I don't know how long I've had this Pooh fabric. I think it's been at least 10 years. I was always going to do "something" with it, but it just sat on my shelf. For a while, I was reading about and talking with quilters who had a "stash" of fabric and I was convinced that I needed to collect fabric too. I worked in a fabric store, so I saw both the newest, hottest fabrics and the best sales (as well as my employee discount). Needless to say, I started my own stash. Lately, it is annoying me. I have a few pieces that I bought large quantities, but most of my stash is in 1-2 yard pieces. At the time, I thought that would be plenty, but I have found that to have the flexibility to place the fabric in the position in needs to be within the block is paramount, and these little pieces are often too small. My other problem is that I am very, very, very careful about patterns and colors when I design a quilt. Far too often, my stash is the wrong color, the wrong pattern, the wrong size of pattern, etc. My other problem is that to get it in a quilt, I either need a way bigger stash so I have more choice (not gonna happen, too much $ and space) or I need to take all of it with me when I shop for a specific quilt. I don't mind taking swatches into a store, but the level of playing and finagling involved when I have a quilt idea would require the whole piece. I just don't like bringing strange fabric into a store and dealing with the employees who want to charge me for it or look mad for daring to match another store's fabric to their own (to be fair, not all shops are bad, but enough are that I just don't).
So, back to Pooh. Both of these fabrics were in my stash. I resolved to make quilts from my stash and press my creative luck. I managed to make four so far, and the rest will be showing up here soon, as I finish them.
I kept the block design and quilting rather simple. Given that I had limited amounts of each fabric and that I wanted to use it up, I felt that a nice chunky block would be fun with the wiggly woven print of the Pooh fabric.
Oh, another random rant, if you'll read it. Lots of fabrics are copyrighted. As a composer and a member of ASCAP, I truly believe in following copyright law. The Pooh fabric actually has printed "for home use only, not for resale." When I see that on fabric, I truly try to abide it. I would not sell this quilt for that reason. I make my money selling quilts because of the artistry and work I put into my quilts, not by the fact that they have a logo that someone will buy. I will do special orders with this type of fabric, but only because then the client is buying and choosing the materials, and I am simply a seamstress finishing it for their own home use. I've seen lots of people on Etsy and at craft shows who do not adhere to copyright laws, but I do hope that word will spread and people will stop buying the copyrighted items.
(Pooh Blocks approximately 36 x 48, Dec. 6, 2011)
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