Table of Contents
Breaking the Silence
This turned out to be a long read, so I converted it into an audio version for you to listen to while stitching.
Fellow Ravens,
It’s time to address the two-year-long smear campaign against me and our coven that has recently intensified,
The Drama Unfolds.
First, let me clarify that I’m neither competing with anyone nor seeing anyone as a rival or enemy. After all, we’re all part of the same community. However, the overwhelming interest you’ve shown in our recently launched Patreon page and our latest updates seems to have ruffled some “well-known mean girls™ ” feathers. It appears that emotions are running high, and the drama is resurfacing.
I’d like to shed some light on the recent events and share my perspective. I briefly touched on this topic earlier (https://ravencoven.com/raven-coven-v2-0/#here), but due to the increasing attacks and those who believe these aggressors without questioning, I feel compelled to break my silence and provide a more detailed explanation. You can imagine my frustration.
Of course, I won’t name anyone or give them the attention they seem to crave. They don’t deserve this publicity.
My Side of the Story and Rookie Mistakes.
It all began two years ago when I first started on Etsy (Ravenstitchcraft is now 2.5 years old). To produce patterns more quickly, I sought help from legitimate designers and some self-proclaimed designers (scammers) I found on Upwork (all paid). Unfortunately, some of these so-called designers sold patterns and images they found on the internet as their own designs. In fact, one or two of these were designs by a well-known cross sitch designer that were once for sale but later removed.
When I was first contacted about this issue, I was in disbelief. Upon checking the designer’s page and not seeing those patterns, I requested proof before confronting the designer I had worked with. Once provided with evidence, I immediately apologized and assured her that it would never happen again. I promptly removed the designs in question, as I would never knowingly engage in such behavior. I should have done better research before publishing patterns or working with these scammers. I didn’t, and I own that mistake.That was my first and last contact with this designer, and she never publicly attacked or accused me again.
The Beginning of the Mean Girls’ Harassment and Our Coven’s Purification.
However, a few weeks later, another well-known designer, I believe to be a close friend of the aforementioned designer contacted me. She claimed that my “Nadja’s Club Sign” pattern (based on my favorite show, “What We Do in the Shadows,” and the character Nadja) on my Etsy page was stolen from her Patreon page and demanded its removal. (As if she had originally created the logo and as if replicating this design from a TV show was an incredibly difficult feat that could only have been her brilliant idea.)
I informed her that I didn’t know her and wasn’t even a member of her private Patreon page where she had published the pattern. Upon her insistence, I provided explanations highlighting the differences between my pattern and hers. However, this wasn’t sufficient, and she attempted to file a false copyright claim with Etsy to have the Nadja’s Club design removed, despite not owning the copyright. (You may be aware of how detrimental this can be to a seller, especially one just starting out.)
In response, I told her to leave me alone and warned her that if she made any more false copyright claims and accusations against me, I would pursue legal action, stating that I had enough evidence to do so.
I believe she assumed I would back down and admit fault as I did with the previous designer. However, after I responded and disputed the false copyright claim, resulting in my Nadja’s Club pattern being republished 10 days later, she became enraged. She took advantage of my collaboration with these fake designers (scammers) and posted negative content with screen shots about me on her accounts where she had blocked me, denying me the opportunity to defend myself. She spread these posts and screenshots at every opportunity. Along with a large group of pattern sellers and supporters ( “well-known mean girls™ ” who had no connection to the issue), she launched a smear campaign against me. They reached out to every platform they could to prevent me from posting on social media or elsewhere, and tried everything from SEO attacks on my site / Etsy shop to attacks on my newsletters to make my emails land in spam folders. One of the “well-known mean girls™ ” even made a similar comment in a Facebook group last year, and when I responded, they remained silent. However, they continued to orchestrate attacks through their private channels or by privately contacting everyone who shared my designs or posted my work.
Initially, many of the amateur patterns I created were based on designs with copyrights I had purchased or public domain images/memes, suitable for conversion into patterns. As I mentioned, many other designers’ works also have been added since then, while low-quality ones and those made by scammers have been removed. The patterns created during the time I refer to as RavenCoven v2 are my own work, and I assure you that none of my patterns are stolen or have copyright issues. (Of course, this excludes fan-made patterns like those for “What We Do in the Shadows” or “Wednesday,” but at least I don’t claim these designs as my own, unlike some others.)
The Dark Side of Cross-Stitch.
As you might have noticed, no other cross-stitch sub-niche has as much drama as the gothic and witchy niche. Because of mean girls like these, we’ve started to become a community where we’re enemies to each other, everyone has to pick a side, and we can’t even appreciate each other’s skillfully crafted FOs or designs. They consider themselves the gatekeepers of cross-stitch, setting their own rules about what’s right and wrong, what constitutes an original design, and even who you should support. Please don’t let them get away with this.
Do your own research, contact the sellers and decide for yourself what to buy and who to support. Don’t let some “mean girls™ ” manipulate you or make decisions for you. Be your own master and don’t let your strings be pulled by some puppeteers.
What saddens me the most is seeing many people believing these ridiculous accusations without even asking me and turning against me. Additionally, many artists/creators who have poured their effort into their masterpieces are attacked by these “well-known mean girls™ ” and made to feel ashamed, leading them to remove their work or even close their stores.
Another issue they try to attack me on is that our patterns are accessible to everyone, claiming that this shows a lack of quality in our patterns. We offer many freebies and provide free patterns to anyone who wants them without asking any questions. My response to them: I get back far more from my community than I give, and everyone knows that money is the last thing we talk about. If you spent the time you use harrassing people on making patterns, you too could create more and give back to your community as we do by distributing freebies and discounts.
AI Accusations: Fact or Fiction?
They also accuse me of creating my patterns with AI. I challenge anyone who says this to try to produce the same quality patterns using AI, especially the woodcut and pet cemetery series they accused of being AI art. They know very well that such technology doesn’t exist yet, but of course, many people are unaware of this and believe their claims.
As I have always answered your questions about this topic and have never hesitated to mention, I use ethical AI only to frame my patterns to better appeal to your eyes, to decorate newsletters, or for events. Despite many of you asking me to turn these into patterns, I do not monetize AI art. I have never hidden this and never will. In fact, I have openly stated that our latest Rotten Egg Hunt II event was AI-based and thanked my husband for his help with AI technology and the event.
As mentioned in the behind-the-scenes video of Majestic Owl, you can see how the patterns and frames are made. As shown there, AI was not used in the creation of the patterns, and only ethically trained AI tool within Adobe Photoshop, a program used by over 33 million artists for decades, was used for the frame mockups. Don’t misunderstand me; I am definitely not advocating for AI art. It is not my place to debate the ethics of AI, and I do not wish to start a discussion on this here. However, I am at peace with the fact that I do not sell AI-made art, and I am certain that those who criticize me for this will one day incorporate AI into their own work.
The Dawn of Raven Coven v2.0
As also mentioned in the RavenCoven v2 post and elsewhere, about a year ago, I left my job as a graphic designer at an advertising agency to dedicate all my time to RavenCoven. Now, I work solely as a cross-stitch designer. While preparing designs and answering community questions (I know I’m not very good at this), I am also taking new courses like pixel art design and researching different art styles to improve myself. I love being a cross-stitch designer, seeing the work you create with those designs, and the community we have built together, and that’s why I’m ready to do everything I can to protect them!
I’ve ignored their ridiculous attacks and stayed silent, but I still can’t believe they persist so relentlessly. I’m not the only one who has faced years of harassment from these “well-known mean girls™ “, nor will I be the last.. I’ve witnessed them attacking many successful designers, crafters and creators just because they’re not supporting them, and it’s truly unbelievable!
I chose to give brief explanations to those who contacted me about this matter, as I didn’t want to get dragged into the mud they were trying to pull me into. I wanted to focus on my work because I didn’t have the time, mental energy, or desire to deal with them.But my silence has only encouraged them more and led to an increase in their harassment also I cannot stand idly by while others suffer abuse from these “well-known mean girls™ “ simply for practicing their craft or supporting an artist they admire.
Calling All Victims and the Weary:: Break Your Silence!
To everyone who has experienced similar abuse, don’t stay silent. We stand with you! Don’t let them ruin your craft, art, and your life! If you’ve been harassed by them, contacted, or attacked simply for sharing or supporting one of my patterns, please don’t remain silent any longer. I implore you to comment on the post, even anonymously if you prefer, or contact me directly. Your identity will remain confidential with me. You’re not alone, since sharing this post, many people have reached out to me with messages of support and shared experiences that you couldn’t even imagine.
You may be credible, have numbers on your side, and show no limits in your attacks, but I’m not afraid of you. And I’m not alone either. I have a supportive coven by my side, along with many designers, crafters, and individuals who have endured your harassment for years. We won’t let you poison this community with your lies just to boost your own sales anymore. We are not afraid of you.
We fully expect that after this post, you’ll increase your attacks, try to block us on all platforms you control, and tell others to do the same to prevent them from seeing the truth or to silence us. But we don’t care.
Again, please leave a comment after reading to help prevent these mean girls from ruining the lives of real people and our cross-stitch community, which serves as a sanctuary for many.
Like anyone, you may have made mistakes, but you don’t deserve to suffer the consequences forever.
I acknowledge my past mistakes, accept them, and believe I’ve paid the price by losing the trust of many ravens. I assure you these were rookie mistakes and will not be repeated.
Plot Twist.
After all these words, it might sound a bit ironic, but first and foremost, I want to thank those who initiated this smear campaign. They thought they could harm us, but instead, they helped us weed out impostors in our coven and played a significant role in my self-improvement by pointing out my mistakes and shortcomings. Additionally, I want to thank them for their free campaigns that helped me gain thousands of followers who see through their lies and know the truth. Believe me, I couldn’t have bought such publicity even with money!
Raising Awareness: Unveiling the Well-Known Mean Girls’ Tactics:
1) Sharing screenshots from two years ago of my past mistakes (which I’ve already addressed previously). These relate to my errors in collaborating with the wrong individuals (scammers). They attempt to create a false narrative using old screenshots of those patterns that I immediately removed and apologized for to the necessary parties once I realized the mistake.
2) Making baseless claims about me in places where I can’t see or defend myself, such as on social media channels they control and where I’m blocked or in private message boxes. They often exploit people’s lack of knowledge on certain topics (copyright infringements or creating patterns with Artifical Intelligence etc. ) by prefacing their lies with terms like “well-known” or “obvious,” leading many to believe them.
3) They create posts or topics on platforms like Reddit, Tumblr and Facebook, respond to these topics themselves to create defamation and smear campaigns, and then portray themselves as victims and label those who don’t obey them as “well-known thieves” or “well-known pattern mills.” Under these same topics, they promote their own shops or their leaders’ shops, in an attempt to increase their sales.
4) Privately message those who make supportive posts about designers and creators outside their group. They attempt to poison them with their lies and use harassment and threats to force them to delete their posts and also force them to block us.
5) Falsely claiming that my patterns are stolen by showing examples of other sources using images from my early patterns. These patterns were based on stock images or on other artists’ designs with purchased commercial licenses , or on public domain images/memes. (For those who don’t know, I’ll repeat: as long as the copyright for these images is purchased or they’re in the public domain, anyone can use them for creating cross stitch patterns, in their websites, or even t-shirt designs. There’s no legal or ethical issue with this, and just because similar images appear on Google or multiple sellers offer the same pattern doesn’t mean it’s stolen!) Also, as I’ve already mentioned many times before, I haven’t been making patterns based on stock images or memes for a long time, and I now design all my patterns myself. However, some old and beloved patterns based on images with purchased commercial licenses are still in my shop, and as I’ve always stated and as they’re also well aware, there’s no legal or ethical problem with this.)
6) When they can’t find any reason to attack or defame, they use fake accounts to leave comments with baseless accusations that don’t reflect reality.. You can find perfect real examples of this in the comments below. This tactic aims to leave people and brands misrepresented in people’s minds with false information.
7) For the past two years, especially since I opened my Patreon page and shared this post, they’ve increased their efforts to limit my reach and decrease my sales. They do this by setting their puppets on me or hiring people to report my posts, shops, social media, and website. They also buy patterns from Etsy to leave slanderous 1-star reviews and comments.
more will be added..
Thank you for your understanding, for accepting me with my faults and flaws, and your continued support.
With unwavering spirit and gratitude,
Gizem 🖤
25 Comments
I’m so sorry to see grown women acting like middle school mean girls to you. And sorry to see you had to take time away from your business to defend yourself.
I’m currently working on your beautiful skeleton queen design, adding some specialty threads, and will get a pic to you as soon as I can.
Good luck and I hope you persevere 💜
Thank you for the work you do. Thank you for the transparency, though the attacks you have undergone should never have reached that extent. You are appreciated and you continue to have my support!
HI YA! I’m SuZy Queue
I designer under the name GrandmaBeWildin and GothStitch.com
I became a bit of an overnight sensation in 2020 for my Dumpster Fire 2020 crossstitch kit when I heavily featured in BuzzFeed for pretty much the entire year for my handmade DIY learn to cross-stitch kit.
What they’ve done to you, what they’ve done to myself, what they did to others before us, and what they will keep doing to new designers that choose to not “pledge allegiance to the drags” has created so many bad vibes in our fiber art community. I mean I’ll say it’s bad vibes but quite frankly, this is beyond bad vibes.
I typed and deleted a bunch and not really sure what I want to publicly say about the whole terrible thing that is going on in the goth/witchy fiber arts spaces.
I have been publicly defamed for years now, privately in 2020 and publicly in 2021. It’s by the same group of people. it’s always the same group of people. These people are not heroes keeping our goth/witchy stitchy scene safe. They are a controlling group who want to choose who can have a shot at a successful alternative fiber art design business and what I learned the hard way is that if you don’t do anything wrong, they will actually make up HUGE WHOPPERS OF A LIE and spread it like it’s truth if they can’t find any actual mud to sling about you. They constantly vouch for each other’s morals & ethics to make it appear as though they beacons of virtue, but truly they use their seat of privilege to just maintain their “mean girls clique” and rage-bait their supporters into black-balling the “competition”.
This is human art. This isn’t a competition nor a political campaign! I’m not a villain, I’m a life-long stitcher, it’s been passed down in my family for years, I learned when I was a child, I have it in my blood, it’s my passion, it’s my escape, it’s my catharsis , it’s my joy, and I happen to be a DeathRocker with a punk rock base who leans Goth, I work in a metaphysical shop, so of course my designs are alternative. That isn’t a sales gimmick, I’m just me creating and sharing my art with kindred spirits.
As always the GothStitch groups welcome all (except people that literally publicly defame others) and I promise everyone is actually safe from bad vibes in the GothStitch groups. F*ck what you heard, come see for yourself. They tell you to block us for your own safety so that you can’t see and feel that we are actually good humans and so that you won’t question wether it feels right to you in your own heart.
To my/our opps I say this: I can not, as you have suggested in the past, stop making gothy designs or quit cross stitching to take up another hobby. Enough is enough. Stop targeting, dog-piling, excluding, vilifying, and DEFAMING REAL HUMANS WHO ARE MAKING FIBER ART. I mean, dear L’Ort (Lord of Orts) who is stalking who? who is harassing who? who is not allowing stitchers to post who’s designs to the stitch groups? Who has asked publicly that people exclude who? Who demands that designers pledge allegiance to the drags or also be thrown out, silenced, or also dragged by association? This classic mean girls shit is not goth and it’s not witchy so just stop. This othering by any means is NOT THE VIBE.
Gizem, my friend, you are so brave. You are the very first of many of us who has had the strength to take a public stand. Thank you.
At this time I don’t have the spoons to shout my own truth, but it mirrors yours quite closely, thank you for giving us a voice.
I went through all 399 patterns last night on my own time, and NONE are stolen. Not a single one. I stand with you! 🖤💜🖤
The stolen art has been taken down by IP strikes but none of us have forgotten that this designer started her business and created her brand by stealing patterns from other designers. You also cannot successfully do a reverse image search using a cross stitch mockup to look for the original art. The cross stitch mockup is too pixelated and it almost never works.
None of you? Please tell me who you are so I know who I’m dealing with in the face of these accusations. You should be aware that no one else is making baseless claims with fake names here.
The only IP strike I received, as mentioned in the post above, was related to the Nadja’s Club pattern, which was illegally made by your side. It was reopened after my dispute with Etsy. You can still see it online here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1360030498/nadjas-club-cross-stitch-pattern-digital?
An IP strike can only be made by the rightful owner of the design. If I had received the IP strikes you mentioned, my newly opened Etsy shop would have been immediately shut down. You know how strict Etsy’s policies are on this matter. What you’re doing here is simply misleading many stitchers who don’t know these technical details with your slander. That’s all you’ve managed to do so far.
I removed all the problematic patterns as soon as I found out that I had worked with scammers (thanks to you, it didn’t take long) without receiving any IP strikes.
Also Google’s reverse search algorithm works much better than you claim. You know this very well because you used this method initially to help me identify the problematic patterns. Have you forgotten? Are you suddenly claiming that this algorithm isn’t good enough anymore?
You stole patterns pixel by pixel from the witchy stitcher. This didn’t come from some outside source, because what you stole was the actual cross stitch pattern, not some sort of clip art that you converted. Similarly, you created a Nadja pattern that was exactly the same size, dimensions, etc. Do you know how difficult that would be to do on accident? Of course you do—it is your followers who don’t know how cross stitch patterns are created. This community has a brought to light your repeated thefts from some of the most beloved goth cross stitch designers and artists, and nothing else. Stop playing the victim and stop stealing art.
Isn’t it pathetic that you still attack me using the same slanders that I’ve already exposed above?
To avoid further dividing the community and to prevent misunderstandings, I haven’t mentioned anyone’s name. But since you brought up The Witchy Stitcher, let me clarify further to avoid misunderstandings.
Two years ago, after removing the patterns I previously mentioned , I sent this exact apology message to The Witchy Stitcher:
“Yesterday, after some research, I saw the problem and I’m so sorry about it. I’ve already removed it. I’m a big fan of your designs. I didn’t mean to harm your business or steal your designs. I work with freelance designers and pay for their designs. I always check to see if the designs are stolen or not, but sometimes I can’t find them on Google. I will make sure this won’t happen again.”
The issue was that my Google searches didn’t show the patterns sold to me because The Witchy Stitcher had removed them from her shop. I couldn’t recognize that the designs sold to me were stolen. You can ask The Witchy Stitcher about this; I doubt she would say otherwise.
This isn’t about defending The Witchy Stitcher’s rights but simply harassing me and trying to defame me with your well known slander tactics. One of the most credible designers in the community doesn’t need anonymous puppets like you spreading lies to defend herself. She could have publicly exposed my mistake to everyone as she has done with others Instead, she contacted me directly, allowing me to correct my mistake. So, I ask you, on what grounds do you still claim to defend The Witchy Stitcher over a matter she didn’t pursue further? Doesn’t this prove that your intentions are entirely different?
To be clear, this isn’t to downplay my mistake but to clarify the situation. There were only two patterns mistakenly taken from The Witchy Stitcher, and I promptly apologized and removed them. Also, I haven’t had any other patterns converted from another cross-stitch designer’s work. You expected me to bow to your pressure and close my shop, but I’m in a very different place now compared to two years ago. Your attacks based on my past mistakes that weren’t even related to you, prove your true intent.
Regarding the NADJA pattern, as I mentioned, I didn’t know the person who contacted me or that the pattern was on their Patreon. You also know very well that the dimensions and design were not exactly the same, but you continue to spread misinformation to those who don’t know better. I sent the original images and process screenshots to the artist, proving that my work wasn’t identical. If needed, I can still provide these files for proof. How many ways can you optimize a neon sign design made of five letters and a simple outline of a face, in the smallest possible pixelart style?? Also my version had significant differences, including backstitch details for facial features. Your aim isn’t to claim rights but to defame me with your usual lies. Even if you were right (which you’re not), this doesn’t show that I stole the NADJA design from her, but rather that she was the first to steal it from WWDITS . After all, it’s a copyrighted design, and we all know she didn’t get the necessary permissions to convert it into a pattern and sell it. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have made a false copyright claim against me and reported it to Etsy.
You’re not shedding light on anything. You’re just trying to cover your own wrongdoings by throwing mud at others and you’ve been playing the victim all this time, making people believe you without even researching the facts. Now that I’ve exposed your “well-known tactics”, you continue to attack me using the same old strategies. It’s time for you to innovate or maybe even stop the harassment altogether, it would be better for everyone, don’t you think?
You attack sellers who don’t obey you or sell similar products in the same niche, while ignoring real thieves out there like the ones who sell our copyrighted PDF pattern files. Just because you were the first to convert another artist’s work into a cross-stitch pattern doesn’t give you exclusive rights, and it doesn’t prevent others from creating patterns based on the same design.
Every statement in my post is true. Unlike you, I’m not making baseless accusations or harassing people by bringing up mistakes I acknowledged and corrected two years ago. It’s pointless to argue about who’s right or wrong here. The only fact that matters is that many people are tired of your harassment and lies!
what a load of crap. you have been stealing for years. learn to do your own art.
Are you trying to teach me how to create my art, just like you’re trying to tell people which sellers they should buy from? No, thank you. I’ve been taking lessons to develop my craft for years.
For the love of fallen gods, are these people bored. There is space for everyone in this market, I don’t understand this competition or how high some set the standards for designers – we all make mistakes. I d&cked up more times than I can count on my one gnarly hand. I am really sorry that they launched such vicious campaign against you. It breaks my heart and I hope you are able to protect your sanity.
Also, these keyboard warriors could do us all a favour and go after pattern mills that actually steal artwork. I would even support that.
A not goth designer I like a lot uses the same phrase for a series of patterns. I was slightly miffed when another designer started a series with the same phrase, alrough completely different designs. So, I let the designer I like know. She just chuckled and said that it happens all the time and without malicious intent. Ideas bounce around with each other, the community, current trends and pop culture. It is inevitable for similar themes to come up. How many tarot card patterns are out there by numerous designers; how many blue jay and cardinal patterns are there?There is room for everyone.
What is being addressed here with Raven is not similar themes and ideas floating around. It’s copying cross stitch patterns pixel by pixel. There are always a few shops that do this, and it is a violation of copyright laws in the U.S. It’s art theft and it is scummy and low class behavior. The patterns that Raven has stolen are no longer in Raven’s shop because the owners of those designs reported the theft to Etsy and Etsy removed them.
Speaking of tarot…the rider Waite cards designed by Pamela Smith are no longer covered by copyright. That’s why you see so many patterns of them on Etsy. A popular goth designer has created her own tarot with bright neon colors and using themes and characters she commonly uses. Those cards are unique. If a designer like Raven were to copy those cards exactly—which is what she has done in the past—that would be stealing art. A phrase can’t be copyrighted but the actual pixel art of a crossstitch pattern is the copyright of the creator who made it as soon as it is designed. It is an original work of art.
Raven was a graphic designer so she knows all of this. She just hopes that her customers don’t understand it fully so they will buy her lame excuses.
I hate females that do dumb shit like that ugh and they’re literally everywhere I’m sorry your going through this dumb shit I fully support you and will continue to support your art and tbh that’s why I don’t even keep up with the FB drama and try to not even really post cuz🤷🏻♀️
I am SO sorry to hear about these jerks and that they have attacked you. I love your designs. Mean people try to cause ruin. And we won’t let them!!! Mean girls will not succeed!!!
I had no idea about all this drama. I like your patterns. From the little I know about you, I like you. I will stand in your corner and support you and any others from this injustice.
I’m sorry this has happened. Unfortunately, there are mean girls everywhere and they love to stir up drama for no other reason other than their own entertainment and trying to bring someone down who is doing better than they are.
I will continue to purchase patterns from you and the mean girls have no effect on me or my choices. So I stand by you and encourage you to continue with your amazing designs
Sorry you’re dealing with this BS. These people know they’re running a false smear campaign against you, and maybe one day they’ll grow up and smell the funeral flowers.
Hi Gizem! I love your patterns and have not found any like them on other sites. I believe your side of the story and I’m really sorry you’ve had to deal with this for say long. People are brave behind a keyboard – they know they’re actually cowards, which is why they hide behind fake names, fake accounts, and get other, unsuspecting people to spread their poison. Sending you all the positive vibes for an end to this harrassment! I’ll always be buying your super cool patterns! Cheers, Nancy
Didn’t know that the cross stitch community had begun to act like high school. I thought this community was truly inclusive and supportive. Alas, that is a lie. I love your patterns. I love your designs and have bought several. I also enjoy your kindness through your free patterns. Keep up the good work!
I cannot believe what you, and others, have been through. I just recently discovered your Etsy store and then came over here to see what your site was like. I am honored to be even just a baby member of what you have created here. I know it might not mean much, coming from someone you don’t know, but I want you to know that I’m proud of you. I am proud of the hard work you have put into your designs. I am proud of you for what you have created both artistically and personally. I am proud that you are speaking your truth and not backing down from those who only want to sow bitterness and spite. Overall, I’m just proud of you. I’m so sorry that this had to fall on your shoulders, but you have handled it with grace, and showed the artistic, caring, and generous person that you are.
Also, I just want you to be reassured that once all this hoopla of my husband being laid off is over, I will be happily snatching up several of your patterns. I already have a few, and all three of my upcoming WIPs are your designs. I am so excited to start them, but I already had two others planned, so I suppose good things come to those who wait. 🙂
Keep on being unapologetically you, keep your chin up, and keep creating more and more patterns that I simply can’t resist!
I had actually seen this drama unfold as I had been following the other “two” as their patterns were of interest to me. I had also been actively following RavenCoven as well and well I have to say after seeing your side of the story, I have un-followed both and will not be supporting them in any way. I have been participating in your events for a couple years now and can say I am a huge fan of your work and plan to continue my cross stitch projects with your designs 🙂
The gatekeeping is so unnecessary, this community should be opening new creators with open arms and as much support as they need. We all make mistakes but the important part is admitting there was a mistake and correcting course. The fact that you did that, and yet they still acted like children towards you is baffling to me. I admire you for speaking out about this. You have gained my full 100% support!! I look forward to the years to come of our little Coven group.
<3 Moshpotatoes.
I typo’d haha. It would be welcoming new creators not creating new creators lol.
This is bothering me so I just want to say it. I love your designs., but I’ve stopping buying them because of the AI.
Ethical AI does not exist. All AI has been trained on artwork without permission from the artists. All AI uses a significant amount of electricity/power and is harmful for the environment. You don’t need to use AI to enhance your listings. The cross stitch patterns are enough on their own.
I know the patterns themselves are not AI, but I think it’s wrong to use AI to promote one’s work regardless because AI was created based on stolen artwork. I know I’m just one person so you’re not losing much from me not buying patterns, but this is a concern for a lot of people. I see people refuse to buy books that have AI covers or AI promo art even if the writing is 100% done by a person. It’s a hard line for some people.
And I’m sorry that you’re dealing with people accusing you of taking their patterns or copying them. That’s uncalled for and I don’t believe those claims. You shouldn’t have to deal with that.
Hi Raven,
I was a big fan of your patterns and had read some of the accusations floating around on the interwebs; I was suspicious when I was made aware of the rumours that you steal others’ art. I also saw in a cross stitch group someone had posted that part of a pattern they purchased from you was pixelated and “muddy” (an animal foot was pretty much a blob), so my suspicions were raised once more. I also thought to myself, “why would someone sell digital patterns that are incredibly large and complex for so cheap, unless it’s one of those pattern mills?” Add that all up and I was duped into believing the lies that were being spread. I’m so sorry I fell for them. I assumed, without doing my due diligence, that the people raising what I believed to be red flags were doing so out of ethics. I’ll do better and be better. Thank you for all the work you’ve put into Raven Coven and the egg hunts (which I’ve participated in and loved)! I hope this whole thing is just a bump in the road and that the people who continue to spread these rumours without evidence are able to get out of their own echo chambers.