Talmud Torahs of Chicago to use http://att.org is because the Associated Talmud Torahs of Chicago is not in any way attempting to infringe upon AT&T’s trademark, i.e., nowhere on their site does the Associated Talmud Torahs of Chicago claim to be the phone company or in any way to have any link to the AT&T we all recognize as one of the most famous brand names in existence.

Another reason AT&T allows the Associated Talmud Torahs of Chicago to use http://att.org is because it is next to impossible for ANY company — no matter how large or how prosperous — to purchase and own every conceivable URL address which might resemble their trademarked name. Asking a small business owner — whose financial resources are much more limited — to buy every single URL address which might ever be used to refer to her trademarked business name is something the courts have already agreed is an unreasonable and ludicrous proposition. It’s that simple.

POTENTIAL LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

I am not a lawyer, so I don’t know all of the legalities of this situation. However, I do have a B.A. and an M.S. in criminal justice, as well as eight years of experience doing investigations, which included working closely with lawyers on a variety of legal issues. Because of all that experience, I DO know that if DKR has not informed its current designers in some detail about this trademark infringement case heading their way, and if they aren’t informing any of the designers signing up with them AS they sign up, then DKR may be guilty of something known as failure to disclose. (In fact, the failure to disclose issue is one reason I am publishing this article — because I have knowledge about this case which I am obligated to disclose!)

If this case actually goes forward to court, or even just to the point of a letter of demand (the first step in almost any legal proceeding, and the step at which many legal proceedings end because the recipient will often comply with the letter of demand upon receiving it — realizing at that point that the sending party is absolutely serious about the issue at hand), all those contracts will be deemed null and void if DKR didn’t inform the designers about this situation already and/or upfront. It’s kind of like trying to sell a house that’s got something really major wrong with it and not disclosing that information to potential buyers. The buyers have the right to know what they’re getting into BEFORE they get into it, so when a seller doesn’t tell potential buyers about a known problem, that seller can get into heaps of trouble.

So because of the initial — and illegal — failure to disclose, any deals which resulted from it are not considered valid. Any deals which extend further out from there are also not considered valid, such as if a current designer talks two more into signing up with DKR’s venture; not only would the initial designer’s contract be invalid, but so would those other two designers’ contracts. That’s fruit of the poisonous tree sort of stuff.

And you designers actually WANT your contracts to be invalid in this case. The reason for that is because, should this situation actually go as far as a courtroom, you can be certain the Scheperles’ attorney will most likely name every single designer participating in DKR’s venture as being complicit in the trademark infringement case — and none of you want to be in that position, do you? None of you want the hassle, the expense, or the effect it could have on your reputation — even though you had no idea any of this was going on … It wouldn’t be at all fair to you, would it? So that’s why your contracts would be considered null and void — because DKR didn’t inform you, and therefore, you couldn’t make an informed decision about doing business with them before they got this matter straightened out.

But, now that I’ve posted THIS article (the one you’re reading now, titled, “ATTN: All Designers Who Were Interested in ‘Designers Wanted,’ ” that is), and now that I’ve emailed you and advised you to read this article, each of you designers has another issue to think about: Now YOU know about the trademark infringement situation, which means now you ARE informed. So you have to decide if you can continue doing business with DKR while they are still using the name Designs On Demand.Org. That’s your decision, of course, but the Scheperles ARE scheduling a meeting with an attorney (they’ve already consulted with two others, and this third one is the one they have chosen to handle the case for them). That attorney will be starting the legal process, as usual, with a letter of demand. When the chips start to fall, where do you want to be?

I would certainly think you’d not only want to protect yourself, but that you’d also want to stand with the Scheperles because trademark infringement is very similar to copyright infringement. In fact, this is actually what surprises me most about this entire situation: designers, shop owners, and anyone trying to keep a business going in the needlework world is usually so vocal about the importance of respecting copyright issues that I really have a hard time understanding why DKR aren’t respecting the Scheperles’ trademark. If the tables were turned, I’m certain DKR would be just as angry as the Scheperles are — maybe even more so. In any event, I am hoping that you designers will beseech DKR to remedy their error in this situation immediately — for your sake, for their sake, and for the Scheperles’ sake … and simply because it’s the right thing to do!

AGAIN, DKR’S IDEA IS A GOOD ONE!

As I’ve heard from my designer connections who made inquiries with DKR, there are some very good reasons, some of which I already mentioned in “Designers Wanted,” to market your designs through a company like this, and perhaps even through this particular company. For instance, I’ve learned the percentage of profits a designer will receive for the sales on his or her own designs if marketed through DKR’s venture is 80%, which I understand is significantly higher than anywhere else with a similar marketing plan — and keeping more of your own profits is always good thing, especially for an individual designer.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

All this means DKR are still in need of a name — and perhaps a corresponding URL for their website address, of course.

I’m hoping DKR read this and come to their senses, whether from reading this article or through any other means because, aside from their problems coming up with a business name they can legally use, they have some terrific ideas and plans for their new venture. Literally, every problem I’ve listed above completely disappears as soon as DKR chooses a business name they can legally trademark for themselves. I love the idea that the designers who sign up to market their designs through them will keep 80% of their own profits — and I’m sure the designers will love the idea, too. With an offer like that, more and more designers will sign up with them, and they’ll stick around, too. (Who knows … maybe it will even encourage some people who’ve been teetering on the edge to try designing! ) We stitchers will find it easier to obtain those wonderfully imaginative, but hard-to-find patterns by the new, independent designers — and we DO love the thrill of discovering a new designer! And, of course, DKR stand to make decent money themselves, so it’s a win-win-win … Almost all of the work (minus a few minor corrections here and there, such as correcting the email link for the support address on this page, updating everything which needs updating with new logos in connection with a new company name, and so on) is already done — and done well, too … They just need a name — a great one they will be proud to trademark for themselves.

Maybe “Design Emergency Room”? No, I don’t think so; clearly, I’ve been spending too much time in hospitals lately. How about “On Call Designers”? Hmmm. Still too medicinal, and perhaps too provocative. “The Pattern Palette”? Oh, I LIKE that one! But, although the URL is available no matter what extension is chosen, a Google search comes up with 15,500 hits for “The Pattern Palette,” so a significant amount of research would need to be done to confirm this isn’t already someone else’s trademarked name — and since it’s not my business venture, I’m going to stop now …

However, you can feel free to post here suggesting names for DKR’s venture; I assure you, they’re reading!

Technorati Tags: Cross Stitch Expo, Stitch A Painting, Rick’s Charts, Rick Abbott, Art of Stitching, Deanna’s Designs, trademark, copyright, infringement, needlework, cross stitch, intellectual property, Margaret Scheperle, Darrel Scheperle, Designs on Demand, DesignsOnDemand.org, Designs On Demand.org, common law trademark, TM

Are you aware the Loudoun Sampler Guild is putting on a tremendous effort dedicated to Quaker samplers this year? It’s called A Token of Love — The Quaker Girl and Her Needlework and is a series of lectures, classes, and other special events which will occur in the Leesburg, Virginia area on weekends in March and April of 2008.

Currently scheduled are lectures from Quaker needlework historians such as Betty Whiting Flemming, Sue Studebaker, Kathryn Lesieur, Lynn Tinley, Mary Holton Robare, Barbara Hutson (Queenstown Sampler Designs), and Kathy Moyer.

Designers teaching classes during the course of March and April include Kathy Barrick-Dieter (Carriage House Samplings), Barbara Bernard (Loudoun Sampler Guild), Cathy Campbell (Primitive Traditions), Ellen Chester (With My Needle), Pamela Darney (Guildhouse Samplers), Betsy Morgan (Willing Hands), and Kathryn Myers (Loudoun Sampler Guild).

I have one gorgeous class project picture for you: a picture of Barbara Bernard’s A Quaker Scissors Keep (unfolded) is here in .PDF format.

In order to provide you with as much information as possible about this fantastic event series, I am quoting below from an email written by Karen Bollin, Programs Chair of the Loudoun Sampler Guild, on November 10, 2007:

1. This series is NOT a symposium. There is not an overall fee, and the programming is not held over a single weekend. This is a series and will be held over MOST weekends thru March & April, 2008. Each event is priced separately & is independent.

2. Most program days have two or more events, but a few vary. The only overlap is the Children’s Class. The parent can be in her/his event and the child in her/his as well.

3. We are fortunate to have food available for three dates for pre-order, catered by Specialteas Catering. Just complete the form and include the funds.

4. The prices for each event are based on costs from the principal, kit fees, space rental, and any extra expenses the event incurs. Each event must stand on its own or it can’t go forward. The only way to be sure a class or lecture succeeds is with your ticket orders. Please don’t wait until the last minute.

5. To order tickets, print the registration form page, check the events you want to attend, enclose the check, and mail it back to me. Be sure to include any of the lunches you want. Be sure to copy the completed form for yourselves.

7. Seating in each event will be limited by the venue and the teacher. I control neither. Personally, I would love to have so many attendees that I have to rent air, but that’s not feasible, so we will go with room size and teacher limits. I will endeavor to give as much info as possible. Locations will be established based on demand for events. Waiting lists will be established as necessary, but I’ll try to get space for everyone who wants a lecture or class. All events will be in the greater Leesburg area.

8. Anyone who might be travelling from afar, there are a lot of hotels & motels in the general area. If we have several of you in need, I will try to get some reduced rates. We can work on that as time approaches, but get your registration forms in so I can work-out whatever I can get for you.

9. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions, special needs, or just want to know what’s up. I might not get to you the same day, but I will get to you!

10. We will have boutique tables and trunk shows, Several of our members & friends will be presenting their wares tailored to this series. Many of our designers will try to have as much on hand as possible for your stash enhancement. Some of our lecturers to have their books on hand for those of you who need to obtain them.

11. We are also having a “special” boutique table — the Second-Hand Stash Sale!! This sale table will be available pn all March weekends to benefit Woodlawn Plantation, site of the annual Needlework Exhibition each March. The sale will rise again in April to benefit the Waterford Foundation, the organization that works to preserve the historic buildings in the Quaker community of Waterford, VA. Basically, it’s a garage sale of stash, with ALL of the proceeds going to these very worthy organiations. To be successful, your QUALITY stash donations are required…..just one or two things.

Schedule: Our own Betty Whiting Flemming will open the series with her lecture, The Quaker Schoolgirl: Her Life and Her Needlework. Later in the series, Betty will also give a short talk about the 35-star Quaker flag (just prior to Ellen Chester’s class of “Long May She Wave”), and join with Mary Holton Robare to present a lecture about samplers from several generations of a Quaker family.

Kathy Barrick-Dieter of Carriage House Samplings will teach her Pinball class, which I understand is a lot of fun for all participants. Your kit comes with all materials to make the stitched pinball at your own pace and the materials to make a pinball in class.

Mary Holton Robare will present 2 lectures covering both Quaker samplers and Quaker quilts. Her samplers lecture, A Quaker Family’s Samplers, presented with Betty Whiting Flemming, will explore the three samplers completed by four generations of a single Quaker family. These samplers have been scattered among descendants, but come together for this lecture. Mary’s other lecture, Quilts & Quaker Heritage, covers the journey that began with a Signature Album quilt and grew into the discovery of dozens of Quaker textiles. Excerpts from letters & diaries highlight the role of needlework in the lives of Quaker quiltmakers. Because many of the quilts were signed and dated, they provide unique opportunities to compare technical elements & designs, as well as revealing new avenues for exploring the pre-Civil War community of Quakers in America.

Our Children’s Class, led by another LSG member, Kathryn Myers, will feature the series logo as its project. All attendees will receive a kit with most finishing materials and snacks. This class is aimed at children 7-14 years of age.

Ellen Chester of With My Needle is teaching her Needleworker’s Sampler Huswif AND the exclusive adaptation of Long May She Wave, which will ONLY be available during this series. It will be preceded by the talk by Betty Flemming about the historic 35-star Quaker flag, from which Ellen adapted her design. You will be able to stitch either the original or the adapted design.

Cathy Campbell of Primitive Traditions has adapted some of her own designs to offer us a short techniques class in making her wonderful Bronwyn’s Biscornu Pyn Pillowe…a special treat. You will receive a complete kit, and the class focuses on the finishing techniques. A quick, cute, charming addition to your needlework smalls.

Lynn Tinley will join us from Georgia to present her lecture, Quaker Samplers: from Carnation Borders to Colorful Medallions. It promises to be very enlightening.

Barbara Bernard, also a very talented member of the Loudoun Sampler Guild, is a staff member at the National Gallery of Art. Barbara is teaching her design of A Quaker Scissors Keep, a very useful memento, covered with Quaker medallion designs on soft colors reminiscent of the Quaker palette. Barbara has also designed our series commemorative tote….be sure to get one!!!

One of our most renowned speakers, Sue Studebaker, is joining us for what will be a wonderful lecture covering the Quaker movement west, entitled The Friends Journey Westward. I know I don’t want to miss it.

Betsy Morgan of Willing Hands Designs is offering, for the first time, her special design of a Quaker Schoolgirl Etui. Betsy is also offering a kit for the smalls…be sure to order it in advance. Betsy designed this project for the Loudoun Museum’s symposium which was cancelled and we are so pleased that she is letting us have the debut of this beautiful set.

Pamela Darney of Guildhouse Samplers is a new designer to most of you, but to the Loudoun Sampler Guild, she is one of our very talented members. Pamela has designed a gorgeous sampler, entitled I Byde My Time Quaker Sampler, which coordinates with the etui & smalls designed and being taught by Betsy Morgan. As one of the first people to see the completed sampler, I can attest to its incredible beauty.

Pamela is also graciously donating her beautiful new, original designs for our Fundraiser — two designs called The Quaker Diamonds. Speaking of the Fundraiser, it should be a lot of FUN as well. The Loudoun Sampler Guild is proud of its record of providing monetary grants to various museums, historical societies, and other organizations for the on-going preservation of their needlework. To meet our goals, we have regular events to build the Grant Fund. With Pamela’s beautufully charted designs, which will be presented to each ticket holder for this event, attendees will receive appropriate fabric & monochrome threads to stitch these diamonds as a 2-sided ornament, framed pieces, or whatever suits you. We will also provide snacks, surprises, and some fun…like prizes and such. We will have members & experts available for discussion and Q&A. The Fundraiser is scheduled in both March & April.

And, a new addition to our schedule, is the lecture of Kathy Moyer, archivist and historian of Oakwood Friends School, which traces its roots to Nine Partners School in Poughkeepsie, NY. Kathy has developed a detailed and fascinating presentation, Nine Partners School: History, People, & Samplers, filled with history & details of the Quaker school, community, students, and their treasures.

For more information, including the full schedule, class descriptions, and pictures of the class projects, take a look at the brochure for this wonderfully exciting series of events — something is sure to catch your eye! As Karen mentioned above in her email, there are also some fabulous charitable events scheduled to benefit Woodlawn Plantation, where the 45th annual Needlework Exhibition will occur in March; the Waterford Foundation, a preserved Quaker-established community in Virginia; and the Loudoun Sampler Guild’s Grant Fund, which is used for preserving needlework held in museums, schools, and other organizations.

For more information, including larger class project photos, or to register, please contact Karen Bollin as soon as possible. Karen is taking pencil-in registrations by email, especially for the earliest scheduled events.

As of the last report I had from Karen on January 18th, there was still room in each event for attendees — but final registration for some events, especially the earliest ones, is coming up FAST in order to allow enough time to provide notice to teachers/lecturers for their class preparations, so there is absolutely no time to waste! Additionally, there are — unbelievably — a few events in danger of cancellation due to low enrollment at this point, so PLEASE don’t hesitate in contacting Karen if you are interested in any of them. Don’t be kicking yourself for not contacting Karen today only to later find out one of the spectacular classes you most wanted was cancelled due to low enrollment … email Karen NOW and let her know you’re putting your registration payment in the mail!

Technorati Tags: Loudoun Sampler Guild, Quaker, needlework, sampler, Token of Love, Quaker Girl and Her Needlework, Betty Whiting Flemming, Sue Studebaker, Kathryn Lesieur, Lynn Tinley, Mary Holton Robare, Barbara Hutson, Queenstown Sampler Designs, Kathy Moyer, Kathy Barrick-Dieter, Carriage House Samplings, Barbara Bernard, Cathy Campbell, Primitive Traditions, Ellen Chester, With My Needle, Pamela Darney, Guildhouse Samplers, Betsy Morgan, Willing Hands, and Kathryn Myers

Please be sure to read “ATTN: All Designers Whose Interest Was Peaked by “Designers Wanted” Article” which is an important follow-up to this article.

The venture briefly known as Designs on Demand (and referred to hereafter in this article as DKR) is currently seeking designers who wish to market their designs through them. This could be a wonderful solution for designers who don’t have the time (or expertise) to create or manage their own website storefronts because DKR provides and handles the storefront operation. This allows you the opportunity to stay focused on the fun part — the actual designing!

In addition, it’s a super way to introduce your designs to customers who might not otherwise ever find you. That’s because, especially when they are able to do so from the comfort of their own homes, and even in their pajamas, stitchers will take the time to look through everything DKR has to offer. And when we stitchers don’t recognize a designer’s name, it’s like finding opportunity wrapped up in pretty paper with a bow — we can hardly wait to find out what beautiful treat may be in store for us! If you market your designs through DKR, stitchers don’t have to know your name to find you, as would be needed in a brick and mortar shop, or to do an online search for you.

DKR will also be a boon for stitchers because they will specialize in instant gratification, otherwise known to the stitching world as charts in .PDF format (requiring only Adobe Acrobat’s free reader) which are downloaded by the customer immediately after payment is completed. Although they do not consider themselves open and ready for business yet, there are already over 70 designs available on the site, including 15 patterns exclusive to DKR.

Designers already signed up include The Art of Stitching, Deanna’s Designs, Rick’s Charts, and Stitch a Painting — definitely good company who will draw lots of customers!

If you are a designer interested in joining this terrific group of designers, please email support@designsondemand.org in order to get more information.

Technorati Tags: Rick’s Charts, Deanna’s Designs, The Art of Stitching, Stitch a Painting, needlework, cross stitch

I am currently working on a darling design which was created by amateur designer Melanie Farrelbegg; I’ll post about my own progress soon on my personal blog, which has needed attention for some time now (sorry), but I’ll share a picture of what it should look like when finished with you here because I am so impressed with Melanie’s work.

I discovered Melanie’s design while perusing the selection of British magazines available at my local Barnes & Noble (where I went only because Borders, the store I prefer, at least locally, was already out of the majority of their non-US cross stitch magazines … I seem to be still running behind with just about everything these days … sorry again).

A side note: Why the heck haven’t any of the major bookstores realized importing the fabulous French magazines — and LOTS of them — would be a superb addition to their inventory?

For her design, Melanie won a contest called the “Design and Stitch Challenge” sponsored by UK magazine Cross Stitch Crazy, and so her design and its corresponding chart is published in the Christmas 2007 (Issue 105) volume of this magazine. Lucky us … and congratulations, Melanie!

However, the main reason for this post is because I am selfish. I have also fallen head over heels for the design created by the second runner-up, and I simply must find her and obtain the chart. Her name is Janet French, and her design, Frog Prince, would make a perfect Valentine’s Day gift for that special someone. Just look how cute he is!

The only problem is, I don’t know Janet or how to contact her, and a Google search proved unhelpful.

So I am turning to you, my audience of faithful readers and researchers, for help. I am quite sure there will be several among you who might also want to stitch this design, too, and I know with the amazing connections available to us on the Internet, Janet is only a hop, skip, and a jump of a contact away from me.

I am making an offer to publish Janet’s chart here, if she is willing to let me do so — or I will sell it here for her if she’d prefer to do that. I have no idea if she has signed away her copyright to her design for a time to Cross Stitch Crazy, but I have found no mention of her design being published in a forthcoming magazine and do not see it available through Cross Stitch Crazy’s website; therefore, I am making the following offer to Janet:

Assuming you still own the copyright to your design, I would like to help you market it here, through Independent Needlework News. Alternatively, if you wish to offer the design as a free chart, I would also be most happy to publish that chart here. And if you do NOT want it published on INN, that is also fine — it is completely your choice, of course — but I would at least like to let my readers know where they might obtain the chart.

So, Janet, if you are reading this, PLEASE contact me!

To anyone who may know Janet, please refer her to this post, and thank you in advance for your assistance.

Technorati Tags: Janet French, Frog Prince, Cross stitch Crazy, Melanie Farrelbegg