Sew Melodic: Colour & Inspiration Tuesday

June is “Try It” month for the Island Batik Ambassadors, where we get free rein to choose a technique that we haven’t done before and give it a whirl on any project. New technique, Island Batik fabrics; that’s it for the rules.

So, I thought – “It is about time I tried the traditional method of paper-piecing”….. you know the one….. the method with the actual foundation paper. 😀 I have done freezer paper paper-piecing before, when I first started patchwork and quilting, but I’ve never done a project using a paper foundation that you stitch through.

It’s going quite well, I think. Wanna know what I am making?

The Challenge

Way back, not long after I started patchworking, I bought a paper-pieced quilt pattern. And a packet of paper-piecing paper. Aaaand……. you know how it goes. I changed my mind 😀

The quilt is made and long gifted, but I still have the foundation paper. Because…..

I paused long enough to think about how all the foundation paper would have to be removed from the blocks after I was finished piecing, and I panicked. I had a deadline that didn’t seem compatible with hours of picking off papers. So, I googled alternatives, and found a paper-piecing method that uses freezer paper (where the freezer paper peels off the finished block in one go). And I gave that method a try instead. It worked perfectly for me and I ended up making that whole quilt using the freezer paper method. But, consequently the foundation paper has been sitting in my sewing room ever since.

So, when an opportunity to do some paper-piecing pattern testing for Juliet of The Tartankiwi came up I thought it would be a win-win. Juliet got an extra tester, I got a new-to-me project.

The Progress

Here’s how it went down.

I chose to use some of the 5″ batik strips given to me by Island Batik. Small pieces of fabric are great for paper-piecing.

I printed Juliet’s patterns onto the foundation paper and roughly cut out each section. I chose a blue-green batik 5″ strip for the background and black for the music motifs.

Some of the pieces in these patterns are seriously small! The seam allowance around the edge is quarter inch, so you can see below how small some of the pieces really are. To be honest, I volunteered for the larger size blocks, but was allocated small blocks. However, the patterns are really well developed, and even the really tiny pieces weren’t a problem.

Here are all the sections of the treble clef done and ready to assemble.

And four of my blocks ready for trimming and to have their papers removed.

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I was asked to test four blocks, but I needed six for my project. So I did an extra two. Once they were all trimmed and paper-free, I sewed the blocks into two sets of three, ready to add to my project. That’s where I am currently up to.

If you like this pattern it is available for sale from Juliet’s Etsy and Payhip shops, both of which are accessible through The Tartankiwi website. The pattern’s name is “Sew Melodic”.

The Plan

I am planning to add some more Island Batik 5″ strips to my paper pieced panels to create a bigger piece, large enough to make into a drawstring bag. My little girl is sitting her first piano exams in a few months time, and a new bag for her lesson books will be appreciated.

Here are the fabrics we have negotiated…..

I am going to use the Island Batik ribbon from several fabric bundles to make the drawstrings. Waste not want not. 😀

In other news….

I had a birthday recently, and I was fortunate enough to score some lighting equipment to help with getting better indoor quilt photos.

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Just in case you have forgotten how 8 year old boys think (or managed to escape this disturbing life phase….), I was informed that:

I really got (in photo order, right hand photo):

• a finger-crunching torture device,
• a lance and
• a sniper.

Really!??! Cheeky imp.

On to more pacifist-compatible pastimes….

Have you been cheering Rebecca Grace on as she has battled to get her Mission Impossible quilt done in time for her church’s Quillow Service? Well, if so, you now deserve to know that Rebecca Grace of Cheeky Cognoscenti linked up her finished graduation quilt for her eldest son! After all the international breath holding on her behalf, Rebecca Grace got her quilt done for Lars with days to spare. Yay!

The next link I am highlighting is DawnyK of DAWNYK Designs‘ hand quilted block from her matchbox quilt kit. I love the texture that the hand quilting has added to this, and I look forward to following this project as more blocks appear.

Melva from Melva loves Scraps linked up, not one, but two quilts that she finished from someone else’s vintage quilt parts….

First, a Sunbonnet Sue creation finished from two great-grandmothers’ stashes…. A pile of Sunbonnet Sues and vintage hearts from opposite sides of the family were combined to make this sweet creation.

And a vintage Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt top that belongs to a friend, was entrusted to her for quilting….. just lovely.

And just because I can, and because I am a sucker for pretty…… I want to show you that Andrée from Quilting and Learning – What a Combo! linked up her Throwback Thursday quilt. This glorious purple creation pre-dates Andrée’s discovery of easier methods of making HSTs and is truly a labour of love.

What are you loving to labour over this week?

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!

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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!

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, IG or FB. All your follow options can be found here. Don’t forget to link up all your current quilting projects on Tuesdays at our Colour & Inspiration Linky parties!