Valentine’s Hearts, Project 70273 and the Monthly Colour Challenge! January has been inspiring!
January is drawing to a close and it’s time to link up!
Did you make something in red for January? If you did, don’t forget to link it up at Patterns by Jen for your chance at this month’s Color Challenge prize and an entry into the grand prize draw. You do not need a blog, you can just upload a picture of your project directly from your computer. The only thing you must have is a valid email address. Jen has also added instructions for linking via Instagram if this is your sharing platform of choice. And she has offered to help with any other linking issues you might have, so don’t leave it until the last minute…… we want to see your work!
Remember, this is what you are playing for this month….. A pack of 2.5″ strips from January’s sponsor, Northcott. You have until January 31 to enter.
In Other News: Valentine’s Heart Blocks
Hopefully you might remember – all the talk about red this month gave me an idea for my first Craft Room De-Stash Challenge project. I decided to use up my red scraps by making a scrappy appliqué heart quilt. This week I have been fortunate enough to have had enough sewing time to finish my 12 heart blocks for this quilt. If you are after a scrappy project for Valentine’s Day, you can find my tutorial for this block here.
In the spirit of continuing to destash, I also used up a pile of small scraps of fusible adhesive to make these blocks. Did you know that large appliqué shapes that don’t need adhesive in the centre are great for using awkward bits of fusible adhesive?
Using up those annoying bits of fusible adhesive – a quick How To:
Firstly, trace your appliqué shape onto baking paper (parchment paper). Lay your appliqué fabric flat, with the reverse side up, and cover with your baking paper template.
Colour Inspiration Tuesday – where we intentionally let real life creep into our quilts.
When we were talking about the colour red a few weeks ago, I discovered that I have not yet done a blue and red colour scheme for Colour Inspiration Tuesday. So, with Australia Day coming up on the 26th January, now seemed like a good time to fill in this gap in our quilt inspiration musings.
As you have probably gathered by now, I am proud to be Australian and call this beautiful land my home. I especially love the Australian Outback, and we travel there at least annually. And I am constantly fascinated by our wildlife and our flora – so different to much of the rest of the world. So much quilt inspiration just in my little corner of the world!
“Who are you calling strange?!! Ok…. the platypus – he is a bit odd.” Photo by Ewa Gillen on Unsplash
I was very excited when I found the picture of the red rocket sculpture on Unsplash. You will find out next week why! Actually, I couldn’t believe how well this picture lines up our next bear for the Beary Colourful BOM. Remember, we are doing the Blue Bear of High Hopes in February. So it was a cinch to choose this pic to focus my thoughts around red and blue as a quilting colour scheme. What’s more, January has been a fun month of exploring red. But I am now itching to get to February to do it all again with blue. A red and blue colour scheme seems the perfect way to celebrate this transition.
Red and Blue – such simple colours, such rich diversity
As I was musing upon red and blue, and my thoughts were turning to Australia Day and our flag, I wondered how many other flags use the same colour scheme. Flags for the USA, New Zealand, Great Britain and France come to mind in an instant, but it turns out there are so many more….. Here’s just a few that I didn’t know or didn’t know well enough to recall without help.
Slovakian FlagSamoan FlagFlag of CambodiaIcelandic Flag
BTW, If you are ever looking for flag graphics, I found a great site that has royalty free downloads of many…. including some pirate flags! 🙂 It’s called Flag Lane. Anyway….
How was I inspired by Red Rocket Blue?
Well, I know that red, white and blue quilts become very popular around July for US Americans. But where could we go with this colour scheme for the rest of the year…. or for us of other nationalities at any time? Because blue with red is a great colour scheme for a boy’s bedroom, regardless of your place of birth.
I have seen some amazing nautical-themed quilts in red, white and blue. And of course, the basic rocket shape of Red Rocket Blue would in itself make a great block. But what about flags as quilt blocks? According to Wikipedia, there are 38 countries that have flags considered to fall into this tricolour category – although some on their list have extra colour motifs. Even if you exclude these, there are a lot of options. And then there are red and white flags, and blue and white flags that would also fit right into a red, white and blue quilt.
So It wouldn’t be difficult to pick a few interesting flags and make a diverse quilt that reflects a collection of countries you are interested in.
My Blue, Red and White Flag Picks
For instance, if I was making a blue, red and white flag quilt, I would likely choose Australia, New Zealand, USA, Denmark, Thailand, Samoa, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, Scotland and France purely on the basis of having been there or having some connection with that country that is important to me. Then I could add in a few that I think that have cool flags or I would like to visit….. Canada, Cook Islands, Iceland, Slovakia, Greenland, Nepal, Antarctica. The list could go on. As you can see, I have stretched the definition of “country” already, but you could add in states or territories or causes that mean something to you as well. I was tempted to add the Red Cross, since we work with some amazing Red Cross people through my hubby Paul’s research.
Here is my off-the-cuff design for a boy’s flag quilt that would have significant meaning for my family, with a few extra flags thrown in for visual interest.
Which countries would you put on a flag quilt to represent your family’s history or experiences? Of course, there is no need to restrict yourself to a single colour scheme for this exercise. I just chose to to stick with today’s colour discussion. As it happens, most of the countries that have special meaning to me are on the red, white and blue list. But that is purely coincidental. Germany and Vanuatu are two countries not on this quilt design that are also part of my family’s recent journey. If I was making a multi-coloured project, I would definitely add them in!
P.S. Picture Credits
The Red Rocket photo was supplied by John Baker on Unsplash.com.
Welcome back to Colour Inspiration Tuesday! Today we are exploring a new FMQ mini tutorial “She’ll be Apples”.
Last week I was suddenly inspired to quilt my next charity quilt. I’ve had the pinned quilt in my possession since before Christmas, but I always knew it wasn’t going to get touched until January. Partly because December is a ridiculously busy time of year, and partly because it wasn’t “speaking to me”. In fact, it was confusing me slightly…. apples and roses on one side, autumn leaves, nuts and berries on the other. I quite like both sides, but struggled to choose one quilting theme to make sense of this quilt.
Here is the charity quilt before quilting….. I nominated it as my January One Monthly Goal.
After musing over this quilt for some time, on and off, and getting it out several times and putting it away again, inspiration finally struck. I was in a right-brain kind of mood and scrolling through photos on Unsplash over a coffee when I spotted the picture of apples I have used on today’s mood board. And it all somehow just fell into place. I *just knew* I had to quilt apples, but not just any apples. Apples with a little bit of cheeky thrown in!
The “She’ll be Apples” FMQ Motif
I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and started doodling. First I started with a continuous line apple motif.
Then I thought, what if the apple has a bite taken out of it? Well, that’s easy.
And it’s no more trouble to take several bites, is it?
But what if the apple has a worm in it? A friendly worm, of course!
And of course, I couldn’t resist…… The worm and the bite combination! This one’s for my daughter, who is at that age where one of her favourite jokes is “What’s worse than finding a worm in your apple?” “Half a worm…..” Hahahaha Snort. Oh the joys of childhood! Anyway, I was mostly well behaved….. I only put this combo on the quilt once. And I did overrule my daughter’s request for the apple and half a worm motif…..
She’ll be Apples Quilting in Real Life
Here are some pics of the quilting up close, and of the little charity quilt all done. Sorry, the quilting does not show well – which is exactly how I wanted the quilt to be, but it is excruciating to try to photograph.
Apple FMQ motifThe apple with a bite FMQ motifApple core motifThe apple with a friendly worm motifAnd the one instance of an apple with both a worm and a bite
It didn’t take very long to quilt this little lap quilt. Once I had got the hang of the basic apple shape, I found quilting these to be quite quick and easy. In fact, I had the whole thing finished before I realised that there is another apple variation that I could have added. The half apple. No matter, I will save this idea for another day.
If you would like to give the apple motifs a go, I have made you a printable reference page, which you can download here: She’ll be Apples pdf
And here is the finished quilt. The quilting has made it crinkly and cuddly. 🙂
So, that’s my January One Monthly Goal done and dusted! I promised you I’d had a lot of fun with it!
I hope you have enjoyed this little project and might put some apples on a quilt soon. My daughter is currently requesting apples on the Regatta Quilt I am making for her. Yes, complete with a half-worm apple. It’s not what I had in mind at all……. the big question is…. “How old will she be before such a thing becomes “cringe-worthy”?” The Regatta Quilt is supposed to take her forward into her teens. Then again, maybe I should just do it. Kids are not young for very long. are they? And there’ll be plenty more quilts. Thankfully there is still some thinking time on this until I get to the quilting stage of the Regatta Quilt. I’ll see what she thinks when I actually get that far.
P.S. Photo Credits
The photo which sparked the apple motifs was supplied for free by Marina Khrapova via Unsplash. You can find this photo, as well as many others I have used for Colour Inspiration Tuesdays here. They are all available for free for you to use in your own projects however you wish.
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 or FB. All your follow options can be found here.
From the Sewing Room – Valentine’s Heart Quilt Block and a De-Stash Challenge
Do you want ideas and motivation to use up some stash and/or scraps from your craft room? You are not alone! Come join us in the Craft Room De-Stash Challenge – a group of bloggers committed to turning some of the craft supply lovelies we have hoarded into finished items. Of course, my projects are likely to all be fabric related, but this is a diverse group of crafters. So there will be lots of ideas in this hop to deal with whatever crafty skeletons you have hiding in your closet!
Every month a group of bloggers are challenged by C’mon Get Crafty to create a new craft or project from their own stash of goodies! Check out some awesome creations you might be able to make from your own stash! #CraftRoomDestashChallenge
Really Dione, another project?!
Well, yes….. and no……
At the beginning of the year I stated that one of my goals was to reclaim my sewing space. And I have come to realise that part of that goal is going to have to be using up or moving on some of my stash. Like lots of quilters, I have a significant fabric stash, and a similarly rampant collection of scraps.So, joining in with this monthly hop (when I can) is actually one of the tools I am using to make this happen.
I suppose there are faster ways to reduce my stash…… But I bought and collected my resources because I like them. So I’d really rather take things to their intended conclusion and use them. What better way than to make some projects with the mentality of ONLY using stash?
Valentine’s Heart Quilt Block
For my first De-Stash Challenge project, I have decided to make a scrappy-heart quilt block. With Saint Valentine’s Day still a month away, you have time to make this block and turn it into a small Valentine’s Day project…. a pillow perhaps, or a lap quilt. This block with a border added would be a good size for a throw pillow. Or a dozen of these with a little sashing would make a nice lap quilt for someone you hold dear. I intend to eventually make a quilt with at least 12 of these, and probably some scrappy pieced blocks in between, so that the project uses a noticeable amount of stash! Probably not by Valentine’s Day 2018 though…..
Here’s the fabric I am using for my block background. I have just enough in my stash for 12 pieces of 11 inches square.
How to create your Scrappy Valentine’s Heart Block
Step 1
Iron your red fabric scraps. Choose two scraps with straight edges (or trim to straight edges) and sew them together with a 1/4″ seam. Press.
Trim the joined pieces so that you have at least one new straight edge. It doesn’t matter which edge. The less you think about the crazy improv piecing the better!
Step 2
Choose a third scrap of red fabric and sew to the trimmed edge of the previously joined fabrics.
Three red scraps pieced together
Again, press and trim off excess to create a new straight edge. Continue this crazy patchwork piecing until you have a piece large enough to cover the appliqué template.
The red crazy patchwork is growingThe red crazy patchwork is still growingEnough red crazy patchwork cover the Valentine’s Heart template.
Note: you can build the crazy patchwork in several smaller pieces and join these together to get the final larger piece if you wish.
Step 3
Trace the heart shape onto the paper side of the fusible adhesive. Cut out with a little to spare around the outside of the shape.
To keep your appliqué from being stiff, remove most of the fusible adhesive from the centre of the heart shape. Leave about 1 inch around the outside edge of the heart.
Step 4
Fuse the heart-shape adhesive ring to the back of your crazy patchwork as per manufacturer’s instructions. Trim your heart to the outline.
Heart appliqué with fusible adhesive around the edge of the shape but not in the middle to keep the project soft.
Remove the paper backing and fuse your Valentine’s Heart to the centre of your backing fabric square. The minimum size for the backing square is 11 inches square, but you are welcome to make your blocks larger with more negative space around the heart.
Scrappy Valentine’s Heart fused to background fabric
Step 5
Use your favourite appliqué stitch to secure the heart to the backing.
Finished Valentine’s Heart Block
One scrappy Valentine’s Heart block done.
I have enough of the butterflies batik background fabric in my stash for 12 heart blocks. I may vary the appliqué heart pattern between some of my blocks. Then, as I mentioned above, the rest of the quilt top will be scrappy squares.
The backing will also come from stash, and I also intend to use my growing pile of batting offcuts. It will be a bit of a Franken-quilt, but it should be sweet, and very usable, and require no new purchases (with the possible exception of binding, which I can probably obtain within the $10 limit).
You are invited…. Join us in De-Stashing your Craft Room.
Welcome to Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Where we always find something interesting to inspire a quilt!
A couple of weeks ago, Paul and I took the kids to see the Christmas lights display at the local brewery. The display is a bit of a South Australian icon, and has been running for 58 years. The link I have supplied gives quite a good overview of the event, if you would like to see it. Like many other Adelaide locals, I do very much like our brewery lights display. But this year the take-home memory was actually a little plant growing in the council strip nearby.
Colour Inspiration Tuesday: Lovely Leucadendron
Many years ago, my mother grew lots of Australian natives and other plants that thrive in similarly poor, dry soil. Among the non-natives that my mother grew were quite a number of leucadendrons. So I tend to notice leucadendrons on my wanderings. But I have never seen one like this before!
I was struck by the beauty of this small bush, perhaps only 40cm high. Oh, the colours…. like a dusky sunset! I have called this colour scheme “Lovely Leucadendron”. Maroon stems, green and aqua lower leaves, graduating through lavender and lilac, peach, orange to yellow-green at the top of each stem. Once those yellow leaves open up there will be an insignificant flower cone in the middle. But it is the leaves that this plant is usually grown for. You can see why!
A Lovely Leucadendron Quilt?
If I was challenged to make a quilt inspired by this plant, it would have to be a string quilt. One with long thin-ish pieces like the strappy leucadendron leaves. It would be a scrap-busting quilt. And of course, made in the colours of the “lovely leucadendron”. After all, it was the colours that stopped me in my tracks in the first place!
If you arrange the string blocks like this you get leucadendron stems. Or peacock feathers….. 🙂 That’s ok, I like both. You could graduate the colours through the same sequence as the real-life bush, or just scatter them randomly…..
Lovely Leucadendron quilt idea
These colours would also be great on the Regatta Quilt (currently featuring in Home Sewn with Us’s no pressure sew along). I have started my Regatta Quilt. It’s not being made in these colours though. I had an orphaned jelly roll which has finally found its destiny. More about that in a day or two.
Are you joining in the 2018 Monthly Colour Challenge? I have seen a few Red Bears popping up in social media this week. You have no idea how happy it makes me to know that people are actually making my red bear pattern,. I’ll round up a few I/ve seen in a post for you later in the week. They are all different and it is amazing the variation in techniques and tweaks that have surfaced so far. What a clever bunch of quilters you all are!
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 or FB. All your follow options can be found here. Thanks for your support!
I was very excited when I found the picture of the red rocket sculpture on Unsplash. You will find out next week why! Actually, I couldn’t believe how well this picture lines up our next bear for the 
Not into dusky rainbows?! Perhaps you’ve been