My Twilight Quilt: Fire & Ice

The wind shook the tent again, and I shook with it.

The temperature was dropping. I could feel it through the down bag, through my jacket. I was fully dressed, my hiking boots still laced into place. It didn't make any difference. How could it be so cold? How could it keep getting colder? It had to bottom out sometime, didn't it?

Edward sat as far from me as possible in the cramped space, afraid to even breathe on me when I was already so cold. It was too dark to see his face, but his voice was wild with worry, indecision, and frustration.

I heard the sound of the zipper around the tent door pulling swiftly down.

Jacob slid through the smallest opening he could manage, while the arctic air flowed in around him, a few flecks of snow falling to the floor of the tent. I shivered so hard it was a convulsion.

Edward's hand was suddenly hard on his shoulder, restraining, snow white against the dark skin. Jacob's jaw clenched, his nostrils flaring, his body recoiling from the cold touch. The long muscles in his arms flexed automatically.

"Scoot over, Bella," he said, zipping the sleeping bag open farther.

I stared at him in outrage. No wonder Edward was reacting this way.

He crammed his body into the nonexistent space, forcing the zipper up behind himself.

And then I couldn't object -- I didn't want to anymore. He was so warm. His arms constricted around me, holding me snugly against his bare chest. The heat was irresistible, like air after being underwater for too long. He cringed when I pressed my icy fingers eagerly against his skin. -Bella Swan, Eclipse, pages 487-494

As I was refining my layout for this quilt, I found a block called Light and Dark at The Quilter's Cache. I really wanted to incorporate it in my quilt. Iris says it makes her think of Midnight Sun. It made me think of the chapter in Eclipse called Fire and Ice. The block is 12" and originally I'd planned to make two 6" sections of it, one with 'fire' as the dominant color and one with 'ice' as he dominant color. But as my layout evolved, I realized I needed to make room for other blocks and so I gave this block one 6" square and reduced the pattern by 50% to make it fit.

I like the representation; each of the 'ice' dominant sections has a bit of fire in them and vice-versa. Edward, who is obviously the 'ice' in this block also has a bit of fire in him. He's not exclusively ice, although he is as cold. And Jacob, who runs at a toasty 108.9, is not all fire. That is what makes it so hard for Bella to choose between them.

When putting this block together I wanted the fabric to be just right. I used Platinum Fairy Frost for 'ice.' It has a silver background with silver glitter. I love the way it shines. The 'fire' is a hand-dyed fabric that Iris sent me. It has a lovely, earthy texture and tone, with variation in the color that made me think of fire. I hope I got it right.



And now, my favorite part. I know you just saw the layout, but here it is again, with one more block filled in.