Teaser

No longer just a nightmare, the line of black advanced on us through the icy mist stirred up by their feet.

We're going to die, I thought in panic. I was desperate for the precious one I guarded, but even to think of that was a lapse in attention I could not afford.

They ghosted closer, their dark robes billowing slightly with the movement. I saw their hands curl into bone-colored claws. They drifted apart, angling to come at us from all sides. We were outnumbered. It was over.

And then, like a burst of light from a flash, the whole scene was different. Yet nothing changed—the Volturi still stalked toward us, poised to kill. All that really changed was how the picture looked to me. Suddenly, I was hungry for it. I wanted them to charge. The panic changed to bloodlust as I crouched forward, a smile on my face, and a growl ripped through my bared teeth.
–Bella Cullen, Breaking Dawn, page 367-368

On November 16, pandemonium comes to a theater near you.

A Thousand Years

And all along I believed I would find you

Time has brought your heart to me

I have loved you for a thousand years

I'll love you for a thousand more

–Christina Perri, A Thousand Years

Jon Schmidt and Steven Sharp Nelson are a couple of guys who know how to make beautiful music. The Piano Guys, as they are called, release a new video bi-weekly on YouTube. I love everything they produce and today's release is no exception. Not only is it an amazing piece of music, but has a really great Twilight connection (you can see someone even got cutesy with the Zephyr font on the album art). They've put together an arrangement of Christina Perri's A Thousand Years from the Breaking Dawn soundtrack and it is beautiful.


Available for purchase from The Piano Guys or on iTunes

Story behind the song:
Our kids give us great inspiration for our music. When Jon's 17 year-old daughter said how much she loved this song, Jon decided to try it. He experienced a flood of inspiration. "Never has a piano part come together this fast" Jon says. Steve experienced similar inspiration while composing the cello parts. Since the lyrics suggest a bride walking towards the groom in a ceremony we thought we would include a quote from the Bridal Chorus by Wagner in the climax of the song (it is carefully disguised).

As it seems to always go, Paul and Tel didn't find the spot until they spent 9 hours driving around southern Utah the day before the shoot looking. After getting a little discouraged by not finding anything that great, they just happened to check out a little hidden spot right near Baker Dam and thought it was perfect for the song. The next morning we all loaded up the piano and headed out there to film, but after getting the Truck and Trailer stuck and waiting for the sun to move, we didn't get started filming until that evening having about 3 hours of light. It was so fun to film and play in the middle of the trees!

Credits
A Thousand Years written by CHRISTINA PERRI, DAVID HODGES
Published by SUMMIT BASE CAMP FILM MUSIC, EMI BLACKWOOD MUSIC INC, CHRISTINA PERRI D/B/A MISS PERRI LANE PUBLISHING
Arrangement produced by Jon Schmidt
Arrangement written by Al van der Beek, Jon Schmidt, & Steven Sharp Nelson
Performed by
Jon Schmidt: piano
Steven Sharp Nelson: acoustic cello, & cello-percussion
Music recorded, mixed & mastered by Al van der Beek at TPG Studio
Video produced by Paul Anderson & Tel Stewart

Breaking Dawn Quilt: At it's new home

Here are a couple of pictures of the Breaking Dawn Quilt at it's new home with Melissa. Isn't her family just adorable!

Here's what Melissa had to say:

I absolutely LOVE the Breaking Dawn quilt! It is simply amazing! Pictures and words really don't do it justice. My husband and kids are also very impressed. We are in awe of all the work that went into each and every square. The quilting itself is also breathtaking! I can't imagine how many hours of work and love went into this quilt. It is a beautiful piece of art and I will always treasure it. I've spent a bunch of time reading online about how to best care for such a special quilt and obsessing about what might be the best place for it in my home.  For now it is resting on the bed in our extra bedroom, and the kids have been banned from stepping a toe in there without my permission. ;) I ordered a quilt rack so I can display it that way as well. Thanks so much for all your hard work! You ladies are amazingly talented!

We have a Winner!

The drawing is complete. The winner of our Breaking Dawn: Part 1 Quilt is Melissa Clark!!! Melissa, an email has been sent to you.

Thank you to everyone who donated to such wonderful causes.

Breaking Dawn Charity Quilt Donation Deadline Extended

We've had several requests to extend the donation deadline for the Breaking Dawn Charity Quilt.

We've moved the deadline to donate back to January 31, 2012 and the winner will be announced by February 7, 2012. For every $5 donation from you, which will be split evenly between Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation and Childhelp, you’ll get one chance to win the quilt. So please give generously.

For more details about the quilt and our chosen charities, visit our Breaking Dawn Quilt page.

Breaking Dawn Charity Quilt

Twi-Quilters are proud to bring you the Breaking Dawn Give-to-Win Charity Quilt fundraiser.

Last year, our Eclipse charity quilt raised $1,729.00 for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. With your help, we hope to raise even more than last year.

This year, we have decided to pledge donations to two charities: Alex's Lemonade Stand and Childhelp. Our group members have donated all the fabrics and supplies, as well as our time, to create this quilt, which includes scenes from Breaking Dawn, as well as autographs from eight cast members, including Peter Facinelli, who plays Carlisle Cullen and is a spokesperson for ALSF, and BooBoo Stewart, who plays Seth Clearwater and is an ambassador for Childhelp.

For every $5 donation from you, which will be split evenly between the two charities, you’ll get one chance to win the quilt. So please give generously. Donations will be accepted through January 31, 2012 and the winner will be announced by February 7, 2012.

Read more about the individual blocks:

Alice: Vampire Bat in the Belfry by Colleen
Alice's Note by Nicole
The Amazon Coven by Nicole
Aro's Gift by Angie
Bella & Edward's Cottage by Beth
Bella & Edward's Wedding by Mel
Bella's First Hunt by Beth
Bella's Shield by Iris
Bella's Transformation by Jerri Lynn
Cast Member Autographs
Cravings by Angie
The Denali Coven by Joyce
Eggs by Kate
The Egyptian Coven by Nicole
Feathers by Cat
The Hybrids by Joyce
The Irish Coven by Jerri Lynn
Isle Esme by Cat
Jacob & Renesmee by Elizabeth
Jacob & Rosalie's Rivalry by Kate
Jason Scott, Attorney at Law by Wanda
Midnight Swim by Kate
The Nomads by Joyce
Renesmee by Joyce
The Romanian Coven by Joyce
The Wolf Packs by Elizabeth

For more information about the charities, click on the buttons below.

Breaking Dawn Charity Quilt: Cast Member Autographs

Have we mentioned? We've got autographs in our Breaking Dawn Charity quilt! Eight of them! Kate went to Twi-Con and finagaled some signatures. Among them are Peter Facinelli, who plays Carlisle Cullen and is a spokesperson for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, and Booboo Stewart, who plays Seth Clearwater and is an ambassador for Childhelp. Have a look at who else "signed our quilt."

The quilt is nearly finished and we're excited to show you. We'll have photos up in the next few days. In the meantime, remember that each $5 donation you make, which will be split evenly between the charities, gives you a chance to win the quilt. So give generously and give often.

Breaking Dawn Charity Quilt: Aro's Gift

The present itself was not overtly threatening. Extravagant, yes, almost frightening in that very extravagance. The threat was in the parting line of Aro's congratulatory note, written in black ink on a square of heavy, plain white paper in Aro's own hand:

I so look forward to seeing the new Mrs. Cullen in person.

The gift was presented in an ornately carved, ancient wooden box inlaid with gold and mother-of-pearl, ornamented with a rainbow of gemstones. Alice said the box itself was a priceless treasure, that it would have outshone just about any piece of jewelry besides the one inside it.

The necklace was simple—gold woven into a thick rope of chain, almost scaled, like a smooth snake that would curl close around the throat. One jewel hung suspended from the rope: a white diamond the size of a golf ball.
–Bella Cullen, Breaking Dawn, page 531-532

From the beginning of signing up for this block I didn't really ‘feel’ it, ya know? I opted to take this block because someone needed to do it and I had gotten the block I really wanted and knew exactly how I was going to do that one. This one did not come so naturally. I did know that I was going to a jewel, I even knew what I was going to use for it. I have this prism that hangs on my studio door and in the afternoon it shines rainbows on my cutting table. As much as I would miss it, I just

thought it looked like the jewel that was described in the book. Anyway, I put it off and thought and put it off. Then the deadline was getting close so I had to bite the bullet and just make the thing.

I looked around for a paper-pieced pattern for the box but just couldn't find one. My idea was to make a box and put a velvet lining on the ‘inside’ and then attach the prism in the middle. Well, I just couldn't find a pattern I wanted so that put me off for a few more weeks because I felt stumped again. So I decided that I would appliqué a box instead and then keep my idea of adding the ‘jewel.’ I don't know why by I kept coming up with this sort of engagement ring box in my head so that is what I tried to make. I used a black velvet with a gold sort of hinge on a pink satin background, I thought the pink satin would represent the wedding part of the gift. Well, it ended up looking like a morbid clam. It was hideous! I showed it to my hubby and said ‘what does this look like to you?’ If he had just been able to identify it as a jewelry box, I might have kept it. He just stared at it like a dog does when you whistle at it and said ‘I have no idea.’ I immediately threw it in the trash and went to bed. The next morning I decided to start over. I grabbed my copy of the book and found the description of the box and decided to go more literally with the design. I saw an old sort of pirates chest type design with jewels embedded in the wood. Since I can't draw to save my life, I started googling clip art for pirate's chests and found a few that I liked and took different elements from them and put them together to make a pattern. I used some fabric that was the border print for the New Moon quilt for the wood grain and some other random browns.

Then I ran off to the craft store to try and find something to accent it with to give it that sort of gilded gold feel. I found the ribbon and scored double with these ‘jewels’ on a string for the trim too. So I get the box made, and go to add the prisim and low and behold, the one thing I was sure about just didn't work. So it was back to the craft store to find something that would. I added the chain and the note and called it good.

I know that was a long winded story, thanks for hanging with me for it.

Breaking Dawn Charity Quilt: Cravings

“Bella, love, we're going to ask you to do something monstrous,” [Edward] said, using the same adjectives he'd offered me. “Repulsive.”

Well, at least he was giving it to her straight.

She took a shallow, fluttery breath. “How bad?”

Carlisle answered. “We think the fetus might have an appetite closer to ours than to yours. We think it's thirsty.”

She blinked. “Oh. Oh.”

“Your condition—both of your conditions—are deteriorating rapidly. We don't have time to waste, to come up with more palatable ways to do this. The fastest way to test the theory—”

“I've got to drink it,” she whispered. She nodded slightly—barely enough energy for a little head bob. “I can do that. Practice for the future, right?” Her colorless lips stretched into a faint grin as she looked at Edward. He didn't smile back.
–Jacob Black, Breaking Dawn, page 242

Pieced by Angie

I have wanted to do this block for a long time so when we got to the planning stages of this quilt I was doing the "me me me" dance when we were picking who was going to do this block. I have to say this part of the book gave me the heebies, I think that is why I wanted to do it.

When we saw the Glee Slushy block on Jennifer's site I knew it was perfect. Then when I dragged my husband to this AWESOME fabric store while we were on our Anniversary weekend trip in Tennessee back in August, this red sparkly bolt literally jumped off the shelf and flopped around in front of me. I also picked up a great black with gold filigree stuff on it for the background but alas, it just didn't work in the block. I felt like it was too dark so it got nixed. Instead, I rummaged through my batik stash and came up with this great swirly beige. To have some depth and shading in the top part (and I was hoping to make a sort of lid look), I used the back side of the red fabric that is in the cup. The last touch to this block is the 'Starbucks' green straw. I dug around for what seemed like an hour in my scrap bucket to find this green but I am glad I did.

That's all I can really say about this block, I hope you like it as much as I liked making it. ;)

Breaking Dawn Charity Quilt: Feathers

What had happened to me? I couldn't make sense of the fluffy white snow that clung to my skin. I shook my head, and a cascade of white drifted out of my hair.

I pinched one soft white bit between my fingers. It was a piece of down.

“Why am I covered in feathers?” I asked, confused.
–Bella Cullen, Breaking Dawn, page 89

Design and piecing by Cat

I wanted to create a block of feathers floating everywhere. I drafted the pattern from scratch. I have pet chickens so I had no problems trying to visualize the feathers. To create a sense of dimension and to have each feather slightly different, each of the feathers is done using a different shade of cream. I was stuck on what to use. I like to think that the resulting block feels like feathers have floated in the air before settling in place.

The background fabric was chosen from my scraps and I like to use purple to represent Bella in quilting. Afterwards I thought it almost looked like Bella's bruises under the feathers although that wasn't the original intention.

Breaking Dawn Charity Quit: The Irish Coven

Carlisle has sent friends from Ireland and Egypt.

The Irish clan arrived first, and they were surprisingly easy to convince. Siobhan—a woman of immense presence whose huge body was both beautiful and mesmerizing as it moved in smooth undulations—was the leader, but she and her hard-faced mate, Liam, were long used to trusting the judgment of their newest coven member. Little Maggie, with her bouncy red curls, was not physically imposing like the other two, but she had a gift for knowing when she was being lied to, and her verdicts were never contested. Maggie declared that Edward spoke the truth, and so Siobhan and Liam accepted our story absolutely before even touching Renesmee.
–Bella Cullen, Breaking Dawn, page 608-609

Piecing by Jerri Lynn

I represented the Irish Coven with Irish knot-work that I appliquéd. I started with the green background to remind us of Ireland's green landscape. I then moved on to the knot-work, which I worked out in red fabric. There are three knots, representing the three members of the coven; Siobhan, Liam and Maggie. As a beginning quilter, I found it difficult to get the pieces of the knot-work lined up so that I was happy with them, but in the end I was very pleased with how it came out.

Breaking Dawn Charity Quilt: The Hybrids

“Nahuel, you are one hundred and fifty years old?” [Aro] questioned.

“Give or take a decade,” he answered in a clear, beautifully warm voice. His accent was barely noticeable. “We don't keep track.”

“And you reached maturity at what age?”

“About seven years after my birth, more or less, I was full grown.”

“You have not changed since then?”

Nahuel shrugged. “Not that I've noticed.”

I felt a shudder tremble through Jacob's body. I didn't want to think about this yet. I would wait till the danger was past and I could concentrate.

“And your diet?” Aro pressed, seeming interested in spite of himself.

“Mostly blood, but some human food, too. I can survive on either.”

“You were able to create an immortal?” As Aro gestured to Huilen, his voice was abruptly intense. I refocused on my shield; perhaps he was seeking a new excuse.

“Yes, but none of the rest can.”

A shocked murmur ran through all three groups.

Aro's eyebrows shot up. “The rest?”

“My sisters.” Nahuel shrugged again.
–Aro, Nahuel and Bella Cullen, Breaking Dawn, page 736-737

Design and piecing by Joyce

The Hybrids are a combination of Vampires and Humans, so the fabrics are a combination of plain and sparkly or shimmering. Since there may be Hybrids throughout the world, I thought they would have a variety of skin tones. The fabrics on the top half have sparkles or a satin shimmer to them. The fabrics on the bottom are plain. I liked the idea of having them on the diagonal to give it more interest. The drop of blood in the center brings it all together.

Breaking Dawn Charity Quilt: The Wedding

“Get to sleep. You've got a big day tomorrow.”

“Thanks! That's sure to help me wind down.”

“I'll meet you at the altar.”

“I'll be the one in white.” I smiled at how perfectly blasé I sounded.
–Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, Breaking Dawn, page 29

Pattern from Paper Panache, piecing by Mel

I usually have lots of ideas for blocks when we start planning for our quilts. This time, I had nothing! So I was browsing the wonderful world of internet when I came upon one of my favourite paper piecing sites: Paper Panache. And there it was. A wedding cake pattern! I then searched my books and the internet for any mention of colour themes and I stumbled upon a site that had pictures of the wedding cake from the movie. It was covered in beautiful, rich red colours as well and flowers. I had a vision of this block with lots of pink, red and purple, and lots and lots of flowers! I went through the fabrics I have at home and found some lovely flowery fabric for the background in honour of Alice's decorations. The cake has subtle flowers on it as well. For Edward's suit, I thought to incorporate some black sparkling fabric to make him that much more "sparkle in the light." Overall, I really like the feel of this block, and I hope I did Alice proud!

Breaking Dawn Charity Quilt: Alice's Note

“Right after midnight, Alice and Jasper came to this place and asked permission to cross our land to the ocean. I granted them that and escorted them to the coast myself. They went immediately into the water and did not return. As we journeyed, Alice told me it was of the utmost importance that I say nothing to Jacob about seeing her until I spoke to you. I was to wait here for you to come looking for her and then give you this note. She told me to obey her as if all our lives depended on it.”

Sam's face was grim as he held out a folded sheet of paper, print all over with small black text. It was a page out of a book; my sharp eyes read the printed words as Carlisle unfolded it to see the other side. The side facing me was the copyright page from The Merchant of Venice. A hint of my own scent blew off it as Carlisle shook the paper flat. I realized it was a page torn from one of my books. I'd brought a few things from Charlie's house to the cottage; a few sets of normal clothes, all the letters from my mother, and my favorite books. My tattered collection of Shakespeare paperbacks had been on the bookshelf in the cottage's little living room yesterday morning. . . .

“Alice has decided to leave us,” Carlisle whispered.

“What?” Rosalie cried.

Carlisle turned the page around so that we all could read.
–Bella Cullen, Breaking Dawn, page 557-558

Design and piecing by Nicole

I wanted to stay simple for the letter. So I used purple as the accent color and found a light enough fabric that I could write on. I am sure Alice's handwriting is far better than mine, but I think it works!

Breaking Dawn Charity Quilt: Bella's Transformation

Edward had a syringe in his hand—all silver, like it was made from steel.

“What's that?”

. . . He shoved the needle straight into her heart.

“My venom,” he answered as he pushed the plunger down.
–Jacob Black and Edward Cullen, Breaking Dawn, page 354

The warmth beside my heart got more and more real, warmer and warmer. Hotter. The heat was so real it was hard to believe that I was imagining it.

Hotter.

Uncomfortable now. Too hot. Much, much too hot.

. . . The burning grew—rose and peaked and rose again until it surpassed anything I'd ever felt.
–Bella Cullen, Breaking Dawn, page 375

Design and piecing by Jerri Lynn

This block was meant to represent Bella's transformation. We hear over and over again in the books that the transformation process is like being eaten up by flames. So, I started with the flames. This is one of the first times I have ever made a block using appliqué, so I was a bit nervous. I created the flames using different colors of fabric, but then thought it needed more, so I added this great medium I picked up at a quilt show to give the flames some shimmer.

You can't have a transformation without venom, and for vampires this means the bite. I wanted to avoid the traditional biting imagery and focus on Edward's unique way of saving Bella's life, hence the syringe.

I am very happy with this block and hope you enjoy it!

Breaking Dawn Charity Quilt: Bella's Shield

I saw Jane smile as Edward crossed the midpoiunt in the distance between us, when he was closer to them than he was to us.

That smug little smile did it. My fury peaked, higher even than the raging bloodlust I'd felt the moment the wolves had committed to this doomed fight. I could taste madness on my tongue—I felt it flow through me like a tidal wave of pure power. My muscles tightened, and I acted automatically. I threw my shield with all the force in my mind, flung it across the impossible expanse of the field—ten times my best distance—like a javelin. My breath rushed out in a huff with the exertion.

The shield blew out from me in a bubble of sheer energy, a mushroom cloud of liquid steel. It pulsed like a living thing—I could feel it, from the apex to the edges.

There was no recoil to the elastic fabric now; in that instant of raw force, I saw that the backlash I'd felt before was of my own making—I had been clinging to that invisible part of me in self-defense, subconsciously unwilling to let it got. Now I set it free, and my shield exploded a good fifty yards out from me effortlessly, taking only a fraction of my concentration. I could feel it flex like just another muscle, obedient to my will. I pushed it, shaped it to a long, pointed oval. Everything underneath the flexible iron shield was suddenly a part of me—I could feel the life force of everything it covered like points of bright heat, dazzling sparks of light surrounding me. I thrust the shield forward the length of the clearing, and exhaled in relief when I felt Edward's brilliant light within my protection. I held there, contracting this new muscle so that it closely surrounded Edward, a thin but unbreakable sheet between his body and our enemies.
–Bella Cullen, Breaking Dawn, page 690-691

Pattern by Cat, design and piecing by Iris

I'll start off right off the bat saying that I had a hard time translating my idea for Bella's Shield into a fabric block. As soon as I saw that topic on our brainstorm list, I knew I wanted to use Cat's Swiss Shield pattern (without the cross in the middle) and I wanted to use an organza overlay on the shield with bright dots underneath to show the "bright points of light" that represented her friends and family under the shield.

Several obstacles arose.

First, finding the right fabric. I had a piece of the Kaufman Stargazers in Midnight which had some elements I thought would be really good: a swirl pattern to mimic her description of Alec's numbing "gift" hitting her shield; and golden starbursts that fit the "bright points of light" in her description. But since the confrontation is during a snowy day, I wanted something in whites/grays or blues. It took a couple hours of googles but I finally found the Stargazers fabric in Sky, which fit my idea.

I went to print out the pattern, enlarged, and my brain didn't work right and I printed it a bit bigger than I really would have liked. I didn't realize this until after I pieced it. So as a result you can't even see the cool snowflake pattern on the top half of the block. I tried out the organza idea, but even using the really thin printable sheets, you lost the whole pattern with the starbursts & swirls.

I wanted to show "the confrontation", with her friends and family in the shield portion and the Volturi & Nomads around them, and was originally thinking about using fabric markers or embroidery. Angie made a great suggestion to use beads, which I thought would add interest to an otherwise simple block. I used topaz colored ones for her family, placing them mostly in 2's (all the mates) with a grouping at the front to show Bella, Edward, Carlisle and Renesmee. Yeah, I know she has brown eyes, but I got some matte brown beads (which turned out to be brownish/purple) for the wolves. So I made a unified line of those in back of the main Cullen group and had one in front for Jacob. I added a few red ones in the shield for the other Covens. The Volturi "enemies" are lined up outside, with a few Nomad couples behind them. I clustered 3 reds together in the front for Aro, Caius, Marcus, but also added a fourth bead for Renata, and a topaz bead for Katrina. ;)

So, if I had absolute unlimited time, like let's say I was a vampire that didn't need to sleep, or I was just that OCD, I would probably re-make this block just to size down the shield and show more background. However, because I have a wonderfully busy life outside of Twilight, and I still think it came out neat, and I had alot of fun with the beads, it is what it is.

Breaking Dawn Charity Quilt: The Romanian Coven

There was a low commotion from the front yard. I heard Carlisle speaking over a babble of surprised voices.

“Did Alice send you?” he asked someone, his voice unsure, slightly upset.

“No one sent us,” a deep whispery voice answered Carlisle's question.

Carlisle's voice was wary as he responded. “Then what brings you here now?”

“Word travels,” a different voice answered, just as feathery as the first. “We heard hints that Volturi were moving against you. There were whispers that you would not stand alone. Obviously, the whispers were true. This is an impressive gathering.”

“We are not challenging the Volturi,” Carlisle answered in a strained tone. “There has been a misunderstanding, that is all. A very serious misunderstanding, to be sure, but one we're hoping to clear up. What you see are witnesses. We just need the Volturi to listen. We didn't—”

“We don't care what they say you did,” the first voice interrupted. “And we don't care if you broke the law.”

“No matter how egregiously,” the second inserted.

“We've been waiting a millennium and a half for the Italian scum to be challenged,” said the first. “If there is any chance they will fall, we will be here to see it.”

“Or even to help defeat them,” the second added.
–Stefan and Vladimir, Breaking Dawn, page 625-626

Design and piecing by Joyce

In Breaking Dawn, Stefan and Vladimir explain how the Romanian Vampires held all the power before the Volturi overthrew them. They are described as having powdery, papery skin (The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide p.267-269). Their eyes are clear, though, not 'clouded' like the Volturi's. The center features the 'powdery' skin and red eyes. I used white and red fabric for the eyes and satin stitched the pupils black, then stitched the eyelashes. Since they had been the 'rulers,' I made a broken crown with fabric that goes from yellow to purple. It looked beat-up to me. I covered the crown parts with gold fabric I found in the Halloween section at Jo-Ann's, then added beads for the 'crown jewels.'

The Romanians also talk about their castles being destroyed and burned. I used Cat's paper-piecing castle as inspiration, but didn't want to paper-piece that small of a section, so I appliquéd it. I used a brown fabric and ivory fabric with crackle designs, then used sparkly black netting behind the windows. I satin stitched to outline and define the castle ruins. The background fabric is sparkly purple stars and swirls signifying their past royalty.

Breaking Dawn Charity Quilt: Alice, Vampire Bat in the Belfry

“Bella gets in the way. She’s all wrapped around it, so she’s . . . blurry. Like bad reception on a TV—like trying to focus your eyes on those fuzzy people jerking around on the screen. It’s killing my head to watch her. And I can’t see more than a few minutes ahead, anyway. The . . . fetus is too much a part of her future. When she first decided . . . when she knew she wanted it, she blurred right out of my sight. Scared me to death.”

She was quiet for a second, and then she added, “I have to admit, it’s a relief having you close by—in spite of the wet-dog smell. Everything goes away. Like having my eyes closed. It numbs the headache.”
–Alice Cullen, Breaking Dawn, page 276-277

Alice wants you too. She says she’s tired of hanging out in the attic like the vampire bat in the belfry. –Seth Clearwater, Breaking Dawn, page 290

Design and piecing by Colleen

I chose to represent Alice with the Bat in the Belfry block. I love the way Alice and Jacob bond a little when the “fetus” is giving Alice headaches. I found pictures of belfries on the internet. I liked this one because it was white like the Cullen house in the books. I used a white fairy frost fabric and a slightly darker beige fabric with a subtle lace pattern on it for the tower. Those fabrics seemed very Alice to me. I also used a black sparkly fabric for the bat (thanks Iris!). I lucked into the background fabric and it was exactly what I was looking for to provide a background with trees.

Breaking Dawn Charity Quilt: The Amazon Coven

And then another pair of unexpected friends arrived—unexpected, because neither Carlisle nor Rosalie had been able to contact the Amazons.

“Carlisle,” the taller of the two very tall ferine women greeted him when they arrived. Both of them seems as if they'd been stretched—long arms and legs, long fingers, long black braids, and long faces with long noses. They wore nothing but animal skins—hide vests and tight-fitting pants that laced on the sides with leather ties. It wasn't just their eccentric clothes that made them seem wild, but everything about them, from their restless crimson eyes to their sudden, darting movements. I'd never met any vampires less civilized.
–Bella Cullen, Breaking Dawn, page 612-613

Design and piecing by Nicole

This one took a while longer than my other blocks, as I toyed with the idea of trying to create the forest. That didn't work. Someone made the suggestion of doing a map of the forest. So I used my favorite green for the background, and a shiny black to show south America. I found the really bright green, blue and yellow fabric and it said “use me for the Amazon!” So I did. I did this via appliqué and this was my first time doing the satin stitch, but it finishes it nicely.

Breaking Dawn Charity Quilt: Midnight Swim

“Everything was black-and-white, leached colorless by the moon.”
–Bella Cullen, Breaking Dawn page 83

Design and piecing by Kate

This is one of my favorite scenes in the entire saga, so it was most important to me to get the basic essence of the moment.