Chinese New Year Archives - Page 3 of 5 - Clever Chameleon Quilting

November 10, 2020January 19, 2024

Lunarcy Pig: Colour & Inspiration Tuesday

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!

Year of the Pig appliqué for the Lunarcy quilt

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.

READ ON TO KEEP COLLECTING YOUR LUNARCY PATTERNS

October 27, 2020January 19, 2024

Rats! Colour & Inspiration Tuesday

2020 – Year of the Rat

In the beginning there was the Rat. And the Rat jumped the queue.

According to Chinese legend, it was the Rat who (somewhat dodgily) won the Emperor’s race that decided the identity and order of the Zodiac animals. And so it is the Rat who is the first animal of the 12-year Lunar Calendar cycle. As one version of the story goes, the Rat caught a ride in the amiable Ox’s ear to cross a river during the race, but then abused the favour by dashing across the finish line first, claiming the honours.

And it seems that the ancient precedent for the Rat jumping the queue still holds. I started designing the Lunarcy quilt in 2018 with the Dog appliqué, and then followed in 2019 with the Pig appliqué, but it is the Rat appliqué that is released first. It seems only fitting though – 2020 is the Year of the Rat, the Year of the Lunarcy quilt, and coincidentally, also somewhat dodgy.

Year of the Rat Appliqué at Clever Chameleon

And so, today is the day to grab your copy of the Lunarcy Rat appliqué pattern. I hope you enjoy it. 🙂

READ ON TO KEEP COLLECTING YOUR LUNARCY PATTERNS

October 20, 2020January 19, 2024

Branches and Blossoms: Colour & Inspiration Tuesday

Branches and Blossoms colour board at Clever Chameleon

The Lunarcy Quilt continues today

Wasn’t the “It’s A Garden Party” row along this past month fun? I hope you were left with lots of resources and ideas. Now that that intermission is over though, we should return to our regular programming to see what the Chameleon’s been working on.

The big event in the main ring at Clever Chameleon’s circus at the moment is the Lunarcy Quilt, and it’s definitely time to get on with it! So, Part Two of the Lunarcy Quilt pattern is available for you to download today. This new pdf supplies you with all the appliqué templates you’ll need to create the branches and blossoms for the Lunarcy Quilt blocks, ready to add the animals and lanterns.

And the latest news at Arkaroola? Well, it has finally rained!

READ ON TO keep COLLECTING YOUR LUNARCY PATTERNS

June 30, 2020January 19, 2024

Grumpy Sunflowers: Colour & Inspiration Tuesday

I was going to pass. No blogging this week….

The Chameleon was just not in the mood. Grumpy. Not enough sewing, for one. My laptop ate my homework for another (no joke, literally corrupted my assignment during the last save, between proofread and submit….(&*$%@!!!) and we are all suffering varying degrees of end-of-school-term-itis here, etc etc. Nothing serious. Just pecked to death by the gloom duck, even after hubby helped me retrieve *most* of my assignment from wherever it is that corrupted files go to die.

But then I read through the link ups at last week’s Colour & Inspiration Party and felt sooo much better. Little rays of sunshine everywhere, encouraging the Chameleon to lighten up.

From this…. (perhaps not really quite this bad!)…..

To this….. (also maybe not quite this sunny, but you get the idea).

And, I thought, if I needed a bit of eye-candy to help get things going in the right direction again, then maybe so does at least one of the Chameleon’s quilty friends. So, the Chameleon is showing up and getting on with it. I have actually finished the next block on the Lunarcy Quilt (Year of the Horse). Done in advance, as I knew this week wouldn’t likely be pretty, even before I naively underestimated the curve balls. Thankfully I worked really hard last week to get ahead. And of course, when all else fails we can always Party! 😀

May 19, 2020January 19, 2024

The Centre of the Galaxy! Colour & Inspiration Tuesday

Two-spotted Line-Blue butterfly colours at Clever Chameleon

The Chameleon thinks he’s vindicated!

Annoying!

That’s what it is… annoying…. when someone unashamedly thinks that they are the centre of the Universe, and then it turns out that they actually are. Or close enough to. Can you imagine how big the Chameleon’s head is this week since he found out the entire galaxy revolves around him?!

Okay, he is still exaggerating. But he did find a constellation named in his honour this week, thanks to some stargazing adventures in one of the local observatories.

And consequently, the Chameleon’s head?…… it is Huge!

My progress on the Lunarcy Quilt? Not quite so big. We’ve had temporary electricity dramas, which knocked out much of my sewing time. I have started on the Dog block, but it’s a work in progress.

At least having insufficient electricity doesn’t prevent butterfly spotting. A whole new set of species are out lately. They are all small ones, but pretty. Our colour board contributor is a Two-spotted Line-blue (I believe). It was playing with the Common Grass-blues. Which are also very pretty.