Travis

John contacted me at the beginning of summer and sent me a big ol' stack of patterns to share with SSV members. That was a pretty amazing surprise! I've been working on them and scanning them to PDF files as I can (I'm a bit slow). It took me awhile to figure out how to get it from paper to a nice digital download. But we got there in the end. I still have a bunch to scan in, and I'll continue working on them as I can. This first batch has a lot of fun Christmas themed patterns and they use the decoupage/applique method that John wrote about in this article: I set up a special section in the eBooks area to house these patterns. A special thank you to @john nelson for providing these great patterns for us all to enjoy! Check them out when you get a chance. His patterns can be found here.

Hi All. Someone sent me an email the other day asking if my Ornament Business Kits ever go on sale because they wanted some of the older ones. Each year I publish the new business kit on November 1st and put it on sale for 50% off through Cyber Monday. Then it goes to the normal price of $20. Some folks want it earlier so they can get a jump on the Holidays, but it usually doesn't work out too well when I do it that way. So it got me thinking that maybe I can put the previous years up for sale in the middle of the year. The whole "Christmas In July" thing has come and gone (I'm a bit slow on the uptake), so I thought I'd offer it up now. So, all of the Custom Ornament Business Kits in the eBooks section is 30% OFF through September 30th! Note: These ornament business kits are meant for folks who have a working knowledge of Inkscape. You don't have to be an advanced user, but you should have the basics down. If you'd like to learn more about Inkscape, you can find my free online course here. Enjoy!

I don’t think anybody is suggesting that if you make a frame you’re violating some sort of intellectual property. But what is being said, you can’t buy a pattern and think that you own the rights to do whatever you want with it. Your usage rights only fall within parameters of what the copyright holder allow. Pattens are made for crafters, so it’s expected that it’s for personal use. Some designers are ok with you making money with them at a craft show or online sales…others are not. But there are limitations on what you can do with their designs. I like making videos. But I can’t use music from Dolly Parton in my video and post it to YouTube, even though I own the CD. My rights to that music only extends to personal listening. But, boy, what if I REALLY want to use that music? Sure, Dolly’s people will work with me, but it will cost me a boat-load of money. But what if I don’t use her recording, and my band plays a cover of it instead? Still her music…your performance, but still her music. You need to license to use her music.

Sorry for the long post. There is a couple of things going on here: Can the pattern designer dictate usage rights? The OP's wished there was some sort of explanation of usage rights. I think that's a reasonable request. I wouldn't expect it to be on an Amazon listing, but it should be in a pattern book for sure. Etsy listings, or direct pattern sales, should have EULA (End User License Agreement) with their patterns. Listing it would be nice, but if it's not there, you should be able to ask and easily get an answer. I was thinking Fox Chapel had a thread on their website about what you can and can't do with their patterns in their books. But can a pattern designer dictate usage rights? Sure they can. If they are the copyright holder, they have the ability to control how they want their work being used. You see this with music every political season. A group uses a piece of music the artist doesn't want to be associated with. They have the right to say no. If a pattern designer says that it's for personal use only, it means you can make it for yourself or as a gift. But not with the intention to sell. Others allow you to sell the finished product (not the pattern itself), but they may limit how many you can do. This is mostly protection in case something becomes a runaway hit, or if something starts becoming manufactured, they have some sort of recourse. I think some of our big pattern designers had this happen to them. If their design hits that cord with the public, they want to benefit too. Why should they only make $10 on a pattern while the manufacturer is making a boatload of money? Look at the man and dog scroll saw pattern. I think I saw that floating around as a hand drawn pattern on some communities a long while back. It became super popular in the scrolling community. It got published in a magazine, and eventually turned into a book deal! That's amazing! Congratulations! They deserve that success. The idea of turning a pattern into a finished product by changing the medium will bypass the copyright is not true. Nor does altering the pattern. This is called derivative work and does not void the original copyright. It has to be a significant change where you cannot confuse the original with the new work. Many years ago, there was a very high profile pattern designer that got into trouble because he used copywritten photos to make his patterns. Fox Chapel I think also got into trouble for publishing them in their magazine. I'm not sure the end result of the lawsuit, I'm sure it was settled. But it was a pretty big deal at the time and shook up the scrolling community. I got an email a few weeks back asking if they can use one of my patterns for commercial use. First we had to find out what they meant by commercial. Is it being manufactured, or are they a crafter? Turns out they were a crafter. I basically said, you can't distribute the pattern, but you can make up to 1000 finished products to sell online, craft shows, etc. Because, honestly, if you're a crafter making over 1000 pieces of any one design, you're a manufacture now and we should come to a different agreement. The Custom Ornament Business Kit I make every year explains what you can and cannot do with the kit. It's intended for crafters. I expect that people want to make money from it. That's good (and honestly encouraged). But I don't want them to sell or give away my ornament business kit (that's how I keep the lights on at SSV)....just the stuff they make with it. Who monitors this and can it be enforced? The fact is, there is a copyright with terms of usage. If you don't own that copyright and go against usage terms, it can be enforced. Most of the time, it's just a cease and desist letter. Will you get caught? Hard to say. If you're online, you're very exposed. If you're at a craft show, depends on the craft show and the crowd it brings (if you have a booth at a Harley event without a license, I can almost guarantee you'll be shut down) Can they go further? Sure, but it's expensive and usually the letter is enough to put an end to it. If you really want to go up against it, you'll probably lose. Who monitors? Sometimes the artist. I've reported several people on ebay that were selling my patterns. I've had times where people scrape SSV and Google Images to bundle and sell our patterns. That's why the Pattern Library is now for members only. Sometimes it's friends of the original pattern designer. SSV had some patterns from a person who we thought was the original designer. A friend of the real designer pointed that out to me, and after some research and investigation, we found out they were stolen and removed them. There are companies that specifically go out to look for certain types of work. They basically work on behalf of companies, looking for infringements. They make their money by getting a percentage of settlements. A friend of mine ran a website where he was filed against several times. (His website was legit, though. It was a forum where people showed off homemade cornhole boards for personal use, often with sports team logos.) Likeness of celebrities can also fall under this. You always hear of a daycare that has Disney murals on the walls and get shut down. Harley people, like Wichman shared, got into trouble for repurposing their products. Puzzle makers who take calendars and turn them into jigsaw puzzles. The list goes on and on. Can they prove it? If you're in a craft show, they can look at your merchandise and tell. As simple photo will take care of that. If it's online, they have your listing and they can subpoena sales records. Even if you only sold through social media, there's records. A few closing thoughts: For patterns found on SSV, you'll have to ask the original pattern designer what you can do with them. Please respect their wishes. SSV doesn't own the copyrights to the patterns posted here. When pattern designer uploads a pattern, the designer is giving permission for SSV to host the pattern for members to use. If you want to make money with the design, you'll have to work that out with the original pattern designer. SSV isn't involved in that negotiation. Each artist has their own definition of what is acceptable for themselves. And that's OK. I've had my patterns stolen in the past and it's super disheartening. As a designer, it really makes you question why you do this and whether or not it's worth it. We've lost many amazing designers over the years because of this. We're all artists and craftspeople. Some of us are designers, some are scrollers, some of do both. Its a symbiotic relationship. We want to watch out for and respect each other. If we didn't have designers, us scrollers won't have anything to cut. Without scrollers, designers won't have anybody to bring their ideas to life. SSV is very conscious about copyrights. Please remember that I'm just a solo guy who runs SSV on the side for the scrolling community. I try hard to make this a friendly place with a ton of great information and resources. But we can't use SSV as a platform to share patterns that don't belong to us. A single letter from a cranky lawyer could potentially shut down the whole website. So I try to be diligent about protecting copyrighted works. SSV is a big place and I can't see it all. If you see something that doesn't belong, please flag it for review (the 3 dots under the upper right corner), and I will take a closer look. Here's a couple of other posts that may be interesting: Check out the copyright section in the Village University: And another post about Copyrights:

That looks amazing! I'm a terrible gardener. Envious of folks that are good at that. I've tried a few times with limited success. I did enjoy making a lettuce garden. Nothing like fresh veggies for dinner.

Summers usually slow way down....but it has been extra quiet this summer. Probably everybody anxious to get out of the house. Toward the end of the month, we'll see a ramp up of traffic as we start heading into fall and the holidays.

Let's have a little fun with this one. It's pretty open for interpretation. Post a silly, or funny project. It can be a sign with a joke, a fun toy, a ridiculous invention, etc. Keep it clean, but let's have fun.

I'm not sure what that would be. I checked them on my iPhone and iPad and they seemed fine. You can check to see if it has nigh mode turned on? Maybe it's not converting the black text to white on a dark backrougnd. that's the only thing I can think of.

Not really scrolling related, but I wanted to share a camping trip my son and I took last week. I think I'll have to make something to commemorate the trip. A great way to recharge the soul and make awesome memories with my boy!

Summer is in full swing! Time for some summertime projects. Post your project that is either used for summertime actives, summer themed, outdoors, or vacations. It's pretty open to interpretation, so have fun with it. When you post, tell us a little bit about the project and why you made it. I always love seeing the stories behind the project.

Ha! I missed June's challenge. Things have been pretty crazy on my end. I'll have one for July, though.

Actually, if you written anything for a scroll saw or woodworking club and you don't mind sharing, I bet I can convert those too. It has to be your article, though.

Hi all. I've been posting a few articles in the Articles section and tutorials in the Project Workshop section recently. These were generously provided by SSV members. I think they're really cool. I found a pretty good process of converting these articles to SSV, so I thought I'd put a callout for anybody who wants to submit an article. I'd love to build up our Articles and Project Workshop library. The goal is to make SSV a great resource for all scrollers. Here's a quick breakdown of article types and requirements. It's actually pretty easy. I just need your expertise, and I'll make it look pretty when I post them. Articles Articles can be anything scroll saw related. We're always looking for tutorials on techniques, references. beginner articles, advanced tutorials, finishing techniques, etc. The goal is education and sharing information that is useful for new and seasoned scrollers alike. We want these to feel like a magazine article. Don't worry, you don't have to be an amazing author. Goodness knows I'm not. But we do want it to read like an article with complete sentences and thoroughly explained. Articles can be presented in step-by-step method too, if that is more appropriate. Pictures are worth 1000 words. We want to illustrate what we're talking about the best we can. So please include photos or other illustrations that reinforce what you are discussing. I can crop and color correct photos when I post the article. Most phones takes really great pictures, so don't feel like you have to have an amazing camera. Look through our Articles section for some inspiration and how we have created other articles. Project Workshop Project Workshop is reserved for specific projects, not broad subjects. For example, we're making a farm tractor toy. The idea is someone can follow the instructions step-by-step to make this project. These should be presented in step-by-step format. Each step should have a photo showing that step. Please include a pattern where possible. (Note: Pattern downloads for project workshop is limited to SSV Patrons) Include 2 or 3 photos of the final project to include for the conclusion. Look through our Project Workshop for some inspiration and how we format our tutorials. How To Deliver: Please make sure the article you submit was written by you and they're your photos. I can't post articles from other people or books, even if they're out of print. It's a copyright thing, and I don't want lawyers on my lawn. Keep in mind copyrights when putting together Project Workshop tutorials. We can't make sports teams, or other licensed/copyrighted/trademarked projects. I can convert 2 types of documents easily: Microsoft Word document. You can PM or email me a Microsoft Word document. Google Document You can send me a link to the Google document by clicking the "Share" button in the upper right corner, then enter my email address (listed below) Alternatively, you can click the "Share" button in the upper right corner. Then click "Copy Link" and send me the link via PM or email. When you create your document, please embed your images into the document so I know where your pictures should go in the article. You can also send me the text and images separately through email or PM. I'll convert your article, crop photos, and make nice banners. You will receive credit as the author. My contact info. PM: @Travis Email: travis[at]scrollsawvillage.com

So in my family, we have 2 dogs, and 2 cats. Our pets outnumber the people in our house. With the weather getting nicer, the dogs want to spend more outside, and our cats love watching the bird feeder outside of our window. So this month's scroll saw challenge is about our furry little friends. Dogs, cats, birds, snakes, hamsters, etc. Post a pic of a project related to pets. It can be a pet portrait, dog leash holder, treat jar, or whatever. I can't wait to see what y'all come up with!

The original designer wants to control how their patterns are distributed. When they upload a pattern to SSV, it's saying it is a gift to the members of SSV. But I'm sure they'd be upset if that file is being shared among FB, other forums, other websites and blogs without their knowledge or consent. So, if it's not a pattern you designed yourself, you should point them to the place they can download it for themselves. Granted, on SSV, they have to be a member (membership is free) to access the Pattern Library. But I don't think that's too much to ask, especially if they're getting access to 5,000+ free scroll saw patterns. We limit access to the Pattern Library to members, because a few years back, we ran into someone on EBay stealing our patterns and reselling them. When I complained, they said it was Free and they can do whatever they want. I eventually got Ebay to intervene and shut down the theft. At any rate, sharing a link to where they can download the pattern themselves is the best approach.

I try to do a monthly scroll saw challenge. It doesn't always work out that way when things get crazy on my end. But we try to do something new every month. I think it's a lot of fun. I'll have a new one for May that I'll probably put out sometime this week. You can find our past ones here: https://www.scrollsawvillage.com/challenges/

This month's scroll saw challenge is about Easter! Post your Easter projects here and tell us a bit about it! This is open for interpretation: Toys for the Kids Easter Baskets Candy holders Easter decor Bunnies...bunnies...and more bunnies. Bowls, place settings, napkin rings, centerpieces, etc for Easter Dinner Religious/Faith based projects Good Friday related Or just to celebrate spring! I can't wait to see what you come up with. If anybody is looking for some Easter projects, we have a few in the Project Workshop.

This is an old post and has been fixed since then. The classes are located here: https://www.scrollsawvillage.com/village-university/ Enjoy!

I did this one a few years back. Here's the pattern for those interested.

Not sure about other places, but in the US, we celebrate St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) to celebrate our Irish heritage. It's mostly an excuse to drink green beer and eat boiled meats. I thought it might be fun to do a scroll saw challenge around "The Luck Of The Irish." This one is pretty open to interpretation. You can do a St. Paddies day theme, something Irish or Celtic themed, luck, green, etc. It'll be fun to see what you come up with.

I haven't changed anything. The forum structure has been the same for many years. I do keep the forum software up to date, so maybe the last update earlier last week, maybe something changed? I don't use SSV on mobile, so I couldn't say. There is a couple of areas where you can see new activity. If you're on the Forums area, you can click the button that looks like a newspaper. that will give new posts you haven't read yet in the forums. Alternatively, you can click the 3 dashes in the upper right corner to bring down your menu. Then go to Activity>All Activity, which shows everything from across the website. There are lots of areas of SSV, such as groups, blogs, gallery, updates, and resources, that will show up in that feed. Hope this helps.

I made a video on using that a few years back. I don't use it all of the time, but it sure works great!

I woke up this AM with a pleasant surprise. SSV was back online! SSV server crashed on Friday, I think. I put in a support ticket Saturday morning. Unfortunately, it was slow to resolve. I kept checking back and they assured me that I was in queue. The longer it went, the more stressed I was. My fear was that it was going to be more to it than a simple fix. But in the end, the support team came through. I'm glad, too, since it was something that I would have never figured out on my own. I guess the moral of the story here is, "Don't have your website break on a 3 day weekend." Anyway, welcome back! We missed you.