Northcott Fabrics Archives - Clever Chameleon Quilting

September 29, 2020January 19, 2024

Too Coo’ for School: Colour & Inspiration Tuesday

Pigeon patchwork block colours at Clever Chameleon

School’s out for a fortnight. Time to play!

The Chameleon’s on Term break. The Arkaroola “school house” is closed. The tables have been reclaimed as sewing spaces. It’s time to catch up on some sewing, writing and other activities that have been on the backburner so long that they might just have mutated into new life forms.

To celebrate, I’ve started with sewing the next batch of blocks for my Garden Party quilt. Did you catch last week’s quilt blocks in the “It’s A Garden Party” row along and blog hop? I released my fun pigeon/bird bath block amid another flurry of amazing patterns, this time for cardinals, frogs and turtles, hexie flowers, fall leaves, a cactus garden, inspirational pillows, pinwheel flowers, octopuses and even a floral vine block.

Since then I’ve been collating printouts like crazy, and making all sorts of impossible decisions. Will this block fit? Does it suit? Can I squeeze it in? How should I balance the colours? You know, world changing stuff.

I’d like this quilt to turn out well, so I have actually spent a fair bit of time deliberating. I’ve got to make my sewing time count at the moment. So far, I’ve managed to incorporate eleven patterns into my small quilt and I think I have space for three or four more. In the end I will have used about one third of the Garden Party block options, although not all in their full form. Not bad going for a small lap quilt, I think. I estimate you’d have to make a queen size to use all the terrific patterns in this year’s row along!

Come on, let’s see what fun designs are on offer this week! I’m sure I can squeeze one or two more in!

September 24, 2020January 19, 2024

It’s A Garden Party Row Along!

pigeon in a bird bath paper pieced quilt block designed by Dione Gardner-Stephen of Clever Chameleon

Welcome to Day 6 of the “It’s A Garden Party” row along!

Please excuse the pigeon. He says he’ll be with us in a moment.

Once a year Marian of Seams to be Sew hosts an amazing event – a huge row along where lots of designers come together on one project. This year we have each designed a garden themed block for you to collect – mix and match them into a project that you love!

If you follow along with this event, you will find lots of beautiful gardening blocks, flower blocks, garden produce blocks and fun critters to choose from – some of which you might even prefer on a quilt than in your actual garden! And there are prize draws too. Come join the party, try out your luck in the prize draws, and collect your free copy of my block pattern today: Garden Bath Joy.

May 26, 2020January 19, 2024

Yellow Butterfly Hijinks: Colour & Inspiration Tuesday

Yellow Butterfly Hijinks colour board at Clever Chameleon

The little blue flower that started a neighbourhood dispute…..

Or was it the yellow butterfly? Or someone else entirely…..?

Watching the local pollinators compete, you would be forgiven for thinking that flowers are scarce in Arkaroola right now. Which, I think you probably get the idea: they are not. The cooler weather, plus the months elapsed since our big rain, has resulted in a bloom of both flowers and insects. Wanted and otherwise.

But apparently some flower locales are more desirable than other blooming addresses. Even within the best Cattle Bush Restaurants there appears to be premium tables where the best-dressed socialites wish to be seen hanging. The freshest nectar. The showiest location….. or perhaps just a good old fear of missing out? Whatever the reason, the competition out there for specific dining experiences is fierce right now. And, for a butterfly of quiet disposition, eating out is not quite as simple a task as you might expect!

Come sit in a dry Arkaroola creek bed with me and watch the locals fight it out for a feed. Not everyone was as yellow as these guys either. Size and brawn both still count for something when you want your own way, apparently.

After the cheap amusement, we can quickly detour past my sewing room, although most of what I’ve done there this week has to stay secret for a bit longer. No Lunarcy this week, something entirely different- my very first paper-pieced pattern! Ha, you didn’t see that coming, did you? Actually, that makes two of us.

And then join me to find out where some of the best hangouts on the quilt-net were this week. Warning: humble brag forecast this week is for a high chance of self-promotion. 😀

October 3, 2019January 19, 2024

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…..

…. 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!

September 12, 2019January 19, 2024

Once Upon a Story: The Pied Piper

The Pied Piper quilt block by Ursula Prandtstetter

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

…. there was a hardworking and dedicated quilt blogger at Seams to be Sew. Her name was Marian.

Marian’s idea was a huge success. Five years later it was still going strong. It turns out that the internet forest is full of keen designers, quilt magic and readers who like quality prizes. But it also transpires that not all keen quilt designers are bloggers. So what to do? Easy! Make a wish, impose on your local Fairy Godmother, and get a Chameleon to pose as someone else! Consequently the Clever Chameleon is hosting a special guest for the Once Upon a Story hop today, and the guest’s pattern downloads too. The Chameleon is so happy he’s doing the happy lizard dance!

So, just for today, the Clever Chameleon has a new identity. Er ist sehr aufgeregt! Please allow me to introduce Ursula Prandtstetter from Austria. Ursula has written you a pattern for Once Upon A Story to celebrate the Pied Piper (Rattenfänger) tale. This story is traditional to her hometown of Korneuburg. What a terrific connection to this year’s theme! And Ursula’s pattern is available in both English and German – that’s dedication. Read on to find out Ursula’s story, collect her pattern and enter for today’s prize draws. Enjoy!