Several years ago, I stitched Morning Song for a wedding present for my sister T.  However, I customized some of the colors.  See my sister married a ginger haired man and was looking forward to having red-headed kids.  So I made the children red heads.  Well, that meant that I had to change the color of the dress because it’s just silly to put a ginger in pink.

Once I had done that, I wanted to make the mother look more like my sister so I swapped the blonde from the mother’s hair with the browns in the trees behind her so I have a brunette with ginger kids in front of an aspen grove.

I was rather happy with the result because I was still new to pattern modification.  I posted the picture on my website when the gallery still worked.  I named the picture and the designer and listed what changes I had made to the original pattern.  After all, that’s what we’re supposed to do to honor the copyright, correct?   Well I got an email asking me to cease and desist showing the picture or legal action would follow.  I sent an email back asking why, what was I doing wrong since I had done everything I knew to protect the designer’s rights.  I was told since I hadn’t followed the design exactly the copyright holder was offended and wanted it removed.  I was broke in those days and didn’t have money for a legal fight so I removed it.

Since the recent death of the designer in question, I’ve heard examples of the copyright agent for the estate giving permission for posting images which were previously denied.  So I feel safe publishing my finished work of the Lavender and Lace Morning Song pattern again.