LE: Ziggity Zag!

No matter what other project I tinker with, and I do love to start new things, my mind keeps wandering back to Love Entwined. Once you start LE, you can't stop for very long. It wont let you. I always said there was something special in the makings of this pattern and the longer I spend with it, the more sure I am that this is true. I've been progressing with my zig zag border.

As mentioned in the pattern, I think a contrast of light and dark shaded fabric is the way to go. Mind you, I did start out with a plan to make my border in just two tones; that of light and dark blue, but LE changed my mind and the longer I worked on it, the more certain I was that this heirloom wanted to be a patchy style. I wish I'd known that at the beginning as I'm sure I would have made some different fabric decisions. But anyhow, I am settled on this look and over the last few weeks I've been separating fabrics that I thought would work as my lights and darks for this border.

Preparation is key. In everything. LE demands as much work and time in preparation as it does in assembly. Maybe even more. This little box is the result of weeks of fiddly tedious work and I'm only ready now to put it all together. And by 'together', I mean hours of more tedious fiddly work. It's an intense quilt, no doubt about it and every single block demands so much attention and skill but I do think there is something so special in working on a creation like this. I am making another red and white LE and thinking about that quilt all the time too (although I haven't made much progress on it yet). I do wonder if when I get to my red and white quilt - if I commit as much time as I have with this one - or if I will just raw applique the whole lot??! I have no idea. I'm just going to do what feels right at the time. I know I'm never going to make another quilt like this again - I don't think I could. It's a once in a lifetime quilt.

I will just mention that this month I released Part 14 & 15 of LE however I am making LE in my own time and out of order, so this is not a guide of where the pattern is up to. I'm behind in some ways and ahead in others. So don't worry if you feel confused seeing my 'progress'. At the top of this blog I have added a Love Entwined Archive where anyone making Love Entwined is invited to add specific blog posts linking to their own methods and working progress. Go and have a look at what and how everyone else is tackling each month, its a real treasure to be able to re-visit these posts and connect with other LE makers. And of course, you can discuss LE anytime over in my Yahoo BOM Group. Because I have so many LE posts that are out of logical time line, I am planning on creating my own LE archive in my own working order just as soon as I have completed it, and that too will be found in the archive page above.

I worked really hard in creating distinct light and dark contrasts for my zig zags. Something that interests me is how my natural eye always selects a mid tone to work with in each colour value. Even when I try not to, it happens. I notice over in my Yahoo BOM Group that some quilters have distinct light and darks, some are mid tone like me and some are gentle gradients. I think its so interesting how we interpret colour. Obviously some colour schemes have been selected on purpose, but I can really see my mid tone bias in my selection here. I love it.

 Tomorrow I'll be putting the zig zags into position.