A lot of our customers are interested in producing costumes for friends. For the skilled costumer, often this quickly branches out into sewing for an SCA shire, or for Renaissance Faire or theatrical group. After a few months of this we see these people launching businesses with anything from a one-person costume booth at a small Renfaire to Pennsic, or a virtual store on the Web.
We're generally very happy for our customers who can do that. When we started, we detailed in our manuals a strict copyright policy: You can sew for yourself or your friends or family; no commercial sewing from our patterns. Period.
Since then we've reconsidered. There are a lot of times when someone really needs the opportunity to apply her (or his) craft and make some honest money. We know; we've done it ourselves often enough, and if it weren't for the cooperation and generosity of others, Margo Anderson's Historic Costume Patterns would still be just a dream.
But there are extremes in anything, and there's a time when a business needs to develop its own resources. It's one thing to sew costumes to order, or even "on spec", one at a time in your kitchen or sewing room. It's something else to hire friends to produce twenty identical pieces for you to sell, and something else again to contract with a factory in Taiwan for two thousand.
We're very proud of the fact that people are using our patterns to help them start successful costuming businesses. We're happy to know that we help parents work at home so that they can be with their children. We have several customers who are struggling with physical or mental disabilities that don't allow them to work at standard jobs.
But it's our feeling that people who are able to set up professional factory scale operations should be purchasing professional patternmaking services to develop their own proprietary patterns.
For copyright purposes, imagine buying a movie on DVD and showing it to your family or friends. That's what it's intended for, and that's fine. Now imagine using the same DVD movie, and charging people admission to see it in a theater. That's against the publisher's intent, and it's against the law.
Any business producing something to sell to customers can go in two directions: either cost-efficient mass production or (relatively) expensive personal service. Mass production results in patterns from Vogue, Burda, Butterick, etc., at low prices. We offer much more -- more pattern, more information, and far more service -- but we have to charge for it. Margo spends several hours every day reading and responding to email alone -- nobody else in the business offers personal support like that.
Remember -- we're not McCall's, Butterick, or even Folkwear. We're a small operation -- Margo and Wayne Anderson -- and this business is a substantial part of our livelihood. If someone abuses our copyright, it costs us, personally -- not some abstract shareholder. (And you might note that none of the big pattern companies we've mentioned allow use of their patterns for even limited production -- and they have armies of lawyers to back it up.)
Here is our official policy:
Purchasing our patterns gives you the right to use them for personal use. They may also be used to make one of a kind items in your own home or workroom, either as custom orders or on speculation, such as for selling through online auction sites. The patterns may not be used for factory style production or for contracting to outworkers who work out of their own homes.
If you are interested in making identical multiples of any of the garment or accessory pieces, for selling online, by mail, through stores, at Renaissance Faires, SCA events, craft fairs or other shows, through online auction sites, or in any other venue, you MUST contact Historic Costume Patterns privately and discuss licensing.
You may NOT photocopy, trace, scan, or otherwise reproduce the patterns, manual, illustrations, cover art, or any other part of it for distribution by sale, gift, loan, or any other arrangement, whether for profit or not. (This means -- PLEASE! -- don't make a copy or lend a pattern to a friend. Yes, we know it happens, and it seems like a nice thing to do for your friend, but that costs us in a very personal way.) You may make copies of the patterns for your own use as described within the pattern instructions.
Special arrangements for individuals teaching classes and workshops may be made, but you must contact us in advance to discuss them.
Historic Costume Patterns is not liable for any damage to or loss of fabric and other materials that may result from the use of the patterns.
If you value the patterns and manuals we produce, and the personal support that Margo gives to all our customers, please respect our wishes and legal rights by not violating our regulations.
Thank you to all our friends for your cooperation and support.
Margo Anderson