Blog

Posted on

Beary Colourful – a monthly colour challenge

Beary Colourful BOM at Clever Chameleon

Introducing the Beary Colourful BOM. Happening right here in harmony with the 2018 Monthly Color Challenge BOM at Patterns by Jen

No new sewing to report today, but I have been working on something that has got me grinning from ear to ear. As I mentioned earlier, Jen Shaffer of Patterns by Jen is running a new quilt BOM next year. It is called the 2018 Monthly Color Challenge, and Clever Chameleon is tagging along.

2018 Monthly Color Challenge

At Jen’s blog. at the start of each month, there will be a free pattern for a pieced block. To participate in the colour challenge, you can make Jen’s block or any project you like in the month’s designated colour. There will be links to other 2018 Monthly Color Challenge bloggers to help you with ideas. Or you can create something completely unique. Near the end of the month there will be a linkup to share your creations. There is rumour of prizes.

I will let you know when Jen’s program launches, so you can rush on over and find out all the details. (Update: The sponsors and Grand Prize have been announced, along with how you can be in the running for the prizes.) In the meantime, I want to give you a heads-up on what will be happening here.

The Beary Colourful quilt option

To support Jen’s project and give you another option for participating in the 2018 Monthly Color Challenge I have come up with an appliqué BOM that follows Jen’s colour schedule. 

On the 1st of each month in 2018 I will be releasing a teddy bear appliqué  in Jen’s colour of the month. These appliqués are designed so that the set can be used to make a child’s bed-size quilt. Each bear also celebrates a life skill that you might like to bless a child in your life with. 

Update: Here are links to the bear blocks as they are released.

First up: Red

January’s designated colour is red. So the red teddy pattern will be first. This teddy is celebrating fresh starts and the courage to try new things. He is stepping out with the intention of improving something or discovering something. He has a butterfly on his tummy to remind him to never fear new beginnings or be ashamed to change his path for the better.

Here he is, hoping you might have someone in your life who needs a beary colourful teddy quilt. 🙂

Beary Colourful BOM logo

How it will work

The bear appliqué patterns will be free for you to download here from Clever Chameleon until the challenge is over. These are intended for your own personal use (of course you may sell your one-off handmade quilt or put it in a quilt show with pattern attribution). However,  I do respectfully ask that if you would like to BOM-along with your friends that you share the links, not the downloaded files. Your glad and sincere support of copyright means that I, and others like me, can afford to keep the fun rolling.

red Clever Chameleon logo

If you would like to join in and make a cute, affirming teddy quilt for someone special (and that includes yourself!!) then I’d love to have you along for the ride very very soon! 2018 is just around the corner!!

Don’t forget to follow the Clever Chameleon to make sure you grab all the bear appliqués while they are yours to have for free. And follow Jen as well to make sure you don’t miss any of the instructions for her pieced blocks or the Color Challenge linkups.

I hope all your Christmas preparations are going along smoothly. See you next week!

Shared at Freemotion by the  River, Wednesday Wait Loss, Midweek Makers, My Quilt Infatuation, 

Posted on

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Blacklight Blue

Blacklight Blue color scheme from Clever Chameleon

Welcome to a short and sweet episode of Colour Inspiration Tuesday

I have been on this blog a lot the last week, so I’ll keep this brief. I was blog binge-reading on Saturday when I came across something I didn’t know, that I wish I had known a long time ago. So I am sharing it with you, on the off chance that you don’t know it either. 

Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Blacklight Blue

One of the quilting blogs I love to keep an eye on is Tamarack Shack. Kathy Schwartz is a longarm quilter way out of my league, and I love the eye-candy that she shares from her professional quilting business. And this week I got an extra helping of happiness from Kathy’s blog…… Kathy shared a quilt marking tip that she had recently realised not everyone knew. Wait for it…….You can see quilters’ chalk on light fabrics under blacklight! Ummmmm, I’m sure you’re excited, right?!

Well, I was excited. I had to know right then, if it was true! I got up off my bottom at once, found my son’s blacklight torch (one of those that comes with invisible ink spy sets for kids) and my chalk wheel. I drew several chalk lines on my Vanuatu Turtle Quilt (because that was what was at hand with white fabric).

Chalk on light fabric
Quilters’ chalk on light fabric

And turned on the torch. 

Quilters' chalk under blacklight
Quilters’ chalk on same fabric under blacklight torch

Now, I think I have mentioned that I don’t really trust marking pens, and avoid using them as much as possible. Now I have a new weapon in my arsenal that gives me an option I do trust.

blue Clever Chameleon logo

Guess what I am asking for for Christmas….. a blacklight of my own….. I have to put this torch back before I get accused by DS, fairly or otherwise, of making it go flat!

If you want to follow this up, the specific post where Kathy shares this tip can be found here. She uses the blacklight on her longarm to see pounce chalk. She also shares about her new design wall – another thing I need to get on top of one day.

Have a lovely week!

Posted on

Vanuatu Turtle Appliqué Finished!

Vanuatu Turtle Appliqué complete

Vanuatu Turtle Appliqué Finished! – A Splash of Color Quilt-Along Update

Done! My Splash of Color Quilt-Along quilt top is constructed. The red border strip is added, the piano key borders are on, and the Vanuatu Turtle appliqué is laid out and stitched down. Both layers. Happy days!

The last time I formally up-dated you on this quilt for the Splash of Color quilt-along, I had all the major pieces constructed and the centre blocks pieced into one unit.

Vanuatu Turtle quilt progress

Then I decided this quilt needed a little push to get it done on time and out the way of some other projects. So I nominated it as my One Monthly Goal for my link up with Elm Street Quilts. By that point I had finished constructing the pieced part of the quilt top and had fused down the aqua turtle appliqué pieces.

Vanuatu Turtle Appliqué stage 1

Since then, I have been working very hard on this project. And now I have finished sewing down the aqua Vanuatu Turtle appliqué layer, fused on the red overlay and just this morning, finished sewing that down too! So, that means my quilt top is finished. 🙂

Vanuatu Turtle quilt top finished

The current link-up for the Splash of Color quilt-along at Busy Hands Quilts requires that I have a finished flimsy quilt top to enter. So we are good to go! With 19 hours to spare! As I pointed out in my One Monthly Goal post, this last minute thing really has got to be wound back a little……

Vanuatu Turtle Appliqué Progress and Process

Anyway, I thought you might like to see some pics of the progress between the last update and the finished top, so here are the highlights.

Vanuatu turtle appliqué layer one
Stitching down the first layer of the Vanuatu Turtle appliqué.
aqua Vanuatu turtle appliqué finished
Aqua layer of the Vanuatu turtle appliqué finished
Vanuatu Turtle appliqué second layer
Laying out the red Vanuatu Turtle Appliqué pieces
Close up of raw edge appliqué
At the moment, my go-to appliqué technique is raw edge appliqué.  Fast and furious for busy mums! I free-motion straight stitch around the edge of each piece 4-5 times to secure them well for everyday use.
Vanuatu Turtle appliqué layer two
This morning…. mild relief as I hit the last appliqué piece.
Vanuatu Turtle appliqué finished
Finished!

Here’s the back. I simply use the batting as the stabiliser for my raw edge appliqué when I can, so currently this quilt has the top and batting layers but no backing.

back of Vanuatu Turtle Appliqué
The back of my raw edge appliqué

Next job…. piece a backing and get this quilted. Any suggestions on a quilting motif? I think perhaps some sort of large simple swirl/wave curl pattern in grey might be in order. I certainly don’t want to add to the complexity of this quilt any further.

Have you seen the other completed quilt tops in Myra’s Splash of Color Quilt-Along? I have enjoyed this exercise immensely and I’m going to get a finished quilt to keep…… Not something that happens at my house very often. I only Start quilts to keep. I usually Finish quilts to give away! Anyone else out there with this problem?!! I suspect I am in good company…… let me know. 🙂

Linking up with: The Quilting Room with Mel, Cooking up Quilts, Love Laugh Quilt, Sew Can Do, Freemotion by the River, Sew Fresh Quilts, Needle and Thread Thursday, Wednesday Wait Loss, Midweek Makers, Confessions of a Quilt Addict, Busy Hands Quilts, 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!
Posted on

Teal Magic Mosaic Challenge

Have you participated in the Toasty Teal mosaic challenge yet?

If not, you still have time. Why not spend a little quiet time this weekend just playing with colours for fun? If your pre-Christmas schedule is like mine you just might need a few moments for a coffee and some colour therapy!

This morning I have done exactly that. I started out with the idea that I wanted to do a really rich purple and teal colour board. As it turns out, I couldn’t find enough purple fabrics that I liked in Bobbie Lou’s Fabric Factory, so my mosaic evolved into this….. More teal and pink. But that’s ok.

Teal Magic fabric mosaic
Teal Magic!

Isn’t it fun? And pretty? And a little bit dark and mysterious, like a walk in the woods in late autumn? I’m calling it Teal Magic.

You know that I like to do things with a twist……

Do you want to know what made me pull this particular collection together? Well, as I was trying to create a purple and teal mosaic I discovered a number of fabrics that have disguised or hidden motifs in them. And I was transported into a world of childhood stories and fairytales – a feeling of mystique and intrigue. So I decided to pursue this mood, and while not everything that I found and loved fit into my nine final picks, I had a wonderful time exploring my memories and these fabrics.

In the end I chose these 9 fabrics for Teal Magic because:

  • the elephants and feathers reminded me of the story of Dumbo. When I was a kid I had “Dumbo” and “The Colour Kittens” on vinyl records, and I loved, loved, loved listening to those read-along stories. (The Counting Elephants fabric is by Dear Stella and Panache in Fresco is by Art Gallery.)
  • Eek fabricSo, once I had the elephants and feathers, I had to have the leaf print called “Eek” by Free Spirit. There is a mouse hidden in those leaves!!! Timothy the mouse was Dumbo’s best friend. But there are also so many other literary and cultural connections between mice and elephants, I wouldn’t know where to start boring you with them. Insert your own favourite(s) here.
  • The hare from the Tortoise and the Hare story is included (I would have loved to add the tortoise fabric as well, but the colours didn’t do what I wanted, so eventually I had to let it go). This collection is by Free Spirit.
  • There are water droplets, lanterns and hidden butterflies to add to the mystique of this collection. These fabrics are: Water Droplets in Aqua by Me + You/Hoffman, Lively Lantern by Cotton + Steel, and Atlas in Amethyst by Free Spirit.
  • unicorn fabricFinally, a good dose of unicorns and birds in the woods. Why is it that woods are full of magic? Then again I suppose,, why not? (The fabrics are Magic Folk by Michael Miller and Illusionist Vine by Art Gallery Fabrics).

Even though they didn’t make the cut, they are still amazing……

snail fabricIn the end there were still no pineapples or snails in my second teal collection, just like the first. Although I admit I was still sorely tempted on both counts. My daughter said I had to have the water droplets fabric, which in the end counted out the snails. Not that she was all that happy about that either….  Rachel, if you are listening, my 9yo wants 10 slots in the challenge, please!!!! lol.

And I am 100% taken by Stone Cold Critters by Free Spirit. Even though it didn’t fit. There are animals hidden in that design! Just too clever!

Stone Cold Critters fabric

Your Turn

So there you have it. A little peek into my slightly dreamy state of mind this morning. Christmas is a time for reminiscing…. it is nice to slow down for a few moments and think back to some of the magic that touched my childhood, teal or otherwise.

Got a few moments to play? You can find the mosaic challenge instructions at Stitched in Color. And the fabrics at the challenge’s sponsor, Bobbie Lou’s Fabric Factory. You have until the 10th to have a play with making an ebundle of your nine favourites under the theme of Toasty Teal. You might even win fat quarters of them all. Good luck!

Posted on

UFO Attack December 2017

December goal

Just this once I am going to be Done. on. Time! Ha! Just to find out what it feels like!
Welcome to My One Monthly Goal with Elm Street Quilts

Well, there is really only one thing to say about late November/early December if you have school age kids in Australia!!! But I suggest you plug your ears first! Here it comes…….. “Aaaaaggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!” 

Thankfully, I believe the worst of the concerts and end of year break-up parties and special excursions and graduations and farewells and etc. etc are done with, and the end is in sight. School is out for the summer in a week’s time….. which will bring it’s own joys and challenges, but also hopefully, more sewing time. I really, really hope more sewing time. Because there are several projects I want/need to get on top of. Which leads me to…..

My One Monthly Goal for December

On the top of my list to finish for December is my Vanuatu Turtle Quilt. Here’s where we were at on the 24th of November.

black and white quilt in progress
Most of a quilt top

And this is where I need to get to by New Year. A completely finished version of this…..

Vanuatu Turtle quilt plan

Some background info in case you are new here….

This quilt is my project for the Splash of Color QAL at Busy Hands Quilts. A quilt along that encouraged everyone to choose their own project, as long as it fit the theme of black and white, with colour highlights. Then it was up to us to keep up with a set of deadlines for quilt construction milestones. 

Currently the milestone on the table is to have a finished quilt top (flimsy).  The whole way along I have been running down to the wire to get each milestone done before Myra’s linky closes. And of course, my current status is no different….. the opportunity to link up a finished quilt top will expire on Monday.

But I am getting there….. yesterday I added the first layer of the turtle appliqué. I was going to sew the appliqué down today but I like to machine appliqué with the batting under it. And the batting I rinsed out last night is not dry this morning…. of course after a record-hot Spring we had showers early this morning………

turtle applique in progress

Anyway, I should be able to get the aqua appliqué layer sewn down tomorrow, and then once the red pieces are ironed  on I am calling this flimsy done.

So that just leaves the finish line…… a completed quilt. The linky for finished quilts opens on the 2nd of Jan 2018. Technically I have until until the 15th Jan to be linked up. But, I hereby declare that I intend to have my quilt done by the 31st of December, thereby being ready BEFORE the last linky opens, rather than throwing my URL under the descending roller door of a rapidly expiring linkup, again! Can I do it? With OMG at my back, anything is possible! 🙂

Why such enthusiasm to get the Vanuatu Turtle Quilt done?!

Good question! Well, I need to put this quilt to bed (so to speak) so I can get on with some new exciting projects for 2018. Otherwise I fear it will end up on my UFO pile.

There are two things that I am currently planning for Clever Chameleon next year that are making me really happy just thinking about them. Both are BOM style projects that will be available for you to follow along with if you wish or to go back to over time. I hope at least one might appeal to you.

Exciting Project 1

The first project is a joint BOM quilt with Joy of “Days Filled with Joy”. We are going to be doing a skill-builder quilt. One that focusses heavily on techniques that you can use to texturise or embellish a quilt. We are still finalising the details, but I can tell you it will be a house block quilt and will start a little way into 2018 after all the New Year dust has settled. This one will be very informal and lots of fun. I’ll keep you posted as we get closer to launching.

Exciting Project 2

I am thrilled about my second big project for 2018  because it will complement my weekly colour board posts very nicely! It is the brainchild of Jen from Patterns by Jen, and involves a monthly Color challenge. This one kicks off on the 1st of January 2018, so not long to go now!

2018 Monthly Color Challenge

Jen is doing a colour challenge BOM quilt project, with free patterns and instructions available to you from her website. She has asked for a small group of quilt bloggers to support her by either making her blocks or something else in her colour of the month. I have opted for the second option and will be doing a Beary Colourful quilt. Twelve appliqué bears in Jen’s 12 colour challenge themes. Oh happy day! This one is making me wriggle with anticipation already!

Red Clever Chameleon logoI will be giving away the instructions for each bear each month on the same schedule as Jen. My aim is to get some of those scraps moving from my sewing room…… want to join in?! I’ll keep you posted on this project as it develops too.

And of course, linking up to One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts! There are a lot of goals linked up this month! Go check it out!

Wishing you all a fabulous December!

P.S. Also linking to Confessions of a Quilt Addict, Crazy Mom Quilts

If you would like to keep in touch with Clever Chameleon and the fun quilty ideas I 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!
Proudly powered by WordPress