We’ve all done it.  Endless scrolling on the internet looking for ideas.  Then we suddenly stumble upon exactly what we were looking for or something we didn’t know we wanted until we see it.  We save the picture all excited.  What we do next is a matter of right and wrong.   Legal and illegal. 

Google and Pinterest are full of ideas for all sorts of things.  Photos, colors, styles and patterns.  You can find many useful things.  Today I would like to talk about patterns, specifically tatting patterns although any pattern can apply.

I have looked over numerous tatting patterns on Pinterest.  I love seeing the many designs.  I tend to collect (pin) them for numerous reasons.  Sometimes it’s the design itself, but many times it’s something  about the colors used or the types of beads.

Sometimes that’s where it ends.  Other times I may really want to make the pattern I see.  That’s when the searching begins.  I check to see if the pattern is linked to the designer.  If not I then proceed to begin searching for the designer.  Most of the time I can find them and discover if it’s a free pattern or a pattern I need to purchase.  If I can’t find the designer, the pattern remains a pretty picture in hopes of one day finding the designer and official pattern.

However, many people, especially those new to tatting are tempted to count the stitches in the photos and try to recreate the pattern for themselves. What’s wrong with that you ask?  It’s stealing.  Plain and simple theft. It is also a copyright infringement, which can be legally pursued.  Likewise I have seen numerous patterns offered for free that are nothing more than photos or photocopies of book pages.  Again, copyright infringement and theft.

So what?    I’m just making something pretty!  Who does it hurt?

Designers spend hours creating patterns.  They pour their heart and souls into their creations.  You may think that designers are just greedy people wanting to cash in on consumers wanting their patterns but I can assure you that’s far from the truth.  If a designer is charging money for their pattern they are not making a fortune from it.  Do the math yourself.  Good designs take days, weeks even months to design, write, diagram and test out.  Most tatting patterns on Etsy (as of today 25 May 2025) are under $10.  Take hourly minimum wage into account and you will quickly realize that the $5 pattern doesn’t even come close to a living wage for a designer.

Designers do what they do for the love of tatting, sharing new ideas and creating.  If they charge for their patterns it’s only right we respect their decision and either purchase their pattern or leave it alone.  There are wonderful designers who have walked away from tatting design due to pattern theft.  It’s a great loss for the tatting community as a whole.

So the next time you see a tatting pattern make the decision to do what’s right.  Don’t count stitches.  Search for the pattern designer.  If you can’t afford the pattern, save until you can or search for a free pattern that is similar.  

Until Next Time,