Category: Applique

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Happy Canadian Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving table top quilt with turkey at Clever Chameleon

Wishing all my Canadian friends a wonderful holiday for the coming weekend

Australians as a whole don’t do Thanksgiving, although many traditional churches do have a low-key harvest thanksgiving service in our late summer or early autumn. But I like thankfulness, and since it’s likely impossible to indulge in too much thankfulness, the Chameleon and I are getting on the Canadian bandwagon today. Happy Thanksgiving for the weekend and Monday, Canadian friends and everyone!

Canadian flag Clever Chameleon

It wasn’t until last year that I became aware that Canada has its own Thanksgiving Day, separate from the American occasion. And then I forgot again. Until I was reminded recently by Ann on Instagram, after I showed previews of my current Island Batik project. And of course, I was also reminded again right here by several friends on Tuesday. So while, I wasn’t initially planning on having this project done in time for Canada’s holiday, I have since become enthused. After all, my Canadian readers might make up only 10% of my views, but easily several times that percentage of my commenters. You Canadians are such a friendly and encouraging bunch, punching way above your comment weight, and for that I am genuinely thankful.

And so it happens, that I have pulled out all the stops to have a Friday, Canadian Thanksgiving, Island Batik Ambassador October challenge finish. If you are not Canadian, like me and 90% of my readers, then today you get to take an extra, small thankful pause for free. And, if you’ve been eagerly awaiting for the turkey’s reverse side since Tuesday, then be extra thankful. Today’s your lucky day! Your wait has been cut very short and you are about to cop an eyeful.

You’re welcome. 😀

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Talking Turkey: Colour & Inspiration Tuesday

Talking Turkey colour board at Clever Chameleon

October’s Island Batik Challenge is “Top It Off”

Top it off button for October's Island Batik challenge

My challenge as an Island Batik Ambassador in October is to: create a holiday runner or table topper, any size; must include appliqué. But don’t you think that’s a bit too easy for the Chameleon? He’s a challenge veteran by now!

So, let’s make it a proper challenge then. Purely self-imposed. Hmmm…… How about also: use the Accuquilt Cleopatra’s Fan die supplied in the July ambassador supplies box; make it juvenile; and choose a culturally irrelevant holiday. That should Top it right Off!

Pieced Cleopatra's Fans blocks at Clever Chameleon for turkey feathers

Hahaha. Sure! Luckily, I have just the thing in mind…. 😀 Remember when I said that I had lots of ideas for September’s Accuquilt challenge, but most of them didn’t meet at least one of the challenge requirements? Well, I wasn’t joking! Several of my designs fit all the requirements, except that they were too small. Luckily for me, a little tweaking and *taa dah*, one of them is now perfect for a small Thanksgiving quilt. Now also known as a table topper! So, I’m making a September’s-reject, decidedly juvenile, Cleopatra’s Fan turkey for October’s Island Batik challenge. One un-adult Thanksgiving table topper, involving appliqué, coming right your way. Brought to you by a confused Chameleon (who doesn’t do Thanksgiving because he’s Australian, but would like to), by a brave Island Batik (who asked for a holiday quilt, but may yet regret it) and poor Accuquilt (who is the innocent victim this time around).

Just remember…. Cleopatra’s Fan is a nice, staid, formal block and you don’t have to abuse it like the Chameleon does! Buuuuuuut, it is fun…… 😀

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Once Upon A Story: Puss in Boots

Puss in Boots applique block by Dione Gardner-Stephen at Clever Chameleon Quilting

It’s Story Time Again!! Once Upon A Story…..

Once Upon a Story blog hop button

…. there were two hardworking and dedicated quilt bloggers, one at Seams to be Sew and the other at Clever Chameleon. Their names were Marian and Dione.

One day, Marian decided to go into the internet forest in search of quilt designers to help create a huge blog hop. A blog hop where there would be a free quilt block pattern at every stop, and lots of prizes too. The theme was to be Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes: Once Upon A Story.

Dione, who spends a great deal of time tending to posts in the internet forest, thought she’d like to be part of this gig. Like all good forests though, this one was full of big bad wolves who tried to deceive and eat her: distraction, too many choices, changes of mind, poor organisation…. But also like all good fairy tales, the heroes won in the end. After much deliberation, Puss in Boots was the pick from her list of favourite fairy tales and nursery rhymes. The block was made, the pattern written and the post is up. The Chameleon slayed all the big bad wolves and Dione lived happily ever after…..

Welcome to my stop on the Once Upon a Story Row Along!

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Love with a Twist: Excellent Elephants

Excellent Edward Elephant balloon appliqué from the Love with a Twist series by Dione Gardner-Stephen of Clever Chameleon

It’s only fair….

Rabbit appliqués for the Love with a Twist quilt along at Clever Chameleon

Do you remember a while back, how we had a mummy rabbit and her baby for Love with a Twist for Mother’s Day? So it seems only fair that we have a Love with a Twist daddy and his baby for Father’s Day too. Not more rabbits, though. That would be asking for trouble…. 🙂

Father’s Day?!? Yes, I know that most of the world celebrates Father’s Day in June… but there are a few outliers, and Australia is one of them. Father’s Day in Australia (and New Zealand, Fiji and PNG) is the first Sunday in September. Which this year, was September 1st. Unfortunately I was not ready to go with this block on September 1st, or even later in that week. And it was Royal Show Week anyway. But it is still September, and I am ready now, so let’s do this! If you’d prefer to come back and read this post on Father’s Day….. try October 6, apparently it’ll be Father’s Day in Luxembourg. 😀

Elephant appliqués for the Love with a Twist quilt along at Clever Chameleon

This elephant duo (Edward and Ellie) is our first option for Block 10 of the Love with a Twist quilt along. You need both elephants to make this long thin block, but they come as individual downloads. So make sure you get both of them.

A very smiley crocodile will be our second option for Block 10. The Croc is currently in my schedule for Tuesday…. that’s the 31st of September, right? Right….. I did say I wasn’t going to be slave to the calendar on this quilt along, let’s show it who’s boss! Anyway…. keep reading today to download your two elephant pdf patterns and find out how to put them together.

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