No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on January 14, 2011

This has to do with patterns and this myth that seems to have surfaced in sewing circles along with knitting and quilting groups, that if you change the pattern X% (Honestly I have heard everything from 15% to 55%) then you have created a new pattern and therefore don’t have to recognize the original pattern maker or could even sell the pattern you “created” from the other pattern. It seems a bone of contention that shows up on the various lists I belong to about every three months.

There are grey areas. I know recently someone got a legal slap on the wrist for trying to copyright a pattern that they had copied from a book that was in public domain. And, as it has been often said in the cloth doll world, there are only so many ways you can make a leg. There are patterns free on line that the creators have asked for credit if you use their pattern and not to copy and sell the patterns as if they were your own. There is one doll maker in Japan whose work I love. She has been very generous about sharing how she makes things along with some amazing patterns. At the end of last year she asked for help with someone in the States that had copied one of her patterns and was selling it on Etsy as their pattern when it contained markings that made if obvious it was the Japanese doll maker’s pattern. Since then she has been more reticent about posting patterns on her website and, while this makes me sad, I do understand it.

One of the best explanations I have read over the years comes from the Australian Copyright office which states

Copyright does not protect ideas or information. Nor does it protect styles or techniques or methods. Copyright protects the way in which an idea or concept is expressed – for example, as a drawing, or a piece of writing.

Therefore, if you are simply using someone elseʼs idea, information, technique or method to create a garment, you will not be infringing copyright. For example, the original idea of making a swimming costume in two pieces was not protected, but it is likely that the first bikini and the pattern for that bikini were protected as artistic works. Also, while a particular pattern for flared pants may be protected, the general idea of pants being flared is not. copyright the Australian Copyright Office

And that in a nutshell is how copyright works for patterns.

This is also why I draft own my patterns for my work. That way I can honestly say that if I happen to accidently copy someone else, I didn’t know I was doing so since I came up with it on my own. I do use pattern drafting books to figure out how I am going to put something together but the rest is trial and error. I have gotten really good at being able to eyeball things for various pieces of clothing. I know the basics and go from there.

I hope that this rambling has helped someone understand the rather complicated realm of pattern making.

I am grateful to those artists who have helped me figure out how to make things.

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Posted By Kathleen David on January 13, 2011

(This is going to take a whole lot of whiles)

The snow is going to be with us for a while. The sun is out (yea!) but the temperature is low with a wind chill in the single digits (boo!). But this time most of our neighbors have dug out their sidewalks with the exception of the house that has the bus stop which never shovels out except a path so they can get their cars out. So one of the fathers always comes and shovels out a space for the kids. Right now it looks like a snow fort.

However we can get around. The Main roads are clear and dry at this point and the side streets aren’t that bad. So life will go on even with the snow. Unlike some towns in the south that I could mention that are still iced over.

I thought our President gave a good speech last night. I found his points about uniting rather than dividing uplifting and I loved this part of it Those who died here, those who saved lives here – they help me believe. We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know that how we treat one another is entirely up to us. I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us. That is something I can believe and will strive to do.

I am grateful for clear paths.

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Posted By Kathleen David on January 12, 2011

They are saying 8 to 12 but larger amounts locally. Locally we got 18 to 24 inches which we shoveled out to clear the sidewalk, steps, and walkway. Peter did the lion share by dealing with the snow mess that the plows left at the end of our driveway. It is a good day to stay inside and keep warm. I certainly got my exercise especially my upper body workout today.

I got to use my new iPhone and show my parents the snow with the face chat feature, which is rapidly becoming my favorite feature on the phone. We have real videophones. Something that was considered science fiction even 10 years ago is a reality. My parents showed me what had been (not been) going on in Atlanta. Their street is a sheet of ice and some of the main roads haven’t been taken care of since the storm and we are going onto day 5 here. It turns out that since they are considered highways or thoroughfares, they are the State’s responsibility not the city’s but the State has been dealing with the highways so the local roads stay unplowed. Almost as bad as the New York City problems of the previous blizzard. They did a much better job in the boroughs this go round.

Our street is well plowed and the sun is starting to get rid of the slush and snow that was left. We are considered a major route for emergency services so we are at the top of the list for plowing. I am glad that the kids didn’t go into today to give the custodians a change to take care of the school grounds and the sidewalks. I don’t think they will be seeing the playground anytime soon. By tomorrow things will be passable enough that the kids can get safely to and from school.

We aren’t worried about power outages at this point. The lines are clear and most of the trees have shed their snow. A friend reminded me of the ice storm of 1973 and how much trouble that caused for Atlanta. We didn’t have power for the better part of a week.

So a day at home for Caroline. Pretty much a typical day for the rest of us. Overall we came out of this one not too bad.

I am grateful that we could deal with the snow pretty efficiently.

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Posted By Kathleen David on January 11, 2011

That we have dire warnings of the next snowfall that might bury us for a day or so. Predictions have been all over the map from about 2 inches (which is my bet) to 2 feet (no thank you). Whatever it is, it is going to hit tonight and we will see where we are tomorrow morning.

Today I need to get an air conditioner cover for the outside unit since ours seems to have blown away somewhere beyond the usual places and some cat food for the kitten and the seniors. That should do it. Peter did the shopping last night and got everything we could need for a couple of days in the house. He is such a thoughtful husband.

Yesterday I did my usual hours at the library. The librarian has a bad cough and is muddling through as best he can but I feel sorry for him. Ariel read the story to the children and did a really good job. She is going to be a great teacher some day. At the end of the day the afternoon announcements came over the speaker encouraging the kids to wear their p.j.s inside out to make it snow. This urban legend is an old one in our school district and the kids have much faith in it. Caroline won’t do it. She says it makes her jammies feel “weird”.

Fig is getting so big. She is growing into a beautiful cat but she is very much a kitten. She is getting into more and more trouble these days. And she has learned where she isn’t supposes to go. Because when she is caught in those places, she immediate looks guilty and runs for where she is allowed. Water pistols don’t work well with her since she likes water so much. So I am trying to figure out another way to get the idea across to her.

Right now the creative is on the back burner for the moment. I have too many practical things that need to get done around here. But I plan to get back there soon. I have Farpoint and possibly LunaCon coming up.

So for those already in the deep Freeze (I’m looking at you Atlanta), stay safe and warm. For those about to go back into the snowy deep freeze, good luck. And remember hot coco can solve lots of problems.

I am grateful for having so much already in place for this round of snow.

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Posted By Kathleen David on January 10, 2011

This show went onto our radar when it was being workshopped almost 3 years ago. It was a mention somewhere and we told each other that if it came to Broadway, we were going to go see it. It was the Addams Family to begin with and I am a HUGH Charles Addams fan since I was a tot and his drawings in the New Yorker always jumped out at me. Then we had the added delight of Nathan Lane as Gomez and Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia which made it even more tantalizing.

Due to a number of factors, we couldn’t really pull off the trip in and the show until this past Sunday and it was well worth the wait. It is not a perfect show by any means. You have a very strong cast doing pretty good material. And there are times that you think “Would X really be worried about that?” in terms of the Addams lore. But when it works, it works in spades. And I was very entertained. In fact my sides hurt from laughing so hard after the show. It was a show that was very to my tastes.

Nathan Lane is the first Gomez that looks like the cartoon version of Gomez. He is short and round and looks very dashing. His accent floats all over the place from Spain to Cuba to somewhere in South America to somewhere is South Jersey but it doesn’t matter. Mr. Lane is a champion of milking the moment for maximum hilarity. His comic chops are impeccable. The songs are fine but we all know he can sing from his previous roles. He, the actor, looks like he is having a ball with the role and his joy is ours as well.

I knew Bebe Neuwirth could play Morticia for the very simple reason that she played Lilith in Fraiser with such gusto. And she is a delight. Again you have another actor who knows how to play with the comedy and the pauses to extend rather than kill the hilarity. Any problem I had with her performance had more to do with what the script was doing not her.

The rest of the cast was very solid too. Kevin Chamberlin as Fester was a delight. I had seen him on stage before but this was much more of a showcase for his talent. They made Fester sort of the narrator for the piece and that worked. Also he was involved in a couple of the more complex puppetry pieces. Krysta Rodrigues is going places. She is great as an older Wednesday Addams with a lot of internal conflict going on. She has, as they say in the biz, an interesting look and a great set of pipes on her. Adam Reigler does well with what they give him as Pugsley. Again I think it is more script that actor here. Another find for me was Jackie Hoffman who plays Grandmama with great gusto. We have a feeling that her performance changes the most from show to show since she almost put away Pugsley and Fester at the dinner table. They gave her a couple of places to put whatever she wanted in and her comic timing is just wonderful to watch.

Then there is the family that enters the house of Addams. The boy Lucas and Wednesday’s love interest is played by Wesley Taylor in his Broadway début. He does a fine job and I think he will continue to find work in theater. Lucas’ Mom is played by Carolee Carmello who has a very long Broadway resume and I really hope to see her in many more shows. She is a powerhouse and almost steals the show at a couple of points from the Addams which is fine since she played Abigail Adams in 1776 revival. The most underused talent on the stage is Lucas’ Father who is played by Terrance Mann. Yes, Terrance Fricking Mann! OK if you are outside of New York you may very well be scratching your head. But here he is a Broadway ghod. The man can sing and dance rings around just about anyone else up there including the leads. He does have a good song with Ms. Carmello coupled with a dance number in the second act but during the first act we were surprised how much he was not being used.

Basil Twist did the puppets and a couple of the tricks within the show. He did a good job on all of it. I did figure out what he was doing with some of the more impressive tricks but then I am a trained professional and know where to look. The puppets add to the show and give the Addams house that Addams feel. This is complimented by the set by Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch which really does create the feeling of the drawings in 3-D. Also the set is an amazing feat of engineering to make so many different rooms with so little real-estate and that few pieces to work with. The set was another character within the show.

The book and score are serviceable. The songs are hummable especially Full Disclosure. The story has a few problems more due to Addams history and myth that Charles Addams created than the story itself. The Addams family thinks that they are normal so trying to be “normal” doesn’t seem in their make-up. Also the Morticia subplot didn’t fell like ‘Tish.

But those are minor quibbles for a show that entertained me. Peter and I were wondering what will happen to it when some of the leads move onto other things. The show is very dependant on the cast for this one. This is not a plug and play situation because whoever is playing whatever must rise above the material to bring it up to what I saw.

And yes, Thing is in the play but blink or show up late and you miss him. And if you get to your seats late in the second act, you miss It.

I am very grateful that I saw this with the original cast.

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