Geometric Kitty: Colour & Inspiration Tuesday

Geometric Kitty colour board from Clever Chameleon

Welcome to Colour & Squirrel Tuesday!

Last night I was sifting through my email inbox and came across a reminder that September is Make Modern Magazine’s birthday month, and that they are throwing a party. And we all know how the Chameleon loves a party, so I thought I should take an evening off the paperwork to join in the festivities.

The result? An orange patchwork cat mini quilt top, and a very small dent in my orange and brown fabric scraps. 😀 The party runs until the end of September, so consider this your invitation! The Chameleon always loves a “plus one”.

Continue reading “Geometric Kitty: Colour & Inspiration Tuesday”

Great Outdoors Quilt Progress and Snow Globe Coaster Winners

Flower Garden quilt by Clever Chameleon

I hope you’ve had a great week and made some progress on something fun

I’ve been working on my latest Island Batik Great Outdoors blog hop quilt and here’s a little look at where I’m up to. This quilt is going to be a large single (twin) bed size and is already claimed, pre-finish, by my daughter.

blank panel in garden quilt

I think I’m going to need some help naming this quilt…. The concept’s changed a little since I started and it’s left me floundering for a good name…… I’m hoping maybe you’ll be able to help me. I’ll tell you the background and where I’m heading, and give you some thinking time. Then, come the 15th August you can let me know your name suggestions to be in the running to win some Island Batik fabric. Continue reading “Great Outdoors Quilt Progress and Snow Globe Coaster Winners”

I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas

three leaf clover quilt block

Yesterday morning it was -5°C outside at breakfast time (23F for you non-metric folks)! Last time I was somewhere that cold, it was Christmas…..

Just to prove how cold it was last night, here is a little tray of water my kids placed out on the verandah last night. Frozen!

frozen water

With the cold weather, and with several Christmas in July blog hops happening around the internet at the moment and very soon, it is hard not to be thinking about Christmas. And more specifically, the Northern Hemisphere Christmas I had two years ago in Germany and Denmark. While a stinking hot Australian Christmas has plenty of unique and wonderful qualities, there are a lot of Christmas traditions that us silly Aussies cling to that make so much more sense in the cold.

So. I am in the mood to quilt something in cool colours to celebrate cold Christmases, in an early preparation for a hot Christmas…. but I can’t tell you exactly what I am making. Not just yet, because the big reveal is on July 24. That is my day on Carol’s Christmas in July hop at Just Let Me Quilt. I can show you some progress though. It might be a secret, but it’s not that big a secret. 🙂

Continue reading “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas”

Three Wishes Monkey Quilt

Welcome to the first day of the “Wish Upon A Star” Blog Hop

Carol at Just Let Me Quilt has organised for you a HUGE treat this week! A supernova of a blog hop, and it all kicks off today. Carol has rounded up 44 quilt bloggers to show you their star-studded sewing projects. Pieced stars, appliqué stars, star-shaped projects, big stars, little stars…. who knows what you are going to find on the Wish Upon A Star blog hop today? And, for that matter, every day this week until Friday! All sorts of fantastic creations, that’s what… and all of them with a star on them somewhere!

Three Wishes Monkey quilt by Clever Chameleon

I get to help kick off this fun week of sparkly goodness today. And since you’re here, that makes it my turn to help you see stars. So, I am showing you a quilt I made for a very special toddler in my life. I made this quilt a while ago, but when Carol announced this blog hop, I knew it was time to share it on the blog. Designed especially for a little boy named Lucas,  it is called “Three Wishes Monkey”.     

Continue reading “Three Wishes Monkey Quilt”

A Vintage Inspired Quilt – Looking back, Moving forward

The Island Batik Ambassador Challenge for April is “Looking Back: Vintage Quilts Inspiring New Creations”.

And I am having a ball. The only trouble with looking back as you’re moving forward, is that you can get tripped up…… and end up down a rabbit hole……..

Looking back logo

So, where to begin?

I can’t possibly tell you everything I have explored under the topic “Vintage Inspired Quilts” lately, but it is fair to say that I wasn’t really sure where to start with this challenge. “Vintage” is a category of quilt that I thought I didn’t like very much. When I think vintage quilt, I immediately think “muted, dull, brown”. Which doesn’t agree with me, nor with my idea of batik quilts.

Do you see what I did there?! I said “I thought I didn’t like vintage quilts”. Past tense. I’m doing that a lot lately, with all the Island Batik challenges. It is doing me much good to be gently stretched!

It turns out that there are some very cool vintage inspired quilt creations out there. Even some Australian flavoured ones. Let me tell you about one I have long admired, and then, about my newest quilt infatuation……

Continue reading “A Vintage Inspired Quilt – Looking back, Moving forward”