Beary Colourful BOM: Always Growing Yellow-Green Bear

 

The Always Learning Green Bear from May has been exploring his family tree and he has discovered a cousin! Please welcome the aspirational July Yellow-Green Bear to the Beary Colourful family.

If you spend much time with young children on a regular basis, you will know that they love to think that they are “Big”. And also that they are “Bigger”. Bigger than their siblings….bigger than their peers….. bigger then that mark on the wall that shows how tall they used to be. 

Growth charts never really go out of fashion, do they? The motifs on them might change but the very simple act of repeatedly measuring yourself on the wall never grows old. And getting taller is linked to some pretty exciting milestones. Especially if you are aiming to beat a height restriction for that ride at the theme park. 120cm was the obsessed-over mark by my kids, thanks to the waterslide at the local pool. Thankfully, for my sanity, my youngest child is very tall for his age!

So, since I strongly associate the colour yellow-green with fresh growth, the seventh bear in the Beary Colourful Quilt BOM series celebrates all things growing. With a garden on his tummy, a growth chart by his side and an aspirational posture, this bear expects bigger and better things. Or a splat in the eye. Hahahaha, poor bear; I think he’s safe enough with no birds on this quilt. Keep on striving, little bear!

The Yellow-Green Bear of Always Growing

Yellow-Green Bear is fresh and optimistic. He expects to grow because it is the most natural thing in the world to him. Perhaps effortlessly, like a child, or more intentionally, as an adult. All his needs are met and he loves improving himself, so he intends to meet his full potential. Always Growing Yellow-Green Bear knows that healthy and sustainable development brings a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction . And that this is true for all forms of improvement. I suspect you are getting the idea how closely related he really is to his cousin, Always Learning Green Bear. 

And although he regularly looks to his goals, Yellow-Green Bear also remembers to enjoy the journey. He encourages you to do likewise and be always growing. Even if your body has reached it’s full potential there are always other ways to grow. Mentally, spiritually, relationally. He knows that there are always things we can learn, practice or explore to enrich our lives.

Yellow-Green Ted has a garden on his tummy because a healthy and tended garden is a thing of great beauty and wonder. Always changing, sometimes blooming, sometimes regrouping and recovering. But always growing, somehow being both in the moment and preparing for the next season.  Should you prefer, there is a simpler motif of a single blooming flower also included in the pattern. But I hope you will stretch yourself and give him the full treatment. 🙂

Download the Yellow-Green 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 Yellow-Green 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). 8″ x 15″ will be ample for the yellow-green bear.  
• Yellow-Green fabric scraps for the main sections of the bear. The whole bear requires the equivalent of 10″ x 12″ of yellow-green fabric. But he is built from pieces, so you can use multiple smaller scraps if you wish. 

• 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, flowers, and leaves.
• 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 

(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 Always Growing Yellow-Green Bear

For this bear I found that it was easiest to create the garden motif first and put it aside to place onto the finished bear. If you prefer to make the simpler single flower motif, just omit the flower bud and grass pieces. 

Step 1

Start by laying a piece of parchment (baking) paper over the supplied template.

Create the garden motif for the tummy first by following the fusing order shown below.

Once the garden motif is complete, press thoroughly, allow to cool and gently peel from the parchment paper. Set aside to add to your completed yellow-green bear later.

Step 2

Start the yellow-green bear by tacking down the arms and the outer ears onto the parchment paper with a hot iron.

Step 3

Add the legs and inner ears.

Step 4

Add the outer tummy ring and feet pieces.

Step 5

Add the inner tummy.

Step 6

Add the head.

Step 7

Add the muzzle and facial features.

Step 8

Finish off your Yellow-Green Bear by adding the eyes and the tummy motif.

Step 9

Add the vertical pole for the growth chart.

Finish the edges of your appliqué using your favourite method. Don’t forget to stitch in the facial details and the measurement marks on the growth chart.

Alternative Tummy Motif

If you wish, you can do a simpler tummy motif of just the single large flower. The appliqué pieces are the same as for the large flower in the garden motif – just adjust the angle of the flower to fill the inner tummy space.

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

This is where we’re at:

Link up for your chance to win

Don’t forget that your Yellow-Green Bear is eligible for entry into the July 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 a Morning Sunshine fat quarter fabric pack from Island Batik. I am already jealous of whoever wins this one – it’s glorious!

There is also a special opportunity this month for all you clever chameleons specifically doing my bears…… head back one post to find out how you can win a quilted postcard just by linking up any or all of your bears from the first half and a bit of this challenge. It’s a Teddy Bears’ Picnic!

And remember, the Yellow-Green Bear is just one option for July in the 2018 Monthly Color Challenge. Six other bloggers are also here to help you with ideas for the July Yellow-Green 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

P.S. Sharing the Yellow-Green Bear of Always Growing on all my favourite linkys as they open. What a Hoot Quilts, Cooking Up Quilts, Love Laugh Quilt, Freemotion by the River, Quilting Room with Mel , The Inquiring Quilter, Sew Fresh Quilts, My Quilt Infatuation, Quilt Fabrication, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, 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! Or your purple block or bear from last month. Or your fabrics for your next month. Anything quilty that takes your fancy!

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