In November 2009, Jo-Ann's fabric store started having these amazing sales and coupon deals. I was in the sewing/crafting mode as I had decided that Christmas would be home-made this year. I was also starting to think about getting ready for Ella's birth (what her colors would be and what to make special instead of just hand-me-downs). I found this beautiful fabric that was cream with a thick soft swirly nap. I fell in love with it and was determined that it would be the back of Ella's baby blanket. However, it was $13/yd and I had used all my coupons. New coupons would be available the next week, so, with great trepidation but very proud of myself, I resisted the urge to buy it immediately and told myself to be rational and wait a week when I could get it at half off. The sale on that type of fabric began the day after Thanksgiving.
For the first time in my life, I braved the insanity of shopping on Black Friday. I reasoned I didn't need to get up too early since most people would be shopping for clothes, technology, or toys. How busy could the fabric store be? Wow! was I wrong? Not only was it a 2hr wait for the cut-counter, but my fabric was gone! How could it be gone? It was a full bolt a week ago.
I was obsessed with this fabric and returned to the fabric store at least once every week thereafter and never, ever saw my fabric again. I called other stores; I began hovering around the shelf of fabrics that had been cut but not reshelved; I stalked other shoppers who had bolts of fabric that looked like the one I wanted. I became the scorned lover of this fabric, desperate to have my dreams fulfilled!
As the weeks turned into months with no sign of return, I slowly began to accept my fate - I had had my window of opportunity and had let it slip by. The only rational thing for me to do was to move on - just as there are plenty of fish in the sea there are plenty of soft cuddly fabrics on the shelf.
I moved on with life and redesigned the blanket with different colors and fabrics and even liked the new design. All this time, I continued searching for my fabric but it was gone. I began wondering if I had only imagined my brief encounter with the all-too-perfect fabric.
At the store one day in February, I got the last bit of fabric necessary to make the blanket. On the way to the register I remembered that my brother wanted me to make him a silk bedroll for his upcoming trip to the Ukraine. I had a few minutes, so I detoured my route and went to the Special Occasion fabric to search for silk. While there, I ran into a friend that I hadn't seen in ages. As we chatted, my coveted fabric walked right passed me - not on its own, but the woman pushing the cart carrying the fabric (MY fabric) is inconsequential. While I struggled to not hurdle the shelves of fabric and tackle the receding woman, I remained composed as the bile of what-could-have-been settled in my mind. I had already committed to the other fabric and design; it would be wrong to reject them as I had been rejected by the cream fabric.
I walked dejectedly to the cash register, trying to reconcile myself to my fate. As if to pour salt in my wounds, the woman in front of me for the register was the same with my fabric, only now she had a large amount of my fabric neatly folded and ready for her blanket - not mine. Oh the bitter jealousy of rejection!
Here is a picture of the final product - not using the beloved yet not-meant-to-be fabric.
I would love the big soft blanket, if I hadn't known that I could have gotten the cream fabric. My dissatisfaction is clearly my brother's fault - if he hadn't wanted a silk bedroll for his trip I never would have been looking in the Special Occasion fabrics, I never would have run into my friend and I never would have seen My fabric walk past. I could have been peacefully reconciled to the new design, but no.......:)
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