December 2017 Roundup

December 2017 at Clever Chameleon

One Monthly Goal Check-in and December 2017 Roundup

At the beginning of December I nominated my ongoing Vanuatu Turtle Quilt for my specific One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts. The finished quilt is not due to be linked up at Busy Hands Quilts’ Splash of Color quilt along until January 16. But I know that quilt construction has a habit of expanding to take up all available time. And I want the Vanuatu Turtle quilt done so that I can get on with some other really interesting projects in January. So I decided to bring the “deadline” forward to the 31st December.

So, I am glad to report that the Vanuatu Turtle is finished! 🙂 It measures 60″ square.

Vanuatu Turtle Quilt by Clever Chameleon

Thank you to my dearest husband who eventually managed to help me get this photo under natural light.

I think I may have an opening for a new quilt holder-upperer ….. at first DH was holding this quilt not only upside down but also back-to-front. I honestly thought he was just being facetious……. But, apparently, no. And he swears he reads the blog…..

Vanuatu Turtle Quilt

So there we have it. A finished memento from our family’s work trip to Vanuatu. I’m thankful to Myra of Busy Hands Quilts for running the Splash of Color quit along this year, as without it, the Vanuatu Turtle Quilt would likely never have happened. It would still be like the throw quilt I mean to make from some fabrics I bought in Thailand 3 years ago….

The Vanuatu Quilt – blow by blow

If you’d like to go back and read about the conception, design and construction of the Vanuatu Turtle quilt, here are the relevant posts in order:

Where the Vanuatu Quilt concept started
More about the fabrics and the turtle appliqué pieces cut
Designing the black and white background on the fly
Finishing the black and white quilt top
Adding the first layer of the turtle appliqué
Adding the second layer of the turtle appliqué
Quilting design for the Vanuatu Turtle quilt

I said I was going to find out what being finished early feels like. So. What does it feel like to be done before the last minute? Weird. And slightly sad – I have liked working on this quilt and now it’s over. Perhaps the gasping sense of relief of going down to the wire has its upsides after all! hahahaha. Don’t worry, the melancholy hasn’t lasted – I have so many other projects to turn to. I have already done some therapy fabric cutting today. And not on the project I should be working on either. See, that’s better!

What else happened at Clever Chameleon in December 2017?

Well, we had another 4 Colour Inspiration Tuesdays.

Week 1

We explored the colours of a fake-looking Australian plant called the Wax Flower Plant or Hoya. And we used it as a launch point for a Christmas decoration made of couched thread and beads. Not strictly quilting, but it is a method I use for embellishing quilts, and these ornaments are a good way to get your hand in with this technique.

Christmas Stars color scheme from Clever Chameleon — Christmas Star colour scheme

Christmas Star Ornament — Christmas Star couched thread ornament

This post was a full tutorial, and showed how to make Christmas Trees and Christmas Bells as well.

Week 2

In the second week of December, Kathy of Tamarack Shack Longarm Quilting shared a tip about chalk being visible under blacklight. So I got all excited and the testing of this tip resulted in a blue colour scheme.

Blacklight Blue colour scheme from Clever Chameleon — Blacklight Blue colour scheme

And I received my own blacklight for Christmas. So now I can play with this technique some more. Sweet husbands who can’t tell the front of a quilt from the back still have their uses. hahahahaha. Thanks dearest!

Week 3

I was reading the newsletter from our local state Botanic Garden when I discovered the strangest flower I have possibly ever seen. This flower quacks me up, so I had to feature it on Colour Inspiration Tuesday!

Flying Duck Orchid color scheme from Clever Chameleon — Flying Duck Orchid colour scheme

Flying Duck Orchid colour scheme from Clever Chameleon

I would like to have the time to turn this flower into an appliqué at some point. Just for fun. The flying duck shape of this Australian native orchid is just the start of the strangeness – you can read more about this flower here.

Week 4

This was only yesterday – and we celebrated the colour red in all its glory. This is because we are leading up to the 2018 Monthly Color Challenge. And the first colour off the rank will be red.

Red colour scheme from Clever Chameleon — January is Red colour scheme

Beyond Colour Inspiration Tuesdays

What else happened at Clever Chameleon in December 2017? Well, lots of Vanuatu Turtle quilt construction, but we’ve already covered that. Probably the only thing of note we haven’t covered is that the Vanuatu Turtle quilting post includes a mini tutorial on how to freemotion quilt hibiscus flowers.

I also extended the couched thread Christmas Ornament tutorial to include a fourth variation – a glittery bauble. This was a guest post on Days Filled with Joy blog.

And we have been getting organised to start 2018 at full speed with the Beary Colourful BOM – part of the Monthly Color Challenge at Patterns by Jen.

I hope you will be joining us for this one!

100 Posts!

So, that was December 2017. And this is my 100th post since I started blogging back on the 26th April. It seems very fitting to be able to report a complete quilt finish for my 100th post!

Oh boy, the things I have learned since I launched this blog! And all the amazing people I have “met”! Thank you to all of you for reading my blog and a special thank you to all the people who have connected in some way. I hope that 2018 is going to be a year of great things!

I’m now off to share my December OMG success on Elm Street Quilts.

P.S. In the next few days I also hope to also be participating in several end of year linkys. In particular, Cheryl of Meadow in the Mist is holding a Best of 2017 Linky Party. You might like to head over there now. A collection of the year’s best quilt blog posts ought to be really good reading! And there are several other goal-setting linkys for 2018 which I’d like to sit down and muse over if I can find the time.

P.P.S Also sharing on Freemotion by the River, Quilt Fabrication, Sew Fresh Quilts, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Inquiring Quilter, Crazy Mom Quilts, Busy Hands Quilts. and a new linky: Powered by Quilting

P.P.P.S. This post has now been linked up with the Last Splash of Color linky.

Would you like to keep in touch with Clever Chameleon and the fun quilty ideas I design as well as find all over the internet? You can follow directly for email updates, or through Bloglovin’, Pinterest or FB. All your follow options can be found here. Thanks for your support!

December 26, 2017January 19, 2024

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: January is Red!

January is Red color scheme from Clever Chameleon

The last Colour Inspiration Tuesday of 2017, and the first of our 2018 Monthly Colour Inspiration series

In 2018 it is my intention to set aside the last Colour Inspiration Tuesday of each month to look forward to the incoming “Colour of the Month”. The Colour of the Month is the colour that we will focus on each month in Jen Shaffer’s Monthly Color Challenge and blog hop.

The Colour of the Month for January 2018 is Red. And today, being the last Tuesday before January, I am painting the town!

Red mosaic

January is Red. Where can red take us…..?

Red is strong, red is loud and attention seeking. Red is demanding, warning, luring. Red is the colour of danger, the colour of speed and adventure, and the colour of rescue. Red declares the most passionate of loves!

red mosaic

Red is delicious ……. or poisonous. One thing is certain, red is never boring! Red stimulates appetite, causes tension, and generates excitement. Red is the colour of opportunity, wealth and prosperity. Red is glorious.

Red deepens to purple……

red mosaic

….. and lightens to orange.

red mosaic

A little red can go a long way. It loves to accent white, grey and black colour schemes. Red is very powerful.

Red mosaic

It looks great with its complement, green. But blue and red runs deepest in many a people groups’ veins.

red and blue mosaic

Will you be seeing red in January?

Are you joining the 2018 Monthly Color Challenge? If so, where will the colour red take you? A red block for a rainbow quilt? Like Jen’s red block or my red appliqué bear?

Or are you a true lover of red? Whether it is a red block, a red pin cushion, a red pillow or an entire really red quilt. I can’t wait to see what everyone shares!

Join my Beary Colourful BOM in January for the first block… the Red Bear of New Beginnings

Today, red is already in the air at my house. I have been making binding for the Vanuatu Turtle Quilt.

Red fabric strips

If you wish to explore the world of red quilty projects, here are a few to get you started:
My own Vanuatu Turtle Quilt
Red Nanny’s Red Quilt (That Patchwork Principle 2013)
Red Crazy Pieced Quilt (Exuberant Color, Dec 2017)
The Year of the Red and White Quilt (Lynn Carson Harris 2014)
Red & White Patchwork Quilt (Gold Shoe Girl 2016)

I have also started a Pinterest Board dedicated to red quilts and related sewing.

And more Colour Inspiration Tuesdays where we have looked at red include:

Quangdong Christmas color scheme from Clever Chameleon — Quangdong Christmas

Hot Chocolate color scheme from Clever Chameleon — Hot Chocolate

Butterfly Loves Red color scheme from Clever Chameleon — Butterfly Loves Red

Red Eye Flight color scheme at Clever Chameleon — Red Eye Flight

Frosty Berries color scheme from Clever Chameleon — Frosty Berries

Flanders Poppies color scheme from Clever Chameleon — Flanders Poppies

No Red and Blue yet….

It seems we haven’t done blue and red colour scheme yet. We will have to rectify that.

Not long to go now….. 2018 is less than a week away. I have a great feeling that it is going to be a marvellous quilty year! Have you had a think about your goals for 2018 (if you are a goal setting type)? My main quilting goal is to end 2018 with less UFOs than I started with!!!

P.S. All of the red photos featured today are the work of the generous photographers who use the Unsplash distribution platform. If you would like to use any of these photos (they are all free and without strings attached), or find the talented photographers who took them, head over to my Red Collection here.

P.P.S. Sharing on Crazy Mom Quilts

Would you like to keep in touch with Clever Chameleon and the fun quilty ideas I design as well as find all over the internet? You can follow directly for email updates, or through Bloglovin’, Pinterest or FB. All your follow options can be found here. Thanks for your support!

December 22, 2017January 19, 2024

From the Sewing Room: Water and Hibiscus FMQ

One final FMQ design for 2017 – Water and Hibiscuses (a mini tutorial)

As we rapidly approach the end of the year, I am trying to get the Vanuatu Turtle Quilt done and dusted. One less UFO to carry over to the New Year!

Vanuatu Turtle Quilt top finished at our last check in

So I have used my free time this week, such as it was(!) to piece a backing for this quilt, layer and pin it up and design the quilting.

Vanuatu Turtle Quilt backing — The backing I pieced for the Vanuatu Turtle Quilt

Vanuatu Turtle Quilt pinned — I don’t normally pin at this density….. but some of the fabrics in this quilt are not quilting cottons and have some stretch. I wanted everything to be super secure.

To complete this quilt, I knew I wanted to quilt something curvy……. waves or such like to contrast with the geometric black and white piecing and to evoke thoughts of water. But it needed to be subtle. The black and white graduation in the piecing and the red turtle appliqué are enough major design elements for one quilt. So, quilt something curvy in lightweight grey thread……

I was originally thinking spirals of some description, but as I was piecing the backing, I decided that the hibiscuses on the back were simple enough to become FMQ designs.

hibiscus fabric — The hibiscus motif that is repeated continuously in the main black and white fabric used in the backing.

Working up the Hibiscus FMQ design

My first attempts at drawing the hibiscuses out with a pencil were appalling…..

hibiscus quilting development 1 — Not good….. misshapen clover leaves, anyone?

Hibiscus FMQ design, stage 2 — Repeated attempts became better…. better petals, better stamens, better line flow.

Hibiscus FMQ design — Eventually I got a formula for a single line hibiscus that I liked. Here it is traced out.

At this stage I was still thinking to pair this hibiscus FMQ with swirls, when I decided that perhaps that was going to get complicated and busy, when I expressly wanted simple. So I opted to go with a design I do relatively often which is kind of a sideways elongated stipple…… and looks a bit like the gentle wavy surface of slowly moving water. I’m sure many of you do it too. Like this……

I have started quilting this design onto the Vanuatu Turtle quilt. It is hard to photograph though, as it recedes into the quilt. Only to be observed by the most up-close and observant users. As per the original plan. 🙂

So, if you would like to try this hibiscus FMQ design, here it is broken down into steps for you.

Step 1

Quilt into an open space. Double back to quilt a heart shape. Do not quite close the shape.

hibiscus FMQ step1

Step 2

Repeat the heart shape to create four more petals. The petal shapes can be fairly uneven, as long as they adhere to the rough heart shape and return almost but not right to the centre. The five points at the bases of the petals should sit in a small ring formation.

hibiscus FMQ step 2

Step 3

Quilt a hooked stamen into the space defined by the first petal.

Hibiscus FMQ step 3

Step 4

Create one or two more hooked stamens in the second petal and some flatter stamens in the lower petals. Exit the flower between any two petals.

Hibiscus FMQ step 4

You can download all the steps on a one page pdf here: hibiscus.

I hope you enjoy trying the Water and Hibiscus FMQ motifs at some point, perhaps in 2018. And I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a safe and happy Christmas holiday.

P.S. I was honoured to have a guest post on Days Filled with Joy this week. Joy did a marvellous job with her 12 Days of last minute Christmas gift ideas series, including this glittery bauble variation of the couched thread ornaments we looked at here earlier in December. If you liked the bell, tree and star ornaments, you might like to read about the bauble guest post too.

P.P.S. There has been a marvellous response so far to the Monthly Color Challenge running at Patterns by Jen and the appliqué version that we will be doing right here at Clever Chameleon. If you missed the Beary Colourful BOM news this time last week you can find it here.

P.P.P.S. Sharing on my favourite linkys: Crazy Mom Quilts, Confessions of a Quilt Addict, Busy Hands Quilts.

December 19, 2017January 19, 2024

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Flying Duck Orchid

Duck into the Sunset color scheme from Clever Chameleon

Welcome to the last Colour Inspiration Tuesday before Christmas! Only one more and that’s it for the year!

Yesterday I hinted that I had recently found out about an Australian flower that is even more strange than my Hoya wax flower!

The astonishing little plant in question is Caleana major, commonly called the Flying Duck Orchid.

The Flying Duck Orchid

Have a look at it. What else could it possibly be called?!? I have never seen one of these in the flesh, even though they are reportedly endemic to the areas where I spent my youth. Apparently they tend to go unnoticed due to their small size. And they are not particularly common, being one of about 20 Australian native orchids now being seed banked by the South Australian Botanic Gardens to ensure their future.

Don’t you think this flower is amazing? It looks more like a typcal orchid from the front.

But if its shape isn’t enough for you, its behaviour is fascinating too. Apparently the flower is vibration sensitive and the duck head part moves to trap insects inside the flower for a short period. This is to ensure the insects collect and transfer pollen before they leave. But those poor panicked insects were lured there under false pretences in the first place…. this sort of attention seeking in the plant world is known as being “sexually deceptive”. Oh, the secret sordid lives of sawflies and flying ducks!

Where will the Flying Duck Orchid lead?

I love the sunset colours that I have pulled out of one of Peter Woodard’s Flying Duck Orchid pictures that he has kindly placed into the public domain. At their brightest, Flying Duck Orchids exhibit these rich purple, red brown and peach tones. Of course, there are also the bright greens and yellows in this picture that I could play with.

Another of Peter’s pictures has more muted colours, colours that I also adore.

Flying Duck Orchid colour scheme from Clever Chameleon

I think you might understand when I say that I have my plate full at the moment. We all do, this time of year! But I definitely have to bookmark this idea, as I’d love to make an appliqué version of the Flying Duck Orchid sometime later. A cushion project perhaps.

Or perhaps I could use these colours to make something like this fabulous Migrating Geese quilt by Sandra of Musings of a Menopausal Melon- mmm! quilts. That seems appropriate! Sandra has done a fabulous job of her latest flimsy. Go see!

Before you go….

Just to quell any lingering doubts about whether the Hoya from 2 weeks ago is real……. the flowers do perish eventually. ….

spent Hoya flowers

And there are fresh buds coming. I like these nearly as much as the flowers themselves!

Hoya buds

Wishing you many blessings in the lead up to Christmas and New Year.

December 18, 2017January 19, 2024

2018 Monthly Colour Challenge BOM: Official Launch!!!

It’s Time!

The 2018 Color Challenge at Patterns by Jen has officially launched and all the important details have been finalised. Here at Clever Chameleon we will be joining in with Jen’s colour challenge with the Beary Colourful BOM in Jen’s monthly colours.

This adventure starts very soon, on January 1. Below is everything you need to know that wasn’t included in everything I already told you on Friday…… If you specifically want to be a part of the free Beary Colourful BOM, read Friday’s post as well.

My Fellow Colour Challenge Bloggers

Apart from Jen Shaffer of Patterns by Jen, and myself, there are six other quilt bloggers who are committed to making this whole-year blog hop an astounding success. They are:

Jen of Dizzy Quilter

Sherry of Powered By Quilting

Jen of A Dream and A Stitch

Nancy of Masterpiece Quilting

Joanne of Quilts By Joanne

Diane Cullum of Sewing with D

If in doubt, call us all “Jen” – you will have a nearly 50% chance of being right!!! Lol. As it is, when I tell people my name they sometimes think I said “Jenny”. Dione rhymes with Leonne, but there isn’t a lot of phonetic difference between D and J. And Jeonne sounds wrong, so Jenny it becomes…… In contrast, when I write my name, people read Dion or Diane. So there you have it, an impromptu discussion on why my blog has a random name like “Clever Chameleon”, not something like “Dione Quilts”, You may blame my parents, although Dad squarely blames my Mum. 🙂

Anyway, I digress, and I must get to the best part! Sponsors!

Meet the Sponsors

Jen has done a marvellous job in finding sponsors for this colour challenge. I know for a fact that this challenge blog hop was a fairly last minute idea, but look at this line up of sponsors! Details about which sponsors are sponsoring which months will be forthcoming as they are finalised.

And there is a Grand Prize as well!!

For every month you enter the colour challenge link up at Patterns by Jen, you get an entry for the grand prize. Which is to have your quilt top quilted by Jen of Dizzy Quilter! Not to be confused with Jen of Patterns by Jen……

There are a few conditions, understandably. Your quilt top can be up to 90″ x 90″ (US$202.50 value!), you must provide the backing, 8″ longer than width and length. Batting can be purchased from Jen, for $20, if you like.

Return shipping is included for US residents only. And the quilt will not be trimmed or bound, those services are extra. It is a fantastic prize!

Coming Back to Earth….

Tomorrow we will put aside our Beary Colourful excitement for a bit and have a more traditional Colour Inspiration Tuesday.

Do you remember my Hoya, or Wax Flower? I had a few comments about it seeming so fake. Well, I assure you, not only is it real, but it’s oddity pales into insignificance in light of another Australian flower. The Australian orchid I discovered through our local state Botanic Gardens the other day just cracks me up! But that’s all I’m telling you until tomorrow!

Would you like to keep in touch with Clever Chameleon and the fun quilty ideas I design as well as find all over the internet? You can follow directly for email updates, or through Bloglovin’, Pinterest or FB. All your follow options can be found here. Thanks for your support!