What came to my mind is “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”
But still. My favorite craft fair was the one that said “no cameras”.
I always share my booth pictures online so they could get them there too. I saw a sign once that said “I know you can make it, but will you?”
My booth is different than most. I try to show many variations of what I do and offer to make custom items for them. I like to encourage other crafters. Mostly, I sit outside and crochet. I would love if they sat with me and crocheted too.
But, I am retired and do this for a hobby.
Don’t let it bother you any more is easy to say. (If you were my daughter, or more likely granddaughter, I would tell you to pray for her).
That’s true! I wish more events had a no camera rule. I love going to craft sales, but some people just rub me the wrong way. I’ve had ADULTS squishing my amigurumi, dropping it in the dirt (and not even picking it up), and a grown man stuck one of my crochet flowers in his son’s nose my parents told me that just how some people are and I just need to relax.
Katiebeingcreative has started putting a sign on her table at markets that explains why some items are more expensive, and putting her links so people know where to find her patterns, and she said it has somewhat helped with that!
I dont mind sharing my patterns. What frustrates me is their obvious plan to essentially steal my work and pass it off as their own, possibly making more profit in the process.
No you’re not wrong. A lady did this to me at a craft fair when i sold resin. I was actually very busy, and successfully selling tons. She wasted my time asking questions and picking up literally everything. Finally admits “oh i do this. I need to know how do you paint all these tiny details so i can do it too” and at that point she had taken up space at my booth over 10 minutes that other customers could use. I told her i hand painted details and left it at that. You dont scare away my customers, and also get trade secrets. Sorry not sorry. Then she picked my cheapest item, a keychain, and asked me to change the drilled in hardware color for her. I was like sorry it is what it is.
Just rude overall.
I think this just gave me some great tips for my first in person event tomorrow its wild that people act like this. Even as a crocheted myself I’ll approach crochet booths, and often times compliment them and ask if they sell patterns anywhere that I could buy. I sometimes buy items too if I can afford it as I see it as a way to support others and network. I’m sorry that happened, it’s wild. The least she could’ve done is buy the product… :c
I think it should be noted
Buying your pattern and selling items they make from that pattern is not stealing.
As long as they never say that they designed the pattern themselves, they are within their rights to do what they want with the items they make from a pattern. That includes rewriting and altering sections of it to create a new pattern.
Seeing your item and coming up with something similar is also not stealing. Not a popular fact, but fact none the less. Crafters will be a lot less frustrated and save themselves some peace of mind if they accept that they can not control that.
It would be completely fair to say something about their behavior or get annoyed at them in my opinion, it’s not your fault they haven’t learned how to behave like a decent human being
Though it might ruin your mood if you get annoyed and they’re not worth ruining your mood for
People who have the urge to diminish others are often just lacking confidence and/or jealous.
Sorry you experienced this @SierraCrochets07 - this definitely says nothing about you, but a whole lot about this lady.
Sorry this happened .
That is a common occurrence no matter what anyone makes (previous experince). Its not a polite mannerism period. It literally blows my mind and shows me either they lack the ability to supporting others creativity and they know in reality said person whom they say can do something cant or the issue is much deeper and its a projection just to hurt another individual to make themselves feel better. Ive actually seen many choose to put up signs on their table no photos, if you think you can make this cheaper go ahead supplies will cost more and chances are you wont. A good place to start is maybe placing up a boundary to limit this type pf behaviour towards you.
Bottom line is you don’t have to explain yourself to anyone… its sad people are that rude and overstep.
So, she was definitely in the wrong…If i see a booth thats crochet related I’m immediately going over to say hi and praise their work! Im not going to necessarily buy any crochet products as, 1) Yes i probably could make it, but more importantly: I have plenty of my own crochet things oozing out of every corner of my house…!
The fact a grown woman felt entitled to bring down a 14 y/o is disgusting. And no, you shouldn’t have let her take photos of your work so she can let her daughter “steal it”.
Shes a grown woman too, she can buy her own patterns, and freehand her own things. The fact she probably used it to show off how much “better” her daughter is.
Her daughter either is exactly as toxic as her mom, or knows and probably complimented your work, and put her mother where she belonged; Not at craft shows apparently.
The art community is a great place, but dont be fooled, a lot of people are also self centered overly confident imbeciles.
I’ve often passed up on items in retail stores that I know I could make myself
But I wouldn’t tell an artist to their face that I won’t buy that I can make it myself. I would compliment their skills and discuss my own love of knitting and crocheting.
This is so rude of that lady!!!
I would had done the same as you, let her take a picture and feel horrible and regret it forever… Reading all these comments did made me both: fear and calm me about trying to do my own booth one day in the future.
The putting stuff in their nose is a huge no and i would had probably apply the “you break, you buy” rule for that kind of thing… Like seriously?! That is NOT right in any world.
I do like the “no picture” as well as the “i know you can make it, but will you” signs!
One thing is to compliment, admire your work, and state you also crochet and look up to the other person as a fiber artist… Other is to put them down and state you will eventually copy them!!!
I understand this. But based on her behavior, I feel it is safe to assume she would have done just what I feared. I guess it’s a “had to be there” kind of situation.
My daughter has owned her own ami store for nearly 10 years now. If I had seen a young girl at a craft fair that reminded me of her, I would want a picture too. Maybe she was impressed, maybe she was going to go laugh behind her back because she thought it was garbage, maybe she thought the items were very similar and thought that they were copied, maybe she was gathering pictures to show her daughter so that she could come up with unique items and not waste her time on things already in the local market. You can not assume to know her motives and there is no reason to keep getting upset about it because it will happen again. Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.
Maybe the set up, the arrangement, not the items. You just don’t know. It was rude and intrusive and assuming, and she could have already taken all the photos she wanted without saying anything. That’s just what working with the public is like.
my parents told me that just how some people are and I just need to relax.
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