Clever Chameleon Threads color board at Clever Chameleon

Another 15 seconds of Fame for the Chameleon

Last Tuesday I was battling to find Artsy Fartsy inspiration for July. I was tired from neighbourly construction noise, end of term-itis, and from madly preparing quilts for showing. Tiredness is definitely not good for creativity. Thank you to all the lovely people who reached out with sentiments of empathy.

The good news is that the kids are now on hols, the quilt show was a resounding success and the demolishing is finished. I can cope with construction noise on just one side of our house! But before any of these resolutions occurred, on Wednesday last I went back to bed after I sent the kids to school for some catch-up sleep. I even snoozed though trucks being dump loaded with bricks! And of course, when I awoke, my head was full of new ideas. Bing!

Something I wrote last Tuesday stuck in my head and specifically resurfaced after sleep…. “the Chameleon is off colour”….. Oh! We should fix that. Game On!!!

So, what happened next was that my Artsy Fartsy Christmas wreath took a dive in the priority queue. Specifically yielding to some new threads for the Chameleon. And more specifically, Aurifil threads, in partnership with Island Batik. Read on to see my new Artsy Fartsy project; it’s finished and not changing again, I promise. Although, with a challenge name like Artsy Fartsy, I hope Aurifil aren’t hoping for output that is too highbrow. ‘Cause the Chameleon is in a silly mooooood……

31 Days of Finding Quilt Inspiration in Real Life

Have you ever made a quilt for someone and wished you had a second one to keep? Have you ever made a duplicate for that reason?

Or have you ever made a quilt that you thought could be better? And then been so driven to actually make the better version?

Sometimes the best ideas for your next project might just lie in your last project!

Finding Quilt Inspiration in the Everyday: Day 22

Since we are talking about my quilting friend Susan (well, at least we were, yesterday), I want to tell you about a quilt I made for her milestone birthday a few years back. I called it: Tomato on a Snoozy Pizza. Yes. Really!

Tomato on a Snoozy Pizza quilt — The Kool Kaleidoscope quilt I made for Susan

This quilt is a slight variation on the Ricky Tims Kool Kaleidoscope. I changed the method to better suit my strengths, but the overall principle is the same. I also added a little appliqué to the kaleidoscope at the last minute to correct areas I wasn’t happy with. The kaleidoscope’s colours came from the batik border fabric. I knew Susan would love it.

Now about the quilt’s name…… When I was laying out the large wedge-shaped pieces for the kaleidoscope medallion, my young son (who was about three and pronounced Susan as “Snoozy”at the time) insisted that I was making a pizza. And proceeded to “help” me by laying extra pieces of red fabric on top.

“What are you doing, matey”.

“Putting tomato on Snoozy’s pizza, Mummy”. hahahaha

And Snoozy’s pizza it stayed!! 🙂

How I was inspired by Snoozy’s Pizza quilt

I was really happy with how Susan’s quilt came out, and she loved it too – I even managed to keep it a surprise for her. 🙂 I didn’t really want another one just the same, but I did want some token to remember it by. So, I set about making a miniature version art piece out of the scraps.

miniature art quilt

At the time I did this project I had been learning thread painting and was also starting to take an interest in embellishing quilts with other materials. So this mini quilt has thread painting, ribbon and felt to represent the original, more conventional quilt. There is no piecing in this piece. Only appliqué and embellishment.

Kaleidoscope mini quilt detail — Thread painting and satin stitch were added to create some of the details.

The only supply I purchased specifically for this project was the green ribbon for the inner border.

To finish off, I stretched the mini quilt over a paint canvas and added a hanging wire. I am very happy with my token reminder of the original quilt Tomato on a Snoozy Pizza.

I would never have thought to do a project like this, if I hadn’t been motivated to have a keepsake of the quilt I made for Susan. But now it is one of my favourite keepers.

What about you? Have you ever made a quilt inspired by previous project Please comment, we’d love to hear.

Welcome to the Clever Chameleon Blog

Hi and Welcome! I am Dione Gardner-Stephen, writing to you from outback Australia.

You have found Clever Chameleon…. an inspirational and colourful space to help you quilt with more joy and confidence. I understand that you want to make quilts that reflect yourself and that your recipients will love. This is my passion too!

Join me as I regularly explore colours, textures, embellishments, designs, quilting and techniques that you can use too.

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