Trust me, those of us with OCD (even as mild as it may be) have already given up on tracing the image from the original example and have redone it on graph paper using a consistent grid… lol
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Super cool!
Fun fact… I think that’s a Frank Lloyd Wright design, and some but not all of his designs are out of copyright. With a little research, you can find a bunch that you can, in fact, copy and sell!
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This particular design might be faster to replicate with a CAD package than an Art/Design program. Instead of trying to trace the individual shapes, you can draw continuous lines the full size of the design, offset the lines to get consistent spacing between the shapes, then quickly trim out the intersecting bits.
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I’m not completely sure that the squares have to be correct. It could be perfectly good with subtle variations on perfect geometry. That’s artistic licence. (ask for an application form at your local post office)
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[RANT]
OK. I’m about to be that pedantic jerk… not to or about you or anyone else who’s commented here, but about the idea that a window design from 1911 (assuming you’re correct about its origin, which I’m assuming you are … when I saw the image I immediately thought of Wright) could be still copyrighted.
I know the FLW Trust certainly believes it has a copyright on everything FLW ever touched (and enforces that belief with lawyers). But let’s assume you’re right and the design was created in 1911. Anything made before 1923 is now in the public domain.
Anything FLW made after 1923 is still protected by the “life of the creator + 70 years” copyright, so those won’t be public domain until 2029. And nothing he did is covered by the Architectural Works Copyright Protection Act of 1990. Only works done after 1990 get covered (its not retroactive)
Of course my rant is moot if the FLW Trust threatens you with a lawsuit. That’s how stuff stays “copyrighted”… it isn’t really , but no one can afford to stand up to the bullies with big wallets.
(And unless you’re prepared for a deluge of pedantic vitriol, you really don’t want to get me started on the evil that is Disney ) 
[/RANT]
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Chuckle! Believe it or not the first argument I ever had when I entered the digital cutting world jived big-time with yours…and I was wrong.
It’s not that FLW’s works are not out of copyright…they are.
But another person’s interpretation of FLW’s work can be copyrighted, and that original image looks like it was a laser cut of a design based on what FLW did.
It’s not the FLW trust that will go after you, it’s the guy who created the laser file that he used to cut that coaster.
Make sure to either change it up a little, or do your own trace work off of the original FLW photos, and be ready to prove that it’s your work. Tracing someone else’s recreations can get a little sticky, and they might have a case. If it is similar usage (laser file to laser file) it gets a lot stronger in favor of the guy who created the original file, particularly if you are trying to sell the results, and start cutting into his sales.
(Totally agree about Disney…they’re ridiculous greedy bastards now. Walt is spinning in his grave.)
If you’re not trying to sell the files or the products that you get from tracing someone else’s work, the chances of them finding out about it and caring one way or the other are perishingly small. Posting pictures about it or showing them off on public social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Flickr, etc.) raises those odds astronomically. So if you want to just make one for yourself or your family members…no one is likely to catch it…have fun. Private forums like this one are probably okay for the most part if you want to display what you made.
There are bots on Google and elsewhere that can find similar images, and there are a few people who design for profit who do use them to find unlicensed duplicates. If they can contact the person who pirated their design, they are not afraid to cause trouble. (Not as many on the digital cutting side of things, although we saw a couple, but there might be a lot more on the laser cutting side where people are using these designs as a means of income.)
And keep in mind that anything you post online can be duplicated as well. It’s just something to be aware of. Most people don’t have a lawyer on call, so it’s not a tremendous issue. (Yet.) 
Definitely something best left to the lawyers, I guess.
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Yep. I totally agree with everything you said. I should have been explicit that I just meant the original window design.
There are bots on Google and elsewhere that can find similar images, and there are a few people who design for profit who do use them to find unlicensed duplicates.
I recently had a frustratingly humorous issue with this. I do lots of Print on Demand stuff, and uploaded a design to a site that has been successful for me on another site. The site has a bot that does this and they flagged my design as copyright infringement … When I pointed out that it was my design that the bot thought I was infringing upon, they refused to allow it unless I sent them a copy of a registration letter from the Copyright Office. Common sense be damned. I reminded them that registration is only really useful to me if I expect to be suing someone else for infringement, and therefore not worth the $35+ fee and 8 month wait in exchange for the possible joy of earning less than $1 for selling a mug. I told them I was going to make a tiny (really, almost undetectably tiny) change in my design and re-upload; that way the bot wouldn’t flag it. They didn’t respond , but they didn’t flag the design either. 
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Amazing the crap we’ve got to wade through these days, isn’t it? ROFL!
That’s one of the reasons I finally just blew off the file sales - after taxes, I was making about 16 cents an hour after all the gobbledy-gook we had to watch for. (sigh!)
Too much time wasted on nonsense.
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Please tell me you added a tiny hand giving a middle finger.
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…or irony of ironies: a copyright symbol.
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American copyright and patent law has become a complete joke. It’s sad what we’ve allowed big business to do. Instead of being a culture of true start-ups, mom and pop business, etc., we live in an economy that aids in the big gorilla smashing the little guys before they can become competition and bring more value to the marketplace. Sad. I’ll quit complaining now.
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I didn’t notice until you pointed that out. Now i can’t NOT see that… lol
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Xabbess, you seem rather skilled in using software applicable to the GF. My GF should arrive in March. What starting point would you suggest to this 65 y.o. retiree ? What specific software to start learning for design and vector use? Maybe I’ll get a grasp on using this new machine a be able to make some things for family members. What do you suggest? Thanks, and much success to you.
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Very kind words…thank you. I even have 6 years on you and am retired, as well! I use a Mac computer, and have been using an app called Affinity Design, which can produce both vector and pixel images. And though I am in the midst of learning, I still have a long ways to go. Many people on here are suggesting using Inkscape and SketchUp…both of which I have tried, but have ended up preferring to use Affinity. I guess mostly I am waiting until my Glowforge arrives to spur my learning. I find it difficult to design for something that will complete the project, but that is not even here to use. When I get my Glowforge, I’m sure I will begin with the most simple of items and will do lots of experimentation and create lots of failures. I used @bmcgrain’s image on this page to just do some practice in what I have learned so far…nothing more. I wish you the best of luck! 
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If I stare at it I start to see the Transformers logo… hmmm
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Thanks for your response. Best wishes for you and yours to enjoy a warm Thanksgiving with friends and family. Later gator
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And the same wishes back to you…thank you so much.
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It’s more than meets the eye.
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