Beary Colourful BOM: A Little Bit Silly Purple Bear

I’m sure you know that it’s healthy to let your hair down once in a while. Well, let’s do that today and be just a little bit silly!

Have you got a friend who knows exactly how to make you smile when you think you’d rather be grumpy? Who won’t let you  indulge in the doldrums if there’s even a whiff of ridiculous about the situation? The Purple Bear is one of those people…. and he wants you to smile today! Please welcome June’s Purple Bear of A Little Bit Silly to our growing Beary Colourful family.

The sixth bear in the Beary Colourful Quilt BOM series is a bit of a clown. Totally harmless, but can always be relied upon to liven things up a little. Great to have around when things are a bit glum or the weather is gloomy. Or when you are feeling great too, for that matter. Add this fun bear to your collection for a touch of eccentric on your Beary Colourful quilt.

And then go check out the rest of the 2018 Color Challenge posts for other ideas of how to celebrate the colour purple and enter for June’s prize.

The Purple Bear of A Little Bit Silly

Purple Bear is proud to be an individual. Unique in his outlook and not pressured by fads. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not disturbingly weird, just different enough to be interesting. He knows what he likes, knows how to have fun and places great stock in good friends. You know, those friends with whom you can always just be yourself. 

Purple Bear walks to the beat of his own drum. Not everything in his life has to be practical or chic. Somethings can simply be awesome or hilarious. Purple Bear has a robust sense of humour and a keen eye for the comical. 

Purple Ted has an umbrella on his tummy because he wants to protect you from rainy days and dark mood clouds. But it is upside down so that it is the right way up when he is doing what he does best If you try to tell him that’s a bit silly, he will just laugh. Because he already knows. Actually, that’s the point.

Download the Purple Bear pdf pattern

Sorry, this free pattern download has expired…. it will be available for purchase in due course. Perhaps you would like to join the free 2019 Love with a Twist BOM here instead!

What you will need to make the Purple Bear block

• Fabric for the background of the block. Each bear block will require a base fabric square of at least 13.5″ by 17″ to allow leeway for trimming. 
• Thin batting for the trapunto layer if you wish to do the trapunto step. I use a polyester batting of 1/8th inch loft. You will need approximately 11″ x 15″.
• Fusible paper-backed fabric adhesive (for example vliesofix). 10″ x 18″ will be ample for the purple bear.  
• Purple fabric scraps for the main sections of the bear. The whole bear requires the equivalent of 9″ x 15″ of purple fabric. But he is built from pieces, so you can use multiple smaller scraps if you wish. Of course. you may have to kick your cat out of the scrap box first….. or wait several hours for your turn.

• White/light colour fabric scraps for the muzzle and tummy,  5″ x 8″. Or 10″ x 8″ if shadowing bothers you and you’d like to make the white components double layered (see the Red Bear post for a more detailed discussion of the shadowing problem). 
• Various coloured small fabric scraps for eyes, nose, mouth, inner ears, paws and umbrella motif
• Machine embroidery or sewing threads to match your appliqué fabrics.
• General tools: sewing machine, iron etc, teflon ironing sheet or baking (parchment)  paper, small sharp scissors, pencil, chalk/washout fabric marker, quilting pins, black permanent acid-free marker.
• Optional but helpful: curved blade embroidery snips  and your wits about you, because you are going to want to keep turning this bear upside down! Or would that be the right way up…..?

(Note: these last two are affiliate links. I am proud to show you the tools that I use. If you purchase through an affiliate link it will not cost you any extra but I may earn a small commission for the referral).

How to make the Little Bit Silly Purple Bear

Follow the construction method and fusing order for the Red Bear and you will have no trouble with the Purple Bear. The only significant change (if you don’t count being upside down) is the tummy motif, which comes in two flavours…. “easy” and “not difficult”. The hardest bit will be getting the umbrella on the right way up….. trust me. 🙂

Step 1

Start by laying down the legs, the arms and the outer ears onto a piece of parchment (baking) paper laid over the supplied template.

Step 2

Add paws, feet, outer tummy and inner ears.

Step 3

Add the head and the inner tummy panel.

Step 4

Place the umbrella stick first, then build the umbrella right to left.

Step 5

Add the muzzle, facial features and the umbrella. Now, check that you have the umbrella the right way up!…… 🙂 Ok, so you are more clever then I was.

Step 6

Finish the edges of your appliqué using your favourite method.

Alternative Tummy Motif

If you wish, you can do a simpler tummy motif of an umbrella with a one-piece top. The alternative appliqué piece is provided in the pattern.

Once you have you completed the Purple Bear, you are halfway way done in the entire series!

Information about the rest of the bear patterns can be found at these links:
January – Red Bear of New Beginnings
February – Blue Bear of High Hopes
March – Yellow Bear of Being Active Outside
April – Orange Bear of Positive Attitude
May – Green Bear of Always Learning
June – Purple Bear of A Little Bit Silly
July – Yellow-Green Bear of Always Growing
August – Yellow-Orange Bear of Loving Friends
September – Red-Violet Bear of Healthy Choices 
October – Blue-Violet Bear of Special Treats
November – Green-Blue Bear of Taking Time Out
December – Black and White Bear of Making Music

Link up for your chance to win

Don’t forget that your Purple Bear is eligible for entry into the June Color Challenge link up at the end of the month. The link up happens at Patterns by Jen in the last week of each month. This month the prize for one lucky purple quilter is this fat quarter fabric pack from Art Gallery Fabrics.

And remember, the Purple Bear is just one option in the 2018 Monthly Color Challenge. Seven other bloggers are also here to help you with ideas for the June Purple Challenge. They are:

Jen Shaffer at Patterns by Jen
Jen Strauser at the Dizzy Quilter
Sherry Shish at Powered by Quilting
Jen Rosin at A Dream and A Stitch
Nancy Scott at Masterpiece Quilting
Joanne Harris at Quilts by Joanne

I hope you’ll do something just a little bit silly today. The on purpose kind. And I hope it makes you laugh til your sides ache. Then, I recommend you sit down and trace out your purple bear while you recover. 🙂

P.S. Sharing the Purple Bear of A Little Silliness on all my favourite linkys as they open. Cooking Up Quilts, Love Laugh Quilt, Freemotion by the River, Quilting Room with Mel, What a Hoot, The Inquiring Quilter, Sew Fresh Quilts, My Quilt Infatuation, Quilt Fabrication, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Crazy Mom Quilts, Busy Hands Quilts, Foto Friday.

P.P.S Don’t forget that the Chameleon has a linky party of his own now. Let’s see the quilt you’re working on! 

P.P.P.S. The Purple Bear was featured at the Quilting Room with Mel.

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