Finished with a Day to Spare: Island Batik September Challenge
This weekend I tackled a couple of outstanding projects before the month closed out. My cat DrEAMi mini quilt for the Make Modern birthday celebrations and, more importantly, my Dandelion Dream quilt for Island Batik.
Dream On!
The Dandelion Dream quilt is my design for the AccuQuilt/Island Batik Ambassador challenge for September. The main aims were to make a juvenile-themed quilt with the Block on Board Die supplied by AccuQuilt. I received Cleopatra’s Fan (affiliate link).
You can read all about my struggles and moments of *ahem* brilliance while designing this quilt in a previous post here. I am very pleased with the final outcome. It’s a bit out of the box, but only in the context of the challenge. It is a very doable project – once I settled on the design, the rest was easy thanks to the Cleopatra’s Fan die.
The Dandelion Dream quilt finished at about 55″ x 85″. Most of the fabrics are from a pack of 10″ pre-cut squares of Graphic Gems given to me by Island Batik. The batting is Black 80/20 Cotton/Polyester Heirloom batting given to me by HOBBS Batting. The result is a brillant, bright darkness of quilt colour…. hopefully perfect for a teen. My pre-teen said just today that she loves how the colours shine with the black batting. I love how she noticed! And how she is subtly laying a claim…..
I did a really simple quilting job on this quilt. First, I outlined all the appliqués (both fused and turned type motifs) and then I quilted in sweeping waves from bottom left to top right. I was hoping to add a little movement in the direction of the blown seeds. I used a King Tut cotton variegated thread (#938) by Superior Threads. It’s not very obvious, except up close, but you can see the texture in the angled shots below.
You must be Dreaming!
I was aiming to get this quilt finished before the light ran out today so that I could get some outdoors photos. Maybe even down at the playground, ever the optimist. And I very nearly succeeded, although you can see we are settling for sunset shots in the backyard instead. I did get it bound before dinner, but it’s still getting dark early here.
I also thought it would be fun to get some photos of this quilt blowing in the wind, given the subject matter. It is notoriously windy in Adelaide in Spring. And it always blows when I am trying to get quilt photos; it’s a given.
But, no – deathly calm this evening! This was the most movement I could capture for you.
Here’s a shot of the quilt hanging on my back fence where you can see the quilting lines.
It looks like the ideas and dream seeds are escaping over the fence…. someone nearby is going to wonder why they dreamed quit ideas tonight! 😀
Dandelions have been blooming all winter, but there are signs of spring happening here now too. The sultana vine is shooting.
It is now school holidays, so perhaps in the next few days the kids and I can head down to the park for some recreation and some more kid-themed photo opportunities. But until then, this is my finished challenge for September. Thanks to Island Batik, Accuquilt and HOBBS Batting for pushing me to make ideas that would never happen otherwise. We make a good team, spreading dreams!
And just briefly, the month’s DrEAMi…..
This month I also crammed in a DrEAMi project, as defined by Sandra at mmm! quilts where I am linking up this month. You can find out all about the purpose and process of this patchwork cat pillow in this previous post here. Hopefully you already saw it on Tuesday, I just wanted to let you know it is done, dusted and instagrammed. And I love it. The background fabric is left overs from hubby’s doona cover, but he’ll not be getting it. S’mine. See the binding? I found a yellow, orange and brown batik in fur print in my old fabric stash! Purrrr-fect!
If you want to make your own Geometric Kitty, the pattern is sold as part of Make Modern Magazine Issue 5 (affiliate link). It’s a goodun.
See you in October!
Also linking to Sew Can Do, Free Motion Mavericks and Creations, Quilts, Art, Whatever.
The Chameleon turns rainbow with pleasure when he hears from you. I am more reserved, so I will respond in gratitude by email instead. Now that it’s your turn…. Scroll right to the end, leave me a comment and tell me, what do you think? Thanks for connecting!
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, IG or FB. All your follow options can be found here. Don’t forget to link up all your current quilting projects on Tuesdays at our Colour & Inspiration Linky parties!
I love your Dream quilt! Any chance of selling the pattern?
Oh but your quilt is gorgeous. Makes a person want to dream. Thanks for inspiring.
This is just fabulous! Love that you have stepped totally out of the box with this BOB die!
I have always thought dandelions deserved a design, and I love yours.
so cute!!!!! I love it.
Dione, I love this quilt. I’m right there with your daughter. Wow!
One of my now favorites of your designs!
dream, beautiful, some small dreams floating away, larger ones remembered in the morning. Super colours with the Island Batiks you chose.
Dione, I love this quilt! Who (but YOU!!) would have thought to use this die for cutting out your dandelion?! Great job – and definitely out of the box! Love the colors on the black batting.
Absolutely stunning a quilt make I can only dream of well done
Fabulous design and quilt. Living in town I just don’t see dandelions growing but only the other day I saw some on the side of a road and they reminded me of my childhoood growing up on a fruit property where they grew everywhere and my siblings and I made dandelion chains to wear as necklaces, crowns, etc.
I absolutely love your dandelion quilt! So ingenious!! Thanks for sharing. While you are enjoying the beginning of spring, I am looking anxiously at fall turning to winter sooner than I’d like. Enjoy the warmth as I begin my hibernation period! 🙂
Both the quilt and the cat pillow are wonderful! I don’t blame your preteen for trying to lay claim to the quilt. I would too if I thought I had a chance. 😄
Hi Dione! This is just the perfect quilt to represent youth and childhood wonder. Just this summer, we took Dominic, who wasn’t quite two, on a walk around the neighborhood. We picked a few dandelions and blew the fuzzy head away, and he was just amazed. He touched the soft, fuzzy flower and waved it around and watched them float away on the breeze. This quilt captures that moment exactly. The colors are gorgeous and this is just a happy piece to behold. ~smile~ Roseanne
This is too wonderful! I don’t know how you ever got to the dandelion from that block but you did! Great job and great design.
What an amazing quilt…..just love it. Love the pillow as well.
So creative! I love it.
Hi Dione, your dandelion quilt is lovely. I really like the way that you designed the flower and the blowing seeds. It really looks great. Thanks so much for linking up to Free Motion Mavericks!
I’ve been out of QBL a lot this month and I’m so sorry I missed your tribute to Smoochy and how endearing is he, dunce, and ornery biter and all! How do you keep his coat from turning into huge mats if he doesn’t let you touch him? We had a long-haired white cat that would get a toupée-like mat on his back that he’d allow me to chip (carefully cut) away at over at least a month before I could get it to come off. Happened every spring. I love that pillow! May have to dig up that issue and DrEAMi one of these days soon…. Thank you for linking up.