Originally Posted by Dolphyngyrl
My friend loves disney so I was thinking of doing a mickey/minnie wallhanging for her wedding, I found a picture that I like that I want to base my quilt off of. If I am not mass producing or making it to sell can I still use the picture
Disney owns the rights to copy (or not copy) any of their intellectual property. Hence the term "copyright."
It has nothing to do with whether you intend to keep it yourself, give it away or sell it. Disney owns the right to decide whether or not to copy a given piece of intellectual property.
Of course, the question is whether Disney can catch you in order to issue the cease and desist letter or take you to court. Realistically, it is unlikely but not completely impossible for someone to report your creation to Disney.
So in pragmatic terms, it comes down to your own ethical judgment. Do you feel okay doing something illegal and giving it as a gift?
If I sound a little grumpy about this, it is because I am an author (in a field unrelated to crafts) and have been ripped off many times. The people who have ripped me off would probably never dream of walking into my home, opening my purse and taking money out of it. But they are apparently okay with doing the equivalent with my intellectual property. My own personal (and probably biased) view is that theft is theft, whether it is the money from my purse or my intellectual property.
One legal way would be to write to Disney and ask for permission. Another legal way would be to buy a licensed Disney product that is close to what you want.