Cross-Stitch

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Stitchers Share Snarky Reactions to Design Contest

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artist compensation design contest

I don’t know what thread maker DMC was thinking when it proposed a design contest in which the winner’s design would be made into a pattern without compensating the designer, but the design community definitely didn’t like the idea.

Because entry into the contest was to be done through a hashtag, stitchers took to social media to protest the contest, with stitched obscenities and designs related to not being able to pay bills with exposure.

The good news is that DMC relented, and as of May 1 have been promoting the contest as having a $500 cash prize.

It’s definitely worth keeping an eye on the #dmcxstitchcontest hashtag on Instagram (warning: lots of salty language) to see how this all turns out.

Do you think designers should be compensated for work used by a big company? (Or even a small one?) I’d love to hear your thoughts!

[Photo: stephxstitch via Instagram]

Looking for more Snarky or Subversive Cross stitch charts and designs? Check these out on Etsy. 

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Comments

  1. Absolutely, a designer should be compensated for their work. It takes a lot of time and effort to create something. At least a small gift would be appropriate.

  2. Good Grief, YES we should be compensated! The time we crafters spend honing our craft and designing for the enjoyment of others is every bit as valuable and anyone else’s!

  3. I absolutely agree that artists need to be paid for their creativity – regardless of the size of the company/organisation. There would need to be a very good reason for why the artist ins’t paid – e.g. terms in the contract/agreement that state that the artist will be compensated in other ways. It’s disappointing that it took such a public reaction for DMC to update the competition to have a $500 prize for the winning design, as they will still make a significant amount of money from the sales of their floss via their website and global stockists.

    I hope that DMC are able to learn from this experience and that in the future, there are similar competitions and ways in which artists are able to get the exposure they want, need and deserve.

  5. Well, of course they should! Even if the company had a good reason for not awarding a cash prize, they could at least have offered supplies in return for the design.

Have you read?

Cross Stitch Ice Cream and Frozen Treats

Summer is the time for sweet treats, whether eating them or stitching them. This collection of patterns is full of designs that are good enough to eat. Almost. 

This year of ice creams from Simone Balman Art is lots of fun, and you could also stitch up these treats individually if you’d rather. The full piece is 210 by 300 stitches, though it’s not full coverage. It uses 25 colors and comes out to 13.6 by 20.1 inches, or 34.5 by 51.2 cm, as shown on 14 count fabric. 

These mini Popsicles from Mariana Gonclaves ART as super sweet and quick to stitch. These would also be a fun border to another summer project. The full design is 43 by 46 stitches, which is 3.1 by 3.3 inches, or 7.8 by 8.3 cm, on 14 count fabric. 

Sam X Stitch has this fun sweet treat sampler, which again would be fun to stitch as individual pieces (maybe on napkins?). In all it calls for 18 colors and measures 153 by 153 stitches. That comes out to 10.93 inches or 27.75 cm on 14 count fabric. 

Another great sampler is this one with ice cream and other sweet treats from Cute Patterns by Maria. At 119 by 132 stitches total, working the full pattern would be about 8.6 by 9.4 inches, or 22 by 24 cm on 14 count fabric, and it uses 33 colors. You can also stitch individual designs, which range in height from 35 to 45 stitches, and in width from 11 to 28. 

This collection of four sundae patterns from Stichrovia would be fun to make for a kitchen or a teen’s room. Each pattern is around 40 by 50 stitches, so they should fit in a four or five inch hoop if worked on 14 count fabric. 

Or stitch up one of the treats from Stitch Chart Studio‘s collection of seven ice cream cross stitch patterns. These range in size and in number of colors needed, but most would fit in a five or six in hoop (and one in a four inch hoop).