Copyright Infringement conclusion

First of all, let me tell you how grateful and surprised I am by your overwhelming support on this issue. When I wrote the post, I didn't think you (yes, YOU, lovely ladies) would leave me such supportive comments, do some digging, or contact Listia for me. I am such a blessed blogger to have so many awesome readers! So, thank you everyone!!

As many of you know, her auction was taken down. We filed a notice copyright infringement claim and sent it to Listia late last night, and they immediately removed it. We were having some technical issues and couldn't send it sooner.

There are few things I learned from this experience...

One of my lovely readers who is an attorney sent me an email with advice which I deeply appreciated:

"...There is no such thing as a copyright in a fashion design. Fashion, clothing, home goods (such as towels or bedding) are not protected by copyright law because they are considered functional goods. There is little to no protection for fashion designers under US copyright, trademark or patent law."

Ok, I didn't know that about the law. Although she also told me this;

"As long as the woman who is selling her own tutorial for a shirt similar to the one you created has not directly copied any pictures or substantially similar text or instructions from your blog tutorial, then she is perfectly within her rights to sell her tutorial."

Right, I don't think I didn't get offended if she was just making the shirt or selling it on the side or something. You see ruffle shirts at so many different boutiques, and shops. But she was using my picture and even after I nicely asked her to not to use my image, she switched the photo to a different ruffle shirt image of mine. If she was selling her own tutorial like she was saying, why is it so hard for her to take her own picture and use that instead of mine?

I also learned that everyone has different ideas about things like this. There are the people who don't care and steal peoples’ ideas, there are people who think it is wrong and take action, and there are people who think, “Why bother? “

I feel like there are so many gray areas in this society, and we are getting too afraid to say when something is wrong. Also, coming up with ideas and designs of my own, taking pictures while I am making something, and writing a post about it is very time consuming. I do it because I enjoy it, though when you find out that someone stole the content and is claiming it as theirs at the click of a button, gives me a really bad taste in my mouth. I think people who have creativeness in their blood would understand what I am trying to say. It's not just about getting credit or money.

Once things are on internet, it is hard to know what will happen to the content and this may not be the last time that I have to deal with something like this. Although, I am so grateful to the person who told me about this and my readers who supported me through this, I will keep creating and blog on. :)

Big thanks from me to you everyone!! (((big hug)))

Sachiko

Alert: Copyright Law Infringement!

Hmm... I really don't like to create a drama here, and I am usually not the type to get upset easily.
Though, there is a problem that has been bugging me the last few days, and I wanted to share this with you and I really need your support and advice.

Last Tuesday, someone (I am not sure if she is a reader or not) sent me an email with a link and told me that "an individual is using your content for her personal gain".
My first reaction was "oh, ok, I better go and check it out."

When I went to the link, I saw my most well-known ruffle shirt picture and she is selling the tutorial!

What?!?!?

How come she can steal my content and sell it… something I am providing free for my readers to enjoy on my blog? Then I thought "oh, maybe she doesn't know the copyright law." Yeah, you can laugh at me for being so naive... I decided not to rush into conclusions and sent her an email to say, it is my material she is using, and it is against the copyright law. I simply asked her to take it down.

I received a comment from her which was...

"ok :)"

So, I decided to go back and see if she really removed it, then guess what I saw (You probably wouldn’t believe it too)...

She switched the picture to a different ruffle shirt which I did back in 2010 and she is still selling it. Who does that!? My initial "Oh maybe she doesn't know..." bit quickly goes out the window there.

Here is the link to it;

http://www.listia.com/auction/8389910-diy-ruffle-shirt-beautiful-elagance

Before I commented on there, someone else also asked her the question saying that "how come you can sell someone else's content, which is free" and she left the link to my tutorial (thank you whoever you are!). When I went back again to see if she has any intention to take it down, she actually hid comments telling her what she is doing is copyright infringement including mine. Also she blocked me so I can't leave any more comments.

I contacted Listia, and am right now filling out the paperwork to have the auction removed. Ugh... I wish we lived in a perfect world, where everyone is nice and honest.

So, my beloved readers... have you ever dealt with stuff like this? Do you have lots of knowledge of what to do? I would LOVE to hear your stories and advice on this matter.

Thank you so much for putting up with my not so happy post, I really appreciate it.

I will keep you posted. :(

Tutorial ~ Coin Wallet

I don't exactly know the proper name for this. When I googled it, it came up as "kiss lock wallet"(which is kind of cute), "metal clamp" and simply "coin wallet". So, I am going to use coin wallet, as I feel that's the most universal name.

I bought the kits at the 100 yen shop in Japan (dollar store here in America). It came with the metal part, rope, and instructions with a traceable pattern. At some fabric stores, they sell the metal parts in the US too, but they don't come with instructions or a traceable pattern. In case you are wondering what to do with it, I will show you the steps and how I made my coin wallet. :)

{You will need}

Metal Part
Rope (optional, because they don't come with the metal around here)
outer and inner fabrics
thread
glue

{How to}

1. I traced the pattern and pinned the pattern onto the fabrics and added 1 cm seam allowance. Cut the fabric. Do the same with the inner fabric too. When you just have the metal part, you can trace the inside line of the metal and extend the lines on both sides down, and make a pattern for it.

2. Right sides together, sew from sides and bottom for outer and inner fabrics.

3. Open the seam and press. Draw a line on the bottom corners (I did a 1" line) and sew to make a boxed bottom. Cut the excess.

4. Fold the top seam allowance and press with an iron. Put outer and inner fabrics wrong sides together. Then, slip stitch to sew them together.

5. With my kit, it told me to put glue on the rope, and put it in to the opening of the metal part with the fabric. Use a sharp tool to push it in.

6. Use long nose pliers to press the metal together, so the fabric will stay securely attached. It is best to use fabric to cover the metal when you press, so the metal won't get damaged.

7. Finished!

I used Amy Butler fabric and polka dot inside. If you change the length from the metal to the bottom, you can also make a pen case or eyeglass case as well. Wouldn't that be fun as a small gift?

I hope my mini tutorial was helpful to give you some ideas of what to do.

Have fun creating everyone!

Tutorial ~ Pom-Pom Scarf

In my last post, I mentioned a project that I am working on with pom-poms. At first, I was just going to make some hair accessories for Rachel, and decorate the house with them. Just like the picture below...

Than all of a sudden the idea to make a pom-pom scarf hit me. It is super easy and inexpensive (just like most of my other projects), I only used two balls of yarn. That's it!
Of course, this is for my 7 years old girl. If you want to make one for yourself, you will probably need more yarn.

{You will need}

Red and pink yarn one of each
2 - 17" red ribbons
Red thread

Pom-pom maker

{How To}

1. First, Make pom-poms. I used pom-pom makers to make my pom-poms as I shared in a different post. You can make them with different methods as well. I made 32 red, pink and mix of red & pink pom-poms. When you tie the middle of the pom-poms, make sure that you use long yarn (about 10" to 12") and don't cut it off. You will need that yarn to put the pom-poms together.

2. I put the pom-poms together just like when you make flower lei (have you done it as a little girl?). To start up, combine two pom-poms together. Use the picture as a guide.

3. Keep adding pom-poms in the same manner.

Then, it will look like this...

4. Tie the end and add ribbons on both ends. Then fold the ends to tack it in and sew it securely. I treated the other ends of the ribbons with fray check.

5. Done!

I think this will be so cute with different color of yarn. This one happened to be the perfect color for V - day, but, I know Rachel will love it for a long time.




I hope you enjoyed my tutorial; have a happy Valentine's Day!

Tried and Tested: Pom-Pom Maker

I bought these pom-pom makers a while ago; I have been dying to try them out!
I will show you how it's done...

1. Open up the arches on one side.

2. Wrap yarn firmly around one end to the other. You want to wrap quite bit to make the pom-poms full and fluffy looking. Close that side and open up the other arch and repeat the process.

3. Cut the yarn between the arches with a sharp pair of scissors. Tie the pom-pom in place in between the arches and open up the arches gently. Make sure to tie the yarn tightly, so the yarn will stay together and won't start falling apart.

4. Separate the parts.

5. Cut the loose ends, and trim the pom-pom to make it into nice rounded pom-poms. The little hands trimming the pom-pom in the picture are my 7 year old daughter’s. When I was making the pom-poms, Rachel came over and wanted to try it. I showed her how, and helped her the first couple times. She had so much fun making them, she was hooked! She and I sat next to each other and made a BUNCH of pom-poms. Her friend came over and she also wanted to try it... can you guess what happened?? The three of us were making pom-poms! The girls made them in different sizes, mixed colors, and named each pom-pom... Who would have thought that pom-pom making would be such a hit with 7 year old girls. :)

6. Here is the finished pom-pom. The pink one I used is the smallest size.

Let me share a picture and some tips...

I made these pom-poms from the same size pom-pom maker, but when I first made the pom-pom, I didn't know how much I should wind the yarn. The left pom-pom is the very first one that I did. It is smaller and not very full looking. The middle one is my second attempt, but still I didn't care for the fullness of it. The third time, I really wound more yarn till it was really puffy, and the pom-pom came out very full and nice.

I am making a few projects with the pom-poms and I will share them soon. That night, Rachel didn't wanna stop making pom-poms, and she was begging me to let her make some more. I said no, because it was her bedtime, I told her to take a shower and get ready for bed, and she went upstairs. A few minutes later, I went up to see what she was doing. She was still in her room trimming her pom-poms! Also, when I was tucking her in bed, I found all her pom-poms in her bed... boy, I think we are gonna have pom-pom fever for a while.

Nice Sunday Afternoon

Hmmm... Ever since we listed our house for sale, every day has been so busy and crazy.
All the cleaning and organizing to keep the house clean at all times has been such a pressure for me and of course for the rest of the crew. Can you picture me freaking out over every little thing I find on the floor and counter tops that make the house look messy? hahaha...

Today was such a nice day to take a break from all that.

After church, we all relaxed and hung out as a family. I even let them leave stuff on the couch and floors and didn't fuss over them.

We had fun making and eating Ice cream sandwiches with chocolate chip cookies I baked the night before.

I pushed the images of what this week is going to be like for me to the back of my head and I indulged is the relaxed and slower pace of life this afternoon; which was very, very nice.

New App: The Inspirational Board

Hi everyone! I want to share a new online app The Inspiration Board by a fellow blogger Jamielyn of I heart Nap Time. It launched this week and I was asked to play around with it and see what I could come up with. It was so much fun!

Here is how it works:

I had several idea for the board. I decided to make a board for my thrift store finds and furniture makeover. I chose the background, played around with the accessories and such... I came up with this:

Right now I don't have other boards made, but I am pretty sure I will start making more. Here is another great reason to check out this app.

Jameilyn is having a luanch party that will run to the 11th. She is giving over $1500 in prizes! Hurry over to her site and get inspirational!

Cleaning and Packing

I feel like I am finally seeing the end of the tunnel of a series of nasty flu infections, there is a cough that still lingers, but I feel much better. I really appreciate everyone’s well wishes, and telling me to get some rest. If I was getting proper rest, I might have gotten better much faster, but there was a reason why I really couldn't take it easy...

After the first wave of flu, I really thought I got better. Meanwhile, Mr.TRH and I have been looking to buy a new home, and one day we found a perfect floor plan for us. We decided to buy the house, signed the papers, and we put our house up for sale. We had LOTS of things to take care of to prepare our house for showing... then bam! I got sick again. I pushed myself to keep going through our stuff (LOTS and LOTS of stuff), kept cleaning, kept organizing and doing some more cleaning... It has been a little over a week, and thanks to our realtor, we had about 11 showings so far. Since our new house won't be ready for several months, we don't have to move right away. Hopefully we can sell our beloved house for what we are asking for to a nice family. We still love this house, we just out grew it...

When we first moved to this house, we had a 5 to 7 year plan to move. Loss of jobs, my health issues and not being able to find a house we like in an area we want in a price range we could afford. There was never a right timing. Then before we knew it, we have been here for 11 years! I wrote about it back in 2009 little bit here

Growing up, my parents moved around, we never stayed in one area for that long. Now we decided to move, as much as I am excited to move, I feel a little sentimental. This is the house we moved in when my oldest just turned one, and we had other two more children. I can still picture the excited face of my little boy when I painted the play room as surprise. We created lots of fun memories as a family here, so I would love whoever lives here to have a good happy feeling.

I am not done clearing stuff out of the house, there is much more I need to do. Wow... do you know how much stuff you can accumulate in 11 years? When we bought this house we were a family of 3, two adults and one baby. Now we are family of 5, who knew that when kids get bigger, their stuff gets bigger too!?

Right now, I have no idea what will happen in the next few months. We might sell the house and have to move to a rental, or we will be able to stay here till we move straight to the new house. Sewing and blogging will probably be affected in some ways too, but I will do my best to let you know what's happening around here.

Well friends, I feel like our little family just took its first step into a new chapter of our lives. Wish us best, ‘cause we will need it! :)

Quilts and More

Thank you all so much for your well wishes. Am I doing any better? Not really... actually, both of my boys have been sick and they have been staying home too. Also, some of you wrote to "get plenty of rest" so with you all as my doctor, have I been following that advice? Not really... it's not that I don't want to rest, but there is a reason why I can't really rest right now. I will let you know more about it in my next post.

Today, I have really exciting news I want to share with you!

If you are ever in a book store, reach out for the spring issue of Quilts and More. The quilt I designed and made (and I have never shared anywhere before) made it into the magazine!

I have been wanting to share this secret for so long, but it's finally in print, I am beyond excited!
Everything looks amazing; I mean the pictures were taken by a professional, digitized diagrams, and nicely written instructions... I am just so... so happy! I just wish that I could hold everyone by the hands who were involved in making this magazine (especially those who were involved with my article) and say thank you.

All the circles came from my scrap bins, and it is a super easy quilt to make. Do you wanna give it a try?

Ahh... Looking at this makes me want to pull out my fabrics and start making a new quilt.

In this winter weather, what have you been working on?