No Sewing, but Plenty of Planning
Too busy to sew here… which is Not Good, but I keep telling myself it is only for a season. And hopefully that season is nearly over….. just like the Year of the Pig. The Year of the Rat starts soon, on the 25th January 2020. Which also just happens to be “moving week” for us.
So, I’m still madly doing more urgent things than sewing. But in between the sorting and the packing and the cleaning and the kids’ swimming lessons, I have been planning. And drafting. I mentioned last week that I thought that a Chinese Zodiac/Lunar Year quilt BOM was on the cards…. well I have a first draft of the whole thing, and a bit of a plan. Something to look forward to, to go with all of my other fresh starts. 🙂
The Rat Came First
I’ve had a little bit more of a read around the legends of the 12 Chinese Zodiac animals, and it turns out that the 12 year calendar officially starts with the Rat. So if I was to ever start a Lunar New Year’s quilt, the Year of the Rat seems an auspicious time to do it!
So there will be a rat. A happy forward-looking rat, hoping for a better start to the Lunar New Year than the calendar New Year. With a planned start date in February.
The Ox Comes Next
That is true…
But the Ox gets his proper turn to shine in February 2021 when we enter the Year of the Ox.
So, I figured…. if we run through the lunar animals in reverse order, we will get to the Ox with perfect timing! 😀 February 2021!
And if we do that, it that means we would have patterns for the pig and the dog after the rat to give us our first three blocks like so…..
And so on until we get all 12. Of course, I’m not showing you everything just yet….. I have to leave you with something to look forward to….. and it might still change slighly with fabric availability.
So while I chase fabrics to make my vision of a Lunar New Year quilt, you should see these…..
The Chameleon recommends the Calamari
Lynda of Lynda Heynes Fabric Design caught my eye with her 2019 summary that included lots of textile surface design. Oh, how I wish to drop everything just now and try some soy wax batik printing! This looks delicious, in every sense of the word!
While making Sand Castles
Maggie at Making a Lather is making Bonnie Hunter’s Sand Castles pattern. This looks like an excellent way to bust some scraps!
On a Japanese Beach
Nancy of Grace and Peace Quilting finished her Japanese Jamestown Landing quilt, and it’s a beauty!
Another Bonnie Hunter design, Nancy’s quilt is made from Japanese antique and reproduction indigo fabrics.
We hope you’ve had a good start to 2020, and that it has included more sewing time than mine! Show us what you’ve been up to.
First 2020 Colour & Inspiration Link-up
Tell us – what are you working on, or have recently finished in your sewing room? We want to know so we can visit and be inspired. Link up a blog post, an IG post or simply a photo from your computer. See if you can get the Chameleon to turn quilted with happiness. We’d love to see your quilting colours!
- Link up your latest or recent quilt/sewing excitement. All quilt construction stages welcome – finished quilts, quilt blocks – even fabric pulls! Or inspiration sources!
- You have 50 characters in the link description…. tell us who you are and what your fantastic project is.
- URL links are not necessary to link up…. non-bloggers 100% welcome! If you don’t have a URL, you can link up with just a photo.
- Take a moment to visit some friends who came to the party – leave a little love and make their day. And a link back to Clever Chameleon is always appreciated.
- Do it now……. before you forget!
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!
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You have a lot on your plate. Praying the fires stay far far away from you. Happy New Year.
Wow, moving day isn’t far away! Wishing you a safe journey to your new temporary home! Praying for all affected by the fires and especially the poor animals. It breaks my heart.
You do have a lot to do, it is nice to take it a bit easier….after the end of the year frenzy, I feel like the pace will be more to my liking this year. I am sure you will enjoy your adventure….once you pack up and get going.
Happy New Year to all of you!
I linked a finished Solstice Stonehenge challenge from Northcott fabrics. I finished it in the nick of time, in the evening of the deadline 12/31/2019.
Hi Dione! Ahh, so moving week is two weeks from Saturday. Plenty of time, right?! Yeah, I know – not so much. Not when it involves packing up so much stuff. Love the idea of The Year Of . . . going backward. Very cool! Sending good vibes and calming thoughts your way. ~smile~ Roseanne
Happy New Year!
You know I never thought I would ever say this, but – what a cute Rat!! Oooh, more glimpses of Chinese Zodiac blocks – I love them all! Ending at the Ox sounds perfect.
More importantly, stay safe, we see Australia ever day – and it is both horrific and heart breaking, and besides all the fire fighters, and people, there are all their pets and so much wildlife – I can’t image what it must be like. Hope the move goes really well, and I wish I could send you all a good snow storm to smother all the heat. You are in my thoughts.
Best wishes on your move. I’m doing some animal of the year applique this year, too. Thanks for featuring my Japanese Jamestown Landing quilt! Love seeing the chameleon wearing my quilt!
Good luck with your move Dione – and when you can’t sew, at least you can make your plans – it’s often the best time, and as you say, something to look forward to. All the best.
What a great post! I enjoyed reading this very much. So you have piqued my interest with the idea of a Chinese zodiac project. I can tell you are enjoying the research and preliminary stages. Wonderful stuff!