How many times have you asked to take a picture of a sample in a shop and the owner was very offended? You couldn't have the picture or directions unless you sign-up for the class. Since I was often traveling many miles from home when I asked to take the picture the idea of signing up for a class was crazy. Now most stores are posting pictures of their class projects on their websites. We don't have to ask anymore! Times are changing the quilting industry.
Susan
The only time I ran into this in a quilt shop was at Keepsake Quilting.... and they weren't very nice to my bored hubby who was wandering around the store. He innocently wanted to take some photos of the quilts that he liked. He didn't know any better and I didn't warn him because I didn't know what he was doing--- I was a bit distracted by all the fabrics and other goodies on display. The employee's attitude towards an uninformed male kinda spoiled the adventure of visiting "The Quilting Mecca" for me. At quilt shows the quilts in the vender's booths are usually marked as "no picture taking" and that's fine with me. I never minded my class samples being photographed- I felt honored that the folks thought the samples were worth it. The only time I got really hot under the collar was when the shop where I taught went out of business. I sold all my tops and quilted samples during their final close-out sale. A year later I saw one of my quilt tops in a regional quilt show with a blue ribbon on it..... and NO credit given to me! She had machine quilted and bound it- I designed it and made it. grrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!
Leslie & The Furbabies > How many times have you asked to take a picture of a sample in a shop
That's sad, I'm sure the rules will have meant she cheated, I don't expect she feels particularly good about the ribbon, if it were me, I'd have had a discrete word with the organisers.
As for photographing things, I can understand why it's not allowed, all the shops I've been to have the pattern next to the quilt. Round here I've not yet come across a class being taught which isn't from a pattern that is available for purchase, which annoys me a bit, I hate that the first thing on the class supply list is a book!
I'd hope that if there was something for which a pattern wasn't available, that if you explained that you'd be able to take a picture, it's not as if the kind of picture quality most of us have would enable us to match fabrics exactly, or even tell the exact details of the piecing, it's a small risk that someone would make an exact copy and enter it in a show, if they tried to exploit much more than that, they would likely get found out, what is much more likely is that people will make something similar for there own use or as a gift, if I had something on display, I'd be totally happy with that, after all, if you display it, people have memories and may recall an awful lot if they write the details down as soon as they leave the store.
Anne
One thing I love about the Tucson Quilt show (and I'm sure many others do the same thing) is that they sell a CD of the quilts in the show. Didn't get to go this year, but I went last year and I still love to look at some of those lovely quilts I saw. Of course I will never make one "exactly like" or even similar to my favorite masterpieces, but I do enjoy looking at the pictures and remembering seeing the beautiful quilts in the company of a good friend. I've been tempted to take the photo of the one I like best and use it as computer wallpaper, but have not done so as it seemed a bit like plagiarism (sp?).
Sculptors and painters don't seem to mind if you take pictures of their work--after all, the idea that someone could truly replicate it is ludicrous. Quilters have a right to be a bit touchier on the subject as almost anyone could find the fabrics and produce a similar piece of work. But I still don't think it's nice to refuse to let someone take photos.
As for what happened to Leslie--I think the offender should be flogged by twenty quilters, each wielding their favorite fabrics as whips.
I have come across this in Edinburgh a couple of times, neither with quilts. One was a designer clothes shop (a temporary one run by a couple who came up from England during the Festival) whose proprietors spotted me standing in front of their window holding a camera. They aggressively told me I couldn't take a picture of their window display from outside in the street. I hadn't in fact intended to take one, but told them where they could stick their legal bluff and took a picture anyway (or at least pretended to, their stuff wasn't worth wasting film on).
The other was in the crafts fair they have in a city centre cemetery every year during the Festival. Again I was walking around with my camera, looking for pictures of people rather than craftworks, when I was confronted by a middle-aged hippie who made jewellery out of bent silver cutlery and bits of glass. He was so nasty about telling me I couldn't take pictures of his twisted forks that I picked up the camera and immediately pretended to. Whereupon he spat at me.
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Our show does the same thing, Carolyn! I haven't bought a copy yet (we've been doing it for three years now), but I think I may this time. I think it's a wonderful idea.
BTW, our show (just a reminder) is March 23-25, just in case anyone is planning a little trip up this way. It will be held at the Henderson Convention Center on Water Street in Henderson -- a good way to "escape" the Strip, if you're so inclined.
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