Dancing a Jig to a little Ditty: Colour & Inspiration Tuesday

Ditty fabrics from Island Batik colour scheme at Clever Chameleon

Introducing Ditty

Ditty is the name of one of Island Batik’s latest fabric releases. The colours are as cute as their name… Kind of a pastelly sunset. Actually, I don’t easily recognise them as pastels but I guess that is what they really are, since they are nowhere near colour-saturated. Is there such things as bright pastels? If there wasn’t, there is now.

I received 10″ precut squares of Ditty and two pieces of yardage from the collection in my Island Batik Ambassador allowance. I hope you have been following along and already know what I am making from some of it…. but let’s have a look in more detail. And I will show you what is in the parcel Accuquilt sent me too as part of the Island Batik Ambassador program. Of course it arrived the instant I stopped waiting for it…. that is the way it always works, right?! Right.

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Marvellous Minis with Island Batik

Year of the Pig appliqué by Dione Gardner-Stephen at Clever Chameleon

Happy New Year of the Pig 2019

February is Mini Quilt Month in the Island Batik Ambassador calendar: “Create a mini quilt 24″ x 24″ or smaller, any technique” is the challenge we’ve been given. Minis are a great way to try a new technique, or explore resource/time intensive projects on a doable scale. Or to commemorate an occasion or holiday. Like the Lunar New Year. For my first 2019 Ambassador challenge I decided to make something to mark Chinese New Year. Happy New Year of the Pig!

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New Lunar Year, New Ambassador Year, New Fabrics, New Colours!

Fabric colours for 2019 at Clever Chameleon Quilting blog

Happy Chinese New Year 2019

Today, Tuesday February 5th, is Chinese New Year and also my 1st Island Batik Ambassiverary. 2019 is Year of the Pig and in the next few weeks we will have several cute piggy appliqués on the blog to celebrate. But first, we get to herald in the New Lunar Year with Colour & Inspiration Tuesday. The Chameleon thinks this is a very good sign for 2019!

pig sculpture
The bronze pig sculptures in our Adelaide CBD. This little piggy is my favourite.

And today is not just any Colour & Inspiration Tuesday either. It is none other than the first opportunity in my blogging calendar for me to share with you about the 2019 Island Batik Ambassador year. If you read on, you will see that we going to have a lot of batik fun here this year! And there is also one major change in the program from last year, that I hope you will like.

As on previous occasions, there is also one set of pre-release fabrics in my new samples from Island Batik that is concealed for now. But I promise you, you are going to love my surprise fabrics come August. And I can let slip a little something about them today……. Shhhhh, don’t tell though, it’s our secret.

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Love with a Twist Balloon Dog

Dippy Balloon Dog is the second of our appliqué blocks for the Love with a Twist quilt along. He is a loveable, friendly character with adorable big floppy ears. Awwwww.

Dippy dog, balloon dog appliqué designed by Dione Gardner-Stephen and available free at Clever Chameleon Quilting during 2019.

There are two downloads in this post – make sure you get them both

In this post you will find a downloadable pdf for the shapes and layout to make this charming balloon dog. And a short pictorial on how the parts go together too.

There is also a second downloadable for people wanting to make the dog for the twin size version of the Love with a Twist quilt. For the original throw size quilt design, Dippy Dog faces right. However, because of where he sits in the twin size quilt, I preferred him to face left. It is totally up to you which orientation you prefer.

To allow you to chose your favourite orientation, I have added a layout file for the left-facing dog in addition to the full pattern for the right-facing pooch. To make the left-facing version you will have to reverse all the appliqué shapes before you trace and cut them. Don’t worry, I will remind you at the download button.

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Those Crazy Aussies: Colour & Inspiration Tuesday

Jacana colour scheme by Clever Chameleon

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Oi, Oi, Oi!

This past weekend was our national holiday long weekend, with Australia Day on Saturday (the 26th and a Monday public holiday). So it only seems fitting to have a look at a few things uniquely Australian today.

Koala tangram appliqué at Clever Chameleon

The bird in our colour board today is a jacana. Like all Australian animals it is a little on the unique side, verging on eccentric. A bit like the critters on my Wild Things quilt. And it occurs to me, I never did get around to posting photoshoot pictures of my finished Wild Things Australian Tangram quilt from December, did I? So, since it’s on topic, let’s do that today too.

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