Lunarcy Quilt: Year of the Pig Block Release Day
Another day, another dose of Lunarcy!
Ha! Ain’t that the truth?! Just for something different though, it’s the good kind of Lunarcy scheduled today – we are moving on to the next block of the Lunarcy quilt. Since we are working backwards through the Chinese zodiac (to arrive at the Ox on Chinese New Year 2021), our new block is the Pig. In the zodiac legend, the Pig finished last in the Emperor’s race. There are various versions, but one common story is that the Pig got hungry, had a feast – and the inevitable post-lunch nap – and barely made it to the finish line in time to be part of the zodiac calendar at all.
But for all that, the Pig is one of the most positive Zodiac animals – being seen as a figure of prosperity and good luck. People born in the Year of the Pig are said to be diligent, compassionate, generous, calm, happy, easygoing, honest, trusting, educated, sincere and brave. It seems there are much worse things you could be than a pig.
Especially a pig this happy!
Delve into the blog today to grab your copy of the Lunarcy Pig appliqué pattern. I hope you enjoy it. I also have more Outback Spring photos and the first block of a new quilt project I am working on for Show and Tell. And of course, lots of fun in our weekly linky.
At Arkaroola lately – Spring Green
I promised you recently that I would show you some of the changes recent rain brought to Arkaroola. So, here’s a view of our backyard earlier in the year and the same view this afternoon for comparison.
If you go into the creek beds and other sheltered spots, the recovery is even more marked. Along the creeks there are now big flocks of green budgerigars. My son calls them “budgie storms”…. a few birds is a “shower”; right up to large flocks earning the monikers of “budgie hurricanes” and “budgie cyclones”. I have conceded the aptness of his naming system – a sudden fly over of a large flock of these small birds is surprisingly loud. Even the long term locals are impressed with the size and spread of the current budgerigar population.
In the creekbed that runs past our house I recently found a native hollyhock (something which I did not know existed!). I also found the very pretty Ashy-haired Swainson-pea (Swainsona tephrotricha), a less showy and less common cousin of the red Sturt Desert Pea.
Closer to the house…
…. the Sturt Desert Peas that germinated in February are now finally flowering. And we have our first Sturt’s Desert Rose (Gossypium sturtianum) flower from plants that also germinated in February. It probably won’t surprise you once you’ve seen them to be told that Gossypium are closely related to Hibiscus.
Occasionally the ringneck parrots visit the Emu bush (Eremophila sp) just outside the window of our schooling area. Drives the cat bonkers, and I don’t think it’s lost on them! They keep a good eye on us.
And if that wasn’t enough strain on Mew’s mental health, a flock of Little Corellas has recently been hanging around to eat the seeds that are now starting to fall from all the groundcovers. Generally the corellas spend most of their time foraging on the ground or squawking high in the trees, but this particular bird sat on the fence and fiddled with this stick for absolutely ages….. you could almost feel his disappointment when he dropped it, although he declined to retrieve it and moved on instead.
Inside the house…
… there is some mental health sewing happening. I decided a while back that I needed a project that did not need any planning or any follow up… all the hard work done so I could just sew in between schooling and other commitments.
So, I chose a sweet pattern by Suzy Meyers at Suzy’s Artsy-Craftsy Sitcom called Esmeralda’s Garden. I have long admired Suzy’s whimsical and fun appliqué designs, and decided to finally commit to one of her latest sew alongs. Although in true Chameleon Chaos style, it is not really happening here in the order Suzy is releasing it. Here is my first finished block – my version of Suzy’s mouse block, which I think is block #2.
Suzy usually has several BOMs going on that are free in the month they are released and then purchasable from her shop. I highly recommend having a look around her site.
Now to today’s main event – the Lunarcy Pig
If you were born after Lunar New Year in 2019, 2007, 1995, 1983, 1971, 1959, 1947 or 1935 etc the Pig is your Chinese Zodiac animal and today we are releasing your tribute block.
Part Four of the Lunarcy Quilt pattern is available to download via the button below. This new pdf supplies you with all the appliqué templates you’ll need to create the Year of the Pig appliqué and his Chinese lantern.
This quilt pattern is very kindly supported by Island Batik, who supplied all the fabrics to me for the sample. The fabrics I used are detailed in the pattern, and are all from their Foundations Basics and Blenders collections. This means that if you wish to use any or all of the same, they are still available through your favourite Island Batik stockist.
Year of the Pig download
**** It is really important that you print this pdf at 100%, otherwise your pattern pieces will be the wrong size for the quilt blocks. Turn off any “fit to page” options in your printer dialog and ensure that the printout size is set to 100%. There are check boxes supplied in the document. If your printout is successful, these will measure 1″ square. The document is designed to fit on US Letter and A4 paper. ****
Inside the Year of the Pig pdf you will find the templates for the Pig and his lantern, and also an appliqué placement key. The placement of the blossoms is given as a suggestion, but feel free to add as many or as few as you’d like.
The next release will be the Year of the Dog appliqué.
The Lunarcy Quilt measures 75.5″ x 94″ and is designed for a single/twin bed. Part 1 of the pattern lists the fabric requirements and details how to put the quilt top together. It is your choice whether you prefer to do this before or after the appliqués. You can download Lunarcy Quilt Part 1 here. Part Two of the pattern is the Branches and Blossoms motifs used throughout multiple blocks. There will also be 12 animal appliqué files, of which today’s Pig is the second. You can find the Rat pattern here. The remaining animals will arrive in this order: Dog, Rooster, Monkey, Goat, Horse, Snake, Dragon, Rabbit, Tiger and Ox.
I hope you will enjoy making something from this pattern and I’d love to see what you’ve made if you do. If there are any problems with the file, please let me know.
And, your weekly dose of Linky Inspiration….
Here are my Chameleon party highlights for you for this past fortnight.
Barb of mountainworksquilts on Instagram linked up an utterly gorgeous autumn display featuring a maple leaf table runner. Love everything about this: the little quilt, the colours and the photosetting. Head over to IG and take a closer look at Barb’s other posts.
Gretchen at Gretchen’s Little Corner linked up her scrappy barn quilt made of log cabins. I love the highlights of pink among the darker strings in this fabulous scrap quilt. Gretchen is extending this quilt to be rectangular, head on over to her blog to find out more.
Sandra at mmm quilts has been busy giving her longarm Avril a new jacket. Personalised with Avril’s name, Sandra’s blogging name, 49 quilting designs, a beautiful fabric collection, cutouts to suit the rails, and pockets – Avril is a very spoilt little machine. I hope she appreciates her new finery!
And finally, Frédérique at Quilting Patchwork Appliqué has a pretty blue finish called Interwoven. It is a half square triangles quilt that Frédérique hosted as a sew along. The sew along is finished, but the instructions are still available if this quilt takes your fancy. Wouldn’t it be easy to adapt this to your favourite colours? Go on, head over to Fred’s, download the free pattern and make her day by leaving a grateful comment.
That’s your Chameleon Quota for the week. Now it’s your turn to share!
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. Now that it’s your turn…. Scroll to the end and tell me what you think. Thanks for connecting!
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It’s so strange to me to see those birds in the wild, since all I see of them here is in pet stores, unfortunately. I’m sure Mr. Mews is tortured, having to keep watch for all of them. Wilbs is much more of a squirrel and chipmunk connoisseur, and they find it delightfully fun to taunt him, sitting right under his nose outside the window. The nerve. Thanks for sharing the photos of your little slice of the world. I so enjoy them. Maybe someday I’ll actually have something to link up – haha!
Thanks for sharing all the flowers and birds. It’s nice to see so much color in nature.
The backyard birds of Arkaroola are quite something, but I am sure Mews is crazy with wanting to get at them! Love the pig in the water, but I have to admit to being a bit jealous of that pig.
As Wendy mentioned it is hard to picture even a flock of Budgies . Here in SW Ontario Canada they are only in Pet stores and as pets in peoples homes. I really enjoy your Blogs and greatly appreciate your patterns. I am also a fan of Suzy .
While you enjoy Spring we are having what appears to our last day of warm, sunny weather for awhile. Keep safe and thanks for all your sharing.
Sipping my Chai whilst (a British term I’ve adopted!) sucking on my Dove dark chocolate, I’m thoroughly enjoying the view of the Outback and Pigs from my desk.
Always a pleasure to sip and peruse your posts, Dione.
Loved the bird pictures. I used to have a budgie – but it lived in a little cage. How beautiful to see them in the wild!
Happy Quilting! 🙂
Love seeing all the wild birds there, Dione! And that mouse block is so very cute!! I like her whimsical patterns also! I have nothing quilty to share this week, only another snowman card, so won’t link up today.
I really enjoy seeing the wildlife pictures, especially as it appears spring is in full swing where you are. I love the applique you are working on! So pretty! Thanks for the tip on Suzy’s site, I will check it out!
Love your website. Thanks for the pattern.
Hi Dione,
Love the pigs, and that water looks lovely. Our Lunarcy Pig is so cute – wonderful tail. The pictures are so interesting, I had a budgerigar that same colour named Bubbles when I was small, and the ringnecked parrots are so pretty. Funny, we have a hedge of Rose of Sharon, and it looks very similar to your rose. That little plant with the red flowers, is that an Emu bush? It is lovely – so nice to see what it is like in other parts of the world – thanks!
I’ve been following Suzy’s Sitcom for a while, and I love the colours of your Mouse block. And the leaf table runner was both stunning and kind of bittersweet, as our Maple tree has just lost all its leaves – roll on winter (oh no!). But it has been really warm for November. You must be really glad that this is your year in the outback, hopefully the Covid Virus is bypassing you as much as possible.
Take care out there, and I’m really looking forward to the Dog – that’s me!
Hi Dione, thanks so much for sharing your amazing landscape. It is so fascinating – and to see budgies in the wild! The poor things here are usually in a cage 🙁
I love your pig – he is a happy guy. His journey sounds just like mine would be….what race…there’s food…I’m tired…. oops!
Your new project is lovely although far from easy but I guess if you’re not designing it, it’s all relative. Good luck and take care.