rights and obligations

With the recent implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or Datenschutz Grundverordnung (DSGVO) and the deadline of May 25, 2018 to get everything up to speed, a lot of panic and heated discussions were on the rise, especially for little businesses such as mine. I made it through and here are my thoughts.

So what is the whole General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) all about? This is how I see it and translate it into my everyday language - it is a collection of basic EU laws requiring businesses to clearly state what personal data is collected from its customers, how the data is used and how that company safeguards their user's information as well as additional rights of the individual and obligations of the company obtaining data. These regulations not only apply to large companies with an Internet presence within the EU, but also to non-Internet companies, organizations such as dentists, non-profit communities, places of worship, etc. within the EU. Although these laws are written for the EU, they also apply to non-EU entities collecting or processing personal data of individuals from and within the EU. That means, basically every international company or entity outside the EU as well.

Why does this affect me? Because 1) I have a small business. 2) I am a consumer.

So, I have to look at both perspectives here. First of all, as a small business owner, it is my obligation to explain to my "customers and/or website readers" what information is collected, how is it used and safeguarded. I am a simple girl with simple ideas. I only collect personal data from you, when I need to contact you or when you buy a pattern from me. Then I would like to know how to get in touch with you (email address) or where to send your goods (home shipping address). I have no other reason to collect any other type of data from you and will do my best to keep it this simple in the future. I would not and have never sold your information to third parties. 

You can read my complete GDPR (in German) here. An English version will follow as well.

Blogger and Google do, however, collect more information such as your IP address and track your movements with "cookies." Please refer to their data protection policies. 

After rethinking this entire issue, I have also changed my website and my blog in accordance with 1) the small business owner and 2) the perspective of a customer. Some things have been deleted such as magic buttons from third parties. I was personally unaware that when you had these one your website and blog, they were potentially tracking, collecting and profiling my readers. This was never my intention. I am sorry.

I also do not put Ad Trackers onto my blog. I don't like these pesky pop-up adds when I visit other's sites and refuse to put them on my own site. I only advertise shops and products (with direct links and no tracking options) I truly endorse and stand behind like quilting shops.

All of my purchase buttons and purchasable patterns have been moved to my Etsy shop - easypatchworkSHOP. By doing this, I am unable to see payment information used by a customer such as PayPal address, credit card and bank accounts numbers customers have used. (I once had direct buy PayPal buttons for patterns on my website that were also removed.) 

I will also be deleting ALL of my CRAFTSY patterns those both free and at a low cost fee. (I intend to have new and updated copies uploaded to Etsy one day.) From their privacy policy, it is not clear to me how your data is used. So I decided, I will discontinue the use of that platform. When you download a free pattern on my website, I am not informed of the transaction. My web provider, 1&1 may, however, be collecting this data information without my knowledge. Please refer to their privacy and data collection policy.

Is there anything wrong with companies collecting and tracking your data? Not if you know it and agree it. I think this discussion came about, because no one truly knew what information was being collected and how it was being used. And information is very valuable. I certainly do not want data used to influence me into one direction or another. That's what my husband does. He likes to prep me on decisions months in advance of an actual purchase. I know his strategy and agreed long ago without a disclaimer. : )

With the new regulations, you have the right to be informed about the company's intent and to decline the service or not be tracked. You also have the right to tell the company to remove a comment or content from, or about, you. They have the responsibility to remove it. You have the right to cancel your subscriptions, and they have the obligation to remove your data from their records (as long as it complies with state, federal, EU laws).

I am embracing these new laws. I am happy and grateful for people like Viviane Reding and Jan Phillip Albrecht who highly supported this type of legislation long before I ever thought about it. Thank you!

Read all about the DSGVO in German here. or in English here.

Please feel free to leave a comment. I would really love to hear your thoughts about this. But remember, if you are logged in, you are being tracked. 

Thanks for dropping by!

P.S. {The original post was written two weeks ago and edited after some much needed reflection time. I was basically pretty upset when I found out how much information was being collected on me and my movements within the Internet. Needless to say, I deleted my Facebook account this morning.}

the one-hour basket reviewed

I sewed my very first "one-hour-basket" for a friend of ours that was having their first baby back in February/March of this year. I used the Fabric Basket Tutorial from Trina from Will Cook for Shoes for the Fort Worth Fabric company. I thought the pattern went well. The handles were on the front and back of the basket. Then I saw the 1 Hour Basket all over IG (Instagram) with the hashtag #kelbysews. This basket looked a little better, peppier with a little more structure and with the handles on the sides rather than in the middle. Aha...another pattern which must be greatly improved? Kelby also lists her free tutorial Craftsy. (As most of you, I like to find free patterns!) I downloaded her version to see what the difference was and if I would agree with her changes. I read. I practiced. I bought more supplies and wracked my brain about improvements and modifications. Here is my opinion after making a couple of baskets from both tutorials!

The Fabric Basket from Trina is a very nice, tall and roomy basket made from quilting quality fabric that is quilted on the outer shell. The outer shell fabric is fused and quilted which gives it stability on the outside. The inside is also quilting quality fabric (which is rather thin) but reinforced with a medium weight stabilizer. The basket holds its shape nicely. The handles fold to the left and right in the middle of the basket. The inner and outer shells are connected at the top and flipped at the top.

Fabric Basket Tutorial from Trina of "Will Cook for Shoes"

Updated

The 1 Hour Basket from Kelby is modified version. I say this clearly because of the dates of when both were published. The basket from Trina was published in February 2015, and the one from Kelby in March, 2015. What changed in the new basket which sparked the need for a new tutorial?
Although the 1 Hour Basket was as published after the Fabric Basket Tutorial, Shelby assured me she has never seen this tutorial before today. My apologies. What is different in Shelby's tutorial? It is improved and a bit more thought out especially if you don't want to do a lot of quilting.

• the newer version is compact - overall dimensions make it shorter and longer.
• bottom base is slightly smaller.
• clears up the discrepancies for inner and outer shells (inner lining must be smaller to prevent puckering when top stitching the two shells together. The inside was sewn with a 5/8" seam allowance rather than 1/2".) The picture below shows this puckering on the original basket.

• changes the handle positions to the ends
• handles are longer and narrower
• uses home decor quality fabric (definite plus for stability)
• changes the base to be slightly narrower (square base pockets reduced from 3 1/2 inches to 3 inches)
• flips through the inner lining at the bottom rather than the inner shell at the top  (a definite plus for the overall design)
• does not reinforce the inner lining to make a shell

Both baskets look amazing don't they?? I agree, the photos are great!

Fabric Basket Tutorial from Trina

 

1 Hour Basket Tutorial from Kelby Sews

Here is what you don't see or what you see when you put them side by side:

Fabric Basket Tutorial vs. 1 Hour Basket Tutorial

So you can understand, these baskets were slightly modified by me when I sewed them together. Here is what I changed to each basket:

Basket from the Trina Basket

1. Not quilted.
2. No use of stabilizer on the inner lining to make a shell.
3. Handles on the ends instead of side.

Basket from the Kelby Basket

1. Sewed the handles like the first basket by folding in the center once and folding in again 1/4 on each side.
2. Added cotton batting and quilted on the crease lines.
3. No use of home decor fabric on outer shell nor on the inner lining.

What is your opinion? Which one do you like better?

I clearly like the second (improved) version better. But I think it all depends on how you are going to use the basket. If you are going to use it for holding diapers, I would clearly use the tutorial from Trina exactly as she wrote it, but I would flip through the top, because it makes for a better finish. I would also quilt it very tight for added stability. I think the handles on the front and back are just fine, but may need to be adjusted for your purposes. If you want a more decorative basket, I would pick Kelby's which proves to be a quick sew with little hassle. I would adopt the handle size and length from Trina's tutorial though. I think they look better short and stump. But keep in mind, both of these baskets take a while to sew. Make sure you read through the tutorials carefully to understand.

If you are interested in how I fine-tuned the basket for my Christmas gifts, stay tuned.....Part 2 will be posted tomorrow!

If you are celebrating Thanksgiving today, happy Thanksgiving!! I heard that the Carolina Panthers will be playing today! Yeah, go Panthers!! We will be celebrating our turkey day on the weekend when we have time to enjoy it, without the stess of work and school. Thanks for stopping by!