Penguin Play Date: 3D Island Batik Challenge

Meet Mario and Luigi, the Dauntless Dynamic Duo!

The Island Batik Ambassador challenge for December is to make something 3D. So, today we have….. two 3Ds. Two delightfully dapper dudes! 😀 I made these two penguin guys from a Funky Friends Factory pattern and dressed them in the dashing designer decor of my nephew’s favourite game characters. And so my main project for the 3D challenge is decidedly, definitely, done.

My new penguin pals are only staying with me until Christmas, as they have a plan to adopt said nephew and move in with him. I believe their idea is to wrap themselves in paper and stealth themselves into his life by pretending to be presents. A dazzlingly daring design. I think it just might work!

But first, these distinguished dinkum dreamboats must earn their keep by taking a turn to show off their Island Batik credentials. No dogged dull drudgery here though…. Mario and Luigi had plenty of fun on their photo shoot at their choice of delectable day destination….. I’m assured that a day at the local playground and wetlands is a penguin’s most dearly desired dream.

Here’s what happened when two 3D penguins were asked to strut their Island Batik stuff…..

A distinctly decorous declaration: The fabrics featured in this post were generously given to me by Island Batik for use in my role as brand ambassador.

Mario and Luigi, Penguin Style.

Wop, wop, wop, wop, wop, Penguin Style……

Mario and Luigi have each already had something of a decently detailed debut. So, for more information on the construction of my fun-loving penguins, you may like to take a look at these previous posts: A Sticky Beak and the infamous Penguin Tease. Mario has a distinctive, dangerously droll sense of humour. Luigi is a slightly more discreet, delicate and debonair sort of bird. I used the Penny Penguin pattern by Pauline McArthur of Funky Friends Factory to make them.

The two blue fabrics of the penguins are from the Blue Sea Island Batik collection. The orange beak and feet, and the green patches are made from Tropical Escape batiks. The red patches on Mario are made of scraps from last year’s Paisley Dot collection.

Mario and Luigi’s hats are made of felt from my local craft store, which is also where I got their stuffing. I made the hats in a draft-as-you-go, educated guess, kind of method to fit each penguin.

So, let’s see how the boys look in action!

One D: Daring

It’s not easy going out into the big bad world when you are a stuffed penguin. But luckily, Mario and Luigi are determined, deft, and defiant of danger. So the whole thing was a divine ducky doddle. Mostly.

It did help that our local council has thoughtfully provided some dog-free zones, without being forward thinking enough to ban penguins…. 😀 Mario and Luigi were very wary of dodgy disreputable dogs who might want to liberate their stuffing.

In the playground, Mario and Luigi decided to role play a game of the same name. They started out with the easy playground levels, but eventually they played all of them …..

….. the pipes …..

….. the sand traps …..

….. the moving bars of doom …..

…… and the sky hazards ……

They even conquered the seriously sinister scary “boss” in the playground’s final showdown. Dirty deadly desperate fiend that he was, he was no match for Mario and Luigi’s impressive gaming skills.

In fact, Mario and Luigi defeated the magpie boss without ruffling a feather! Checkpoint!

Two D: Dangerous

Mario and Luigi wanted to level up, so next we went to the wetlands.

While the signage was friendly, there were more enemies here than in the playground.

Mario and Luigi had to watch out for many and varied opponents such as …..

….. sleeping pelican bosses, stealthy topknot pigeons, laughing galahs and attack swamphens. Of course, the dastardly dodgy drakes also attacked in waves.

But worst of all, the Eastern Rosellas were on the prowl. If the rosellas get to the dandelion reward zones first, they eat your wishes. Cruel! Mario and Luigi were too slow to beat this sneaky foe. Several crucial game points were lost to this masterful enemy.

Which meant they had to take on more galahs to level up again. Careful deliberation, discussion and decision making got them past the worst of this level’s challenges without further incident.

Suitably emboldened, Mario and Luigi completed the next task in style. Riding a stone-hearted turtle boss through the risky Japanese Garden to reach the final wetlands checkpoint was good fun.

Three D: Disgusting

The final level was the hardest of all. The dreaded self-improvement level! The instructions read: “Complete all the stepping stones and improve your life balance to win!” Pity the penguins had just zoomed through the zen garden on a turtle……. I’m guessing there was some disguised decisive details back there for an observant gamer! How dreadfully dismally dismaying! But there’s no going back.

With game fatigue setting in, Mario and Luigi had to make it past the deep introspection water hazards to exit the game and head home victorious. No falling in the water allowed. It would definitely be game over for a stuffed penguin if he fell into the pool of self-analysis. All he’d find on the inside is fluff and no substance. Dirty, damp and dejected, all his devious, devilish and slightly desperate Christmas adoption plans would be ruined. The Australian Outback is no place for a penguin; they both have to make it to my sister’s house on the 25th!

Mario’s strategy in these situations is to take a breath and keep your head up…. Although, if you are taking advice from the stuffed penguin who brought you the penguin tease, perhaps you need to re-evaluate.

Clearly Mario is only human, and will be continuing to work on his life balance like the rest of us.

Ten second rule! Did you know that dry dusty dirt brushes easily off of Island Batik fabrics? That’s lucky! And yet another reason to love their fine weave.

At one point, things got a bit too hairy though, although no one is admitting who got bowel-loosening-scared.

Mario and Luigi finally decided they were done with their diabolically daring dramas for the day. One thing they could agree on, they were both pooped.

Nothing a bit of chillin’ at home afterwards hasn’t cured though. 😀

Now they’re begging to go to the pool! I think they’ve heard the pool management team has an easy, affable boss….. I’ve said “Definitely, decidedly, definitively, No!”.

Done, Dusted and Departing

This is my main 3D project for the December 2019 Island Batik Ambassador challenge, and as such, my proud two year stint as an ambassador is drawing to a close.

The last two years have been an awesome ride for me. I’ve been stretched, I’ve experienced emotions ranging from panic to euphoria, and I have a better idea of who I am as a quilter and blogger as a result. I’m sad and happy and excited all at once to be moving on to new places and new challenges in 2020. I would like to take this moment on the official completion of all my challenges, to thank Island Batik for all the fabulous fabric and opportunities that have come my way since the start of 2018. For taking a chance on me, with only months of blogging under my belt at the time, and on the other side of the globe, I am truly grateful. To all Island Batik’s industry partners: Aurifil thread, HOBBS Batting and Accuquilt GO! cutting tools, thank you for the extra supplies in every box. They have been a privilege to use, and a pleasure to feature.

And a really big thank you to all the other Island Batik Ambassadors for their friendship and support along the way. It means ever so much to me to have made so many connections into the Northern Hemisphere, and hats off to all of you: I know how hard you’ve worked, and you have all risen to the challenges magnificently.

But of course, no one gets rid of the Clever Chameleon that easily. We still have 3D Island Batik projects in the works for the rest of the month, and I have several projects planned with my remaining Island Batik fabrics into the new year. And then there are all my other batiks in stash 😀 …… 2020’s shaping up to be a stellar year.

Sew, here’s to new adventures, continuing friendships and the best readers! See you back here on Tuesday!

P.S. Joining in when I can at these fabulous linky parties: Midweek Makers, Main Crush Monday, BOMs Away, DrEAMi, Wait Loss Wednesday, Needle and Thread Thursday, Friday Foto Fun, Finished or Not Friday, Whoop Whoop Fridays, TGIFF, UFO Busting, What I made Monday, Moving it Forward Monday, Show and Tell Monday, Modern Patch Monday, Oh Scrap, Monday Making, Design Wall Monday, To-do Tuesday.

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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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