I heard this phrase often when I was in school. I don’t hear it much anymore, but it’s more relevant today than ever—especially with the rise of online shopping and AI-generated content. As quilters, we need to be careful about what we see, what we hear, and, most importantly for this post, what we buy. Online quilt pattern scams are becoming more common, and it’s easy to get misled.

A week and a half ago, a woman called me after being referred by a quilt shop owner I know well. She had purchased a quilt pattern online for a beautiful design she saw on Facebook and believed she needed templates to complete it. Because I manufacture templates for Wilmington Prints Blocks of the Month, they thought I might be able to help. We met at the quilt shop so I could look at the pattern and quote a price.

As soon as I saw the pattern, I suspected it wasn’t legitimate. Here are a few things that immediately raised red flags:

• The illustrations were very small, and the printed labels were so “fuzzy” they couldn’t be read.

• The paper templates were oversized for the quilt dimensions, and the seam allowances drawn on them were over ¼”.

• Faint lines showed where the edges of photocopied paper had been.

• Overall, the entire pattern looked unprofessional and “off.”

Before meeting her, I had already searched online and found the same quilt image on two different websites. Both pages used an unusual chart format and listed different designer names. Both were also posted on separate Facebook pages as if the page admin had designed them. These are classic signs of a fraudulent quilt pattern listing.

When I got home, I opened the quilt image on my computer and used Google Lens to search for similar designs. I found results from several U.S. quilt shows between 2013 and 2018. One listing identified it as the “Starburst” quilt pattern—a completely different name from the one the woman had purchased. Searching “Starburst Quilt” led me to authentic patterns sold on reputable quilt sites, for just over half of what my new friend had paid.

The true designer is Dereck C. Lockwood, who has created many gorgeous patterns. (You can view this one at lockwoodquilts.com under “Star Quilts”—this one is titled “Starburst.”) I receive nothing for sharing this; I simply want to support his work. I contacted him, and he kindly confirmed that he is aware of the fraudulent listings.

My friend went on to purchase the legitimate pattern at a brick-and-mortar shop. Here’s what she noticed when she compared the real pattern to the fake one:

• The fraudulent pattern used the exact cover photo from the legitimate pattern.

• The legitimate pattern has clear, professional printing. (It’s an older-style pattern but very readable.)

• The fraudulent “templates” were about 1½ times larger than the legitimate ones. The original 101″ quilt would have come out at least 12 feet square—and she would have needed more fabric.

Quilters: please be careful when buying patterns online. If the photos look too perfect, the price seems unusually high, or the pattern quality appears fuzzy or inconsistent, it may be a copied or AI-generated fake. Supporting real designers keeps our quilting community strong—and ensures you receive accurate templates, correct measurements, and patterns you can trust.

ArtfullyQuilted

Wife. Mother. Grandmother. Great Grandmother. I am so thankful God is the Creator of all things beautiful and we are made in His image. I love creating, especially by quilting and designing with my computer. Now that I am retired, those two things are coming together, and I can't wait to share that with you!

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