The Edgar Allan Poe Quilt Pattern is available now in both individual blocks or all 12 blocks at a discount. Find them here.
As all main characters in a book need a good background story, so does a quilt. I knew as I began my small shop, I was not interested in making just any quilt patterns. I wanted to design something that had meaning. This isn’t just a small business after all, I believe what I make is art. Art is intimate and as you experience the things I have created I want you to be able to to learn a bit about who I am.
As I began learning the basics of how to write Foundation Paper Piecing patterns, I wanted to design something special for my husband. He’s been very supportive of my desires to make a career with my art. I could not think of a better way to show my appreciation for him than with, not only a handmade quilt, but one I designed specifically for him. So, I asked what kind of quilt he would want and he gave me two answers. Either HP Lovecraft or Edgar Allan Poe.
The choice of which one to base a quilt on was clear to me.
I think it may have something to do with Beetlejuice being played at my preschool ( seriously, who signed off on that?), but for as long as I can remember I’ve loved all things spooky. When my parents began to take their faith seriously and a lot of my favorite things were off limits, I found myself drawn to Poe. He may have been macabre, but he was at least classic literature. I gobbled up his stories and found him to be a source of inspiration when I explored various art styles including drawing, painting, and creative writing.
Later, when I went off to college and met my future husband, one of the things we bonded over was our mutual love for Poe and that love carried over through the time we spend together. While we were dating long distance, we ended every phone conversation with him reading a short story and I reading him a poem. Many of these stories and poems were from Edgar Allan Poe. After we were married, we made sure to visit various Poe sites, including his birthplace during our honeymoon trip to Boston.
Poe is still part of our lives as we expand our family. I took one of my baby bump pictures at the Poe museum in Richmond, Virginia and when my daughter was born the very first thing read to her was his poem, The Raven.
Poe is a testament to the fact pain is part of life but we can use that pain to bring forth beauty. He shows us what it means to be persistent in our work, even when it’s not successful by our current society’s standard. These are some of the things I love most about this quilt. It’s not just a random assortment of macabre symbols, but it is a visual reference to Poe, his life, and his works. I can point to it and say this is Poe and these are his stories. As my children grow older they can look at this quilt and be inspired to read his works themselves and perhaps he can become an important part of their lives too.
I can’t think of a more fitting and special quilt to share with you all as my first major pattern release.
Craft Towards Joy 