garden Archives - Clever Chameleon Quilting

October 13, 2020January 19, 2024

Lettuce Turnip the Beet: Colour & Inspiration Tuesday

Lettuce Turnip the Beet colour board at Clever Chameleon Quilting

Welcome to the Show and Tell Day for the Garden Party Quilts!

I hope that you’ve enjoyed the past month of the “It’s A Garden Party” row along. I certainly have. Congratulations to Marian at Seams to Be Sew on another successful event, and many thanks to all my co-designers for all their wonderful quilt block patterns and blog posts. Another huge, generous series this year.

And now – today is “Open Gardens Day”. The last day of the blog hop and time to share projects already made from one or more of the myriad of newly released patterns. It’s the “It’s a Garden Party row along” show and tell day!

Spring Garden Quilt by Dione Gardner-Stephen at Clever Chameleon Quilting

Today, twelve of the “It’s a Garden Party” bloggers have banded together to bring you one last Garden Quilt bonanza. Marian of Seams to be Sew is releasing another free block for your collection, and there will be numerous ideas shared to help you get the most out of your new quilt blocks. Hopefully you have been watching my Spring Garden Party quilt come together over the past month – well, today I can finally show you the whole thing! The pigeon’s even had an upgrade…. Bath? He’s not having a bath. It’s a pool party for one!

Come on in to find out more…. let the Chameleon lead you up the garden path!

October 6, 2020January 19, 2024

Gnome for the Holidays: Colour & Inspiration Tuesday

Quilt, quilt as fast as you can!

A surprise package of quilting-friendly weather arrived here at Arkaroola yesterday. You’d never know it now, but the week started out with days of 37C (99F), with severe wind and dust storms. Some poor school holiday campers in the caravan park even had to down their tents and book emergency accomodation in the main village; it was simply that YUCK. But then yesterday a cold front rolled in and now it’s raining. Today’s predicted maximum is 14C (57F)! I know, crazy, right?! Spring!

Mr. Mew is not happy. He’s just finished shedding his winter coat everywhere. So he’s cold and clingy. I am personally grateful for the sweet juxtaposition of the cooler weather, the school holidays and no travel commitments – perfect for quilting. I’ve just finished all the patchwork for my “It’s a Garden Party quilt” and I’ve started on the appliqués. First I stitched the pigeon and bird bath centre panel, and now I’m working on the blocks around it.

I’ve told the cat to stay off the quilt from now on – it’s been declared gnome man’s land. By way of reply, Mr. Mew pointed out that it is he who gets up to mischief at night, steals my bobbins and kills all my plants. Turns out, Mr. Mew is a fully qualified, card-carrying member of the Gnome Society. Figures.

September 29, 2020January 19, 2024

Too Coo’ for School: Colour & Inspiration Tuesday

Pigeon patchwork block colours at Clever Chameleon

School’s out for a fortnight. Time to play!

The Chameleon’s on Term break. The Arkaroola “school house” is closed. The tables have been reclaimed as sewing spaces. It’s time to catch up on some sewing, writing and other activities that have been on the backburner so long that they might just have mutated into new life forms.

To celebrate, I’ve started with sewing the next batch of blocks for my Garden Party quilt. Did you catch last week’s quilt blocks in the “It’s A Garden Party” row along and blog hop? I released my fun pigeon/bird bath block amid another flurry of amazing patterns, this time for cardinals, frogs and turtles, hexie flowers, fall leaves, a cactus garden, inspirational pillows, pinwheel flowers, octopuses and even a floral vine block.

Since then I’ve been collating printouts like crazy, and making all sorts of impossible decisions. Will this block fit? Does it suit? Can I squeeze it in? How should I balance the colours? You know, world changing stuff.

I’d like this quilt to turn out well, so I have actually spent a fair bit of time deliberating. I’ve got to make my sewing time count at the moment. So far, I’ve managed to incorporate eleven patterns into my small quilt and I think I have space for three or four more. In the end I will have used about one third of the Garden Party block options, although not all in their full form. Not bad going for a small lap quilt, I think. I estimate you’d have to make a queen size to use all the terrific patterns in this year’s row along!

Come on, let’s see what fun designs are on offer this week! I’m sure I can squeeze one or two more in!

September 24, 2020January 19, 2024

It’s A Garden Party Row Along!

pigeon in a bird bath paper pieced quilt block designed by Dione Gardner-Stephen of Clever Chameleon

Welcome to Day 6 of the “It’s A Garden Party” row along!

Please excuse the pigeon. He says he’ll be with us in a moment.

Once a year Marian of Seams to be Sew hosts an amazing event – a huge row along where lots of designers come together on one project. This year we have each designed a garden themed block for you to collect – mix and match them into a project that you love!

If you follow along with this event, you will find lots of beautiful gardening blocks, flower blocks, garden produce blocks and fun critters to choose from – some of which you might even prefer on a quilt than in your actual garden! And there are prize draws too. Come join the party, try out your luck in the prize draws, and collect your free copy of my block pattern today: Garden Bath Joy.

September 22, 2020January 19, 2024

A Little Birdie: Colour & Inspiration Tuesday

A little birdie wants to tell you…

… all about the quilt I am making. It’s from the It’s A Garden Party row along. Oh, oh, he is hopping with excitement! Of course, the little birdie must not tell you too much just yet, but he can drop a few morsels of information. He can definitely show you what I’ve sewn from patterns already released in the It’s A Garden Party row along.

It's a garden party row along with Seams to be Sew

He can also tell you who is participating in the hop next. The hop hop of excitement has really only just got into full swing…. there are lots and lots of blocks still yet to come. Lots more blog hop hopping you can do to find patterns and prize draws. Lots and lots of garden secrets and secret gardens to discover. Plenty of fun remaining!

Nearly my turn in the row along!

Not to be outdone by a gossipy little birdie, the attention seeking Chameleon is going to give you a sneak peak today of ~~his~~ my our quilt block for the It’s a Garden Party hop… I’ve called it “Garden Bath Joy”. My free pattern is coming on Thursday, only a couple more days to wait! The Chameleon imagines you’re going mottled with anticipation!

While the Chameleon amuses himself and the rest of us wait patiently for Thursday, we can take the birdie’s tour of the It’s A Garden Party blocks I have sewn so far. And I’ve picked out some garden-themed beauties from the Chameleon’s last Colour & Inspiration Party to keep us on theme to the end. This week it’s all flower power and Spring fever at the Clever Chameleon!