Personal use vs. commercial license: what cross-stitch designers should check

If you stitch for yourself, where a motif came from rarely matters. If you sell patterns or finished pieces, it matters a lot, and the rules are easy to miss because they usually live in a license file nobody opens.

The question to ask first

Before you build on a motif library, alphabet, or font pack, find the answer to one question: does the license allow the finished pattern, or a piece stitched from it, to be sold? "Free to use" and "free to sell" are not the same thing.

A short checklist

• Does the license mention resale, commercial use, or "patterns intended for sale" by name?
• Does it cover selling the chart, the finished stitched piece, or both?
• Are there limits, such as attribution requirements or a cap on copies?
• If the source is a library bundled with software, does the software license differ from the library license?
• Can you keep a copy of the terms as they were on the day you bought or downloaded?

Why I show the license on every item

In Heddle, each motif, border, and alphabet carries a badge that says whether it is for personal use or covered by a commercial license. You see it when you place the item, not after you have finished a design around it. Selling patterns requires the Commercial license add-on; the free and paid plans are for personal use.

This is general guidance, not legal advice. If a sale depends on the answer, read the actual license text or ask the rights holder.