Happy New Years Eve 2019

Fireworks colour board at Clever Chameleon

A brief moment to wish you well. See you next year!

It is times like these that I am reminded why colours, creativity, quilting, blogging and connecting with people all over the world are activities so important to me. Australia is doing it tough this summer, with devastating fires having now hit every State; several more jaw-dropping tragedies unfolding today, even as I write. It is good to have something positive to be outward looking to, to balance the bad news and heartache a little.

So while I am not really in the mood to party tonight, I am still thankful at the turn of this year. Thankful for personal safety and two healthy kids who are fit to burst at the thought of staying up “all night”, the youngest for the first time (if he makes it through to midnight awake this time, poor kid! lol). Thankful for the magic of colour, and for the inspiration that people generously share on the internet, and for the cross-cultural language of creativity. And also thankful for all the bloggers who have become my internet friends and real life friends, thankful for all the readers who have shared a comment or made one of my quilt patterns, and thankful to Island Batik for helping me find my groove in the past two years.

I am also looking forward to new creativity, with relish, after this bit of forced break. I’m still packing and sorting our yesterdays like there is no tomorrow. All the while actually thinking about “tomorrow”…. and working around the Help, of course!

December 21, 2019January 19, 2024

Enrolling in another PhD – 2020 planning

I already have one PhD, but this one might suit me better!

There are so many things I want to do in 2020, but one thing high on my list is to reduce the number of unfinished objects (UFOs) in my sewing room. I’d like to substantially clear the decks for a fresh start in 2021.

Many of the unfinished quilts against my name are from my early quilting days (2012-2015). I found that once I became an Island Batik Ambassador in 2018 I didn’t have time to get back to many of my pre-existing UFOs. And while that was ok for a time, 2020 is my year to fix this.

To get this done, I have chosen a support crew. You! And Gail of Quilting Gail blog, who has a PhD program…. for Projects Half Done. I probably need to do this program for both my sewing in 2020 and my pattern writing, but let’s just go with sewing for now. The rules are: Finish what you start in 2020, and nominate 12 (or more) already started projects to also finish in 2020.

You are invited to join me in tackling your unfinished sewing projects in 2020. And to take a rare peek into the Chameleon’s sewing past before the blog and Island Batik ambassadorship. There are a couple of newer projects in the mix, but many of them well and truly pre-date my blog.

September 28, 2018January 19, 2024

October is coming……!

Red violet bear appliqué introducing blue violet bear

A quick post to keep you in the loop!

And because if I look busy, someone else might clean the bathroom……

Yeah right! A girl can dream. lol

But October is looming even larger than my bathroom and that means time for another Beary Colourful Bear BOM instalment. The Blue-Violet Bear will be introduced to you over the next few days by his best friend, September’s Red-Violet Bear. Keep an eye on the Clever Chameleon Facebook page for more sneak peeks.

Continue reading “October is coming……!”

July 28, 2018January 19, 2024

Lining Up All My Ducks

lined up yellow-orange ducks

How great was this past week in Quilt Blog Land?!! – so many fabulous Christmas projects, it was hard to know which way to look!

And now it kind of feels like the aftermath of Christmas. All I really want to do is to slump in a corner and digest all the goodies I’ve taken in. But, also true to form, there are things that were neglected in the Christmas frenzy. And then there’s all the new excitement just around the corner….. A bit like New Year 🙂

So, I’m getting all my ducks lined up so you and I don’t miss anything important.

In this post we have:
– reminders about the Teddy Bears’ Picnic giveaway, closing soon
– reminders about July’s colour challenge giveaway, also closing soon
– a heads up about a new tutorial and giveaway here on Monday
– a tease for August’s Beary Colourful Bear
– and a little bonus look at a couple of things I am working on

Continue reading “Lining Up All My Ducks”

February 6, 2018January 19, 2024

Colour Inspiration Tuesday Collection 5

Colour Inspiration Tuesday Collection Number 5

It feels like a really long time since I have put out a Colour Inspiration Tuesday Collection. In fact, it is a long time in the life of a blog…. 12 weeks, with Christmas and New Year and two Beary Colourful Bear patterns and all sorts since then!

Since the last Colour Inspiration Tuesday Collection there have been a lot of people come on board with the Beary Colourful BOM and the Monthly Colour Challenge who may not have explored the dim dark past of the Chameleon. I am truly delighted to have you all join us, and I hope you will also enjoy some of the other ideas that I explore here in between the bears.