Is imitation the greatest form of flattery?

I'm not so sure.

Last weekend at one of our markets I spied another stall holder selling something that looked very similar to my universal liner.

I felt like my little bubble had burst. I have kind of always thought I was on borrowed time. I couldn't believe that no-one else was making and selling them, and wondered how long it would take.

I have no issue with competition. It's how the world works. Monopolies are a bad thing, in an economic sense.

But this was different.

I truly wouldn't have minded if her liners were different to mine. Or the same price. Or if I hadn't previously sold her one. Or she wasn't a follower of my Facebook page.

But they were identical. They were $5 cheaper than mine. They were in almost exactly the same fabrics. She is a follower of my facebook page. And I am almost positive I have sold one to her previously.

In some ways, I can uderstand her logic. She has probably been to loads of markets and realised that no-one else, aside from immie&ollie, is making and selling pram / carseat liners. Hey hey, opportunity! And at markets it sometimes seems that every other stall holder is selling variations of the same item. I can truly understand that.

It's not like I invented the pram liner either. You can buy them. They're out there.

The thing is though, that my liners aren't like the reversible bucket hats, or pillowcase dresses, or boys' shorts for which patterns are available publicly and commercially. Even when they are mamas work so so hard to find unique fabric combinations, embellishments and stylistic features that make them uniquely their own.

But my pattern is mine. As in I drew it. I designed it. In fact, I have spent most of this year drawing it, trying it, refining it, and getting it perfect. It's not available at a fabric store, or online.

But more than that, it's not in the spirit of supporting other work-at-home parents.

Some of my lovely customers raced over to warn me about "the copycat pram liner lady" - this isn't fair to her really. And I am sure some of her customers said the same thing to her about me. See, no-one is a winner.

I'm still trying to decide whether I should contact her about it, or whether there is nothing I can do so best to just leave it alone.

I certainly don't want to create bad feeling. I love the markets - i love meeting new friends and being inspired by so many other clever mamas. I don't want to spoil that.

Ah, decisions....