Just the FAQs, ma'am

You all have had questions, and we have answers. This list is always available from the right sidebar menu under FAQ.

Please note this page is for general site and Block of the Month/Quilt Along questions. Please submit  pattern suggestions here.

General FAQ

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What is Fandom In Stitches (FiS)?

• Fandom In Stitches is a not-for-profit, fan-run site that provides free quilt patterns based on multiple fandoms. All patterns are designed for fans, by fans, and are free for personal and non-profit use only.

What Does "Fandom" Mean?

• A "fandom" is a fan-based community with a specific interest such as Doctor Who, Harry Potter, or Pokémon.

Who designs the patterns?

• All the patterns on Fandom In Stitches are designed by fans. 
• All designers are volunteers. 
• You can see a list of many of our participating designers on our Designer Page.

How do you rate Skill Level?

• 1/5 - Beginner. Very basic piecing. Anyone can make this.
• 2/5 - Advanced Beginner, slightly more complicated, but still fairly basic.
• 3/5 - Intermediate. More pieces/units, but not too intricate. 
• 4/5 - Advanced Intermediate. More experience is required. Lots of pieces/steps.
• 5/5 - Advanced. Intricate and complex, not intended for beginners.

How can I help?

• The best way to help Fandom In Stitches is to share your original patterns with our community by submitting a pattern, becoming a Pattern Tester*, participating in our events or shopping from our Zazzle store. You can also support Jennifer Ofenstein, website owner and editor, on Ko-Fi.
• We have an invite-only Facebook group for pattern testers & designers. Please contact admin@fandominstitches.com if you'd like to join us.

Who Owns the Website?

• Fandom In Stitches is owned and edited by Jennifer Ofenstein of Sewhooked. 
• The FiS product sales & Ko-Fi Donations pay for our various accounts - domain name, and online storage, as well as the prizes we share for our events.

Can I use Fandom In Stitches patterns to make items to sell on etsy/craft fairs/etc.?

• While we are fully aware that we can't stop you from selling items made from Fandom In Stitches' patterns, we ask most emphatically that you do not, unless it is for a fundraiser or non-profit (please see next question). As long as no one is profiting (profiting=making money, even if it is just to "break even") from our patterns, our use of fandom images, themes, etc., all of which are copyright, trademarked, or the intellectual property of the originators/authors/etc., we are relatively safe under the broad allowance made under U.S. trademark laws (we have this from a bona fide trademark lawyer!). By not selling items made from FiS patterns, we are in no way competing with or profiting from the fandoms we love. We would absolutely hate to lose our ability to share these patterns with you because someone decided to profit from them. One cease and desist letter would be devastating to our online community and could possibly shut down the entire website. Thank you for understanding and respecting our request to not profit from our patterns.
• If you need more information, please see this post: Not For Sale

Can I use Fandom In Stitches patterns to make items for non-profits or charities? 

• You may use Fandom In Stitches patterns to create items for schools, charities, or other non-profit* reasons.
• *Non-profit implies you are making the patterns absolutely for free and if earning money, it is for legal charitable reasons, ie, for a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. It does NOT mean that you are just trying to "break even" on your fabric purchase.
• When using Fandom in Stitches patterns for this kind of work, please credit fandominstitches.com. Our designers are all volunteers, and this credit is all the pay they receive and it is much appreciated. #fandominstitches or @fandominstitches tags are also appreciated.

What about showing my quilt at a quilt show or fair?

• Yes, please do show off your work! All we ask is that you credit Fandom In Stitches and its Designers and if you like, Join our Facebook Group. You can also tag us on Instagram - @fandominstitches or #fandominstitches.

I'm a designer who sells fandom-themed patterns, crafts, or projects. Can I submit and/or advertise here?

• The short and long answer is always no. To protect our website and our designers, we cannot condone the sale of patterns or unlicensed merch that makes use of copyrighted, trademarked, or the intellectual property of others.
• If you need more information, please see this post: Not For Sale

Can I reproduce your patterns to hand out to my bee/guild/sewing group?

• As long as you are not selling Fandom In Stitches patterns, you are free to print and share. We do like it if you ask first and we ask that you ALWAYS give credit to the website and designer. Contact us by email - admin@fandominstitches.com.

Can I repost your patterns on my website/blog?

• Unless you are the designer of the pattern, we ask that you not repost actual patterns, but share links to the original file, page, or post instead.
• If you'd like to share photos please contact the photo's owner. If you can't find that information, you can contact admin@fandominstitches.com and we'll do what we can to help.

Why are so many of the patterns paper pieced? Do you allow any other style?

• While this is not quite as true as it used to be, it's still a valid question. Fandom In Stitches grew from a group of designers that met on a Livejournal group called Harry Potter Paper Piecing.
• We welcome any quilting style and have a growing collection of hand embroidery, pixel, and applique patterns. 
• Due to legal reasons, we don't accept or share machine embroidery.  Because machine embroidery files can be easily reproduced, it's a legal grey area. The legal advice we've received indicates it's best to avoid sharing digital designs.
• Read more about being an FiS Designer.

I'm new to quilting/paper piecing/applique, etc. Where do I start?

• We recommend that you check out our Quilting Help Page.
• We also have a Tutorial Page here.

There's a pattern I really, really want but you don't have it and I can't find it anywhere else.

• Make a suggestion using our Suggestion Form. Please note that all designers are volunteers and the patterns they choose to design as well as the technique are at their discretion. Not all requests are fulfilled, but we do our best. 

I love social media! Where else can I find/follow Fandom In Stitches?

• Facebook (like us!)
• Facebook Group (hang out with other FiSers)
• Facebook Group for Designers & Pattern Testers (for those interested in testing patterns for our Designers) (this group is now invite-only - please email admin@fandominstitches.com)
• Instagram (@fandominstitches #fandominstitches)

How do I win a prize and how are prizes awarded?

• As of this writing, prizes are given away in a random participation drawings in our Facebook groups. Prizes are generally gifted from our Zazzle store or from the designer who created the event.
• Unless otherwise stated, participation prizes are awarded by random drawing using Random.org. 
• No purchase is ever necessary to win anything on FiS and we have no sponsors other than ourselves.

I have a question not listed...

• Please leave your question in the comments or email admin@fandominstitches.com

Block of the Month, Block of the Week, Stitch-Along FAQ
This applies to events hosted here on Fandom in Stitches.

BOM=Block of the Month (Pattern Posted Monthly)
SAL=Stitch Along (embroidery patterns)
QAL=Quilt Along (quilt patterns)

I've never participated in a Block of the Month, Stitch Along, or Quilt Along, can you explain how it works?

• A Block of the Month (BOM) on FiS will include a new pattern on a designated day every month that is part of a theme and works toward a full set of blocks to create an entire quilt.
• A Stitch Along (SAL) on FiS works the same as a BOM, but the pattern is hand embroidered instead of strictly machine stitched.
• A Quilt Along (QAL) is a general term we use for most of our events with the idea that participants quilt along with each other.

I want to participate, but I don't have time. Can I save/print/come back later?

• Absolutely. You can start any of our events whenever it works best for you.

Are Quilt Along files available in a single download?

• Large or ongoing projects are available as they were originally posted, that is to say, one pattern per month or week. You will need to print each pattern individually.

The blocks in a Quilt Along are too big/too small for my taste. Can I decrease/increase the pattern?

• You are welcome to change the pattern size to a scale that works better for you, but please keep in mind that the BOM is designed with an overall quilt in mind, and changing the size of your block will require you to change the final layout.
• We also do not encourage reducing patterns that are a 4 or 5 in skill level as they can become too complicated to make.
• Tutorial to Enlarge & Reduce Patterns

My blocks are coming out the wrong size, what do I do?

• To prevent patterns printing at the wrong size, always check to make sure your documents are set to "no scaling," "no resizing," or that you do not choose "fit to page."
• If possible, square up your block after all the individual units are in place. It's not uncommon for patterns to print slightly off due to differences in printers, software, paper, etc.
• We recommend that you wait until you have all your blocks and are ready to proceed with the layout until you make any changes. You may be able to correct your block size at this point by making adjustments to individual blocks, like adding additional background fabric.

I'm stuck, lost, or frustrated, what do I do?

• Don't suffer alone, ask for help:
• admin@fandominstitches.com
• Fandom In Stitches Facebook Group

Where can I go to talk about my project?

• We have several Facebook Groups for our various quilt alongs. You can find those links in the respective QAL posts. Join our Fandom In Stitches Facebook Group to ask for help with any project. If there is an active group or quilt along, we will point you in the right direction. You're also welcome to tag us on social media - @fandominstitches or #fandominstitches.

I think I'd like to host an event on fandominstitches.com, what now?

• Everything you need to know to share a Quilt Along with the fandominstitches.com community is here.

Where can I find past events?

• We have had MANY past events. To find them, scroll down on any page here on Fandom in Stitches, looking at the right-side menu for "Projects Past." Past events are also saved in their relevant pattern archive (for example, The Office Quilt Along can be found under TV, Movies, Comedy, Podcasts, & People: The Office).

Why is your website so low-tech?

• Fandom in Stitches was created in 2011 as a fun fandom project by Jennifer Ofenstein. It's hosted on Blogger and as of this writing has hundreds, if not thousands, of patterns created by dozens of passionate fans. All of our pages are handwritten and hand-edited. The website has grown so much that to try to move every pattern, image, etc, would be an unbelievably daunting task for something we share entirely for free and do in our free time.

What have we missed? What do YOU need to know? Let us know in comments!