Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending my second workshop with Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably at Sarah's Fabrics here in Lawrence (here is a post about my first workshop at Sarahs). WOW! This was a color class - and man did we do color!
I have also been to two lectures by Kaffe during which he provided some background, experience, previous patchwork, knitting, and needlepoint works, and sources of inspiration. Many of you know him and know about his art. I continue to be impressed by his legacy. I can't even begin to do justice to his body of work. I encourage you to read his biography on his website - you'll be amazed!
Kaffe and Brandon are two-thirds of the Kaffe Fassett Collective - the fabric design company that also includes Philip Jacobs. These three men have totally turned the quilting fabric world on its head (IMHO). Large patterns, rich colors, fanciful scenes - oh my it is glorious - Glorious Color that is!
So, as I have categorized it in my little quilty mind, Kaffe is all about fabric design and color. His quilt patterns are fairly simple in terms of design, what makes them sing is the fabric and the way he puts color and pattern together. So color and pattern is what we learn in his workshops - not color theory or anything so "boring" but working outside our comfort zone with color combinations and wild, daring patterns we wouldn't normally use.
After a day of cutting hexagons and triangles and putting them up on a gray flannel design wall, Kaffe goes around and "critiques" our work. It was so interesting to see how different setting triangles changes the whole look of a quilt that used the same color hexagons. Here are a few examples of yellow hexagons and the variations in setting triangles. Many thanks to my class mates for their wonderful examples (sorry, I did not get everyone's names).
In order to provide some focus, I choose Moroccan Spice Market as a theme and narrowed by pile of Kaffe Collective fabrics down to paprikas, chili powder, a bit of tumeric, hot red, orange and pink. I wanted the reds to glow and zing, so I choose a dark blacky purply smoky series of 6 fabrics for my triangles. I'm happy with the outcome. I'm planning on making Moroccan Spice Market about twice as large as it is now, so I have lots more hexies and triangles to cut.
This quilt is from Quilts in Moccoco. His books have patterns, but are more like coffee table books with wonderful photography. Check them out, they are gorgeous.
Although I don't feel like I know Kaffe, Brandon, and Philip as well as the other designers in my Favorite Designer series, I know and love their fabrics and look forward to each new release. Sarah's hosts a Kaffe Club which meets monthly to celebrate and challenge ourselves to use Kaffe Fassett Collective fabrics. I have learned so much from and been inspired by these creative ladies in the club. Now I can spot a KFC (not the chicken) fabric at 50 feet.
I've joined the Kaffe Collective on FB and get to see amazing quilts made with amazing fabrics. I also follow Philip on FB and love seeing how he makes and paints his fabrics - when he's not scouring the English countryside for old WWII bits and pieces using his metal detector.
I have a few other quilts made from Kaffe Collective fabrics. Some finished, some almost finished, and some in my pile of many UFOs. I have 4 shelves on my FQ storage tower devoted to KFC fabrics. I'm smitten, in love, hooked.
Curious about KFC? Get a book, follow on FB, get some KFC fabric. Jump into color and pattern. Wallow around in wonderful!
I have long drooled over the gorgeous tile applique quilts in Carole Jones' book Tile Quilt Revival. So when a sample of a small tile quilt appeared on the wall at Sarah's Fabrics with a sign saying classes were forming, I jumped at the chance to take it.
Three wows - getting to take a class from Carol, whose work I have admired for years, the class pattern - sort of stylized leaves, and the fabric in the class kit - Kaffe. I couldn't pass it up.
I did have a bit of angst though. I had taken classes and tried four or five variations of needle turn hand applique (needle turn, prepared pieces, back basted) and it never caught on. I did not like hand applique. One might even say it stronger - I loathed hand applique.
But I went into this with a positive attitude - after all it had 3 wows going for it.
So, what makes this tile applique? The grout! The shapes are basted right next to each other so that when 1/8 inch allowance from each shape is turned under, it looks tile with grout in between.
Carol is a great teacher. The pattern was just complex enough so that I wouldn't lose interest, but not so difficult that I'd never finish. Of course the Kaffe fabrics were a wonderful mix of color and pattern. Her verbal and written directions were spot on - she had us use freezer paper to trace the pattern and cut out the shapes, baste them in place and in no time I found myself with needle in hand, turning under a 1/8 inch seam allowance.
Now just 2 short weeks later, I have one (of four) panels completed and have started on the second. And I am loving it! My grouts are almost consistent, points are pointy, and inner curves are curvy and I'm loving the look of it.
Curious about Tile Applique? Check out Carol's book. It's a old technique but with a fresh new look.
Did you know Kaffe Fassett designed clothes for Barbara Streisand? Me Neither.
My first introduction to Kaffe was through Rowan yarns during my knitting days. I had no idea he was a haute couture fashion designer, a needle point designer, as well as a fabric designer.
So over the years I have used some of Kaffe's fabrics and have become more enamored with it. I made this Convergence Quilt called Ricky Tims Meets Kaffe Fassett back in 2013 with Kaffe and Brandon's fabrics. But starting in Fall 2016, I really kicked up my love affair with Kaffe's fabric up a notch.
First I joined Kaffe club from Charlotte's Sew Natural - I get 6 half yard cuts of Kaffe Collection (Kaffe, Brandon Mably, and Phillip Jacobs) fabric once a quarter. I am anxiously awaiting my second shipment. Now Kaffe Collection fabrics have their own shelf on my fat quarter spinner rack!
Second, I joined the Kaffe Club at Sarah's Fabrics. We meet once a month on the first Saturday at Sarah's. Each month there are challenges - pertaining to fabrics, colors, or patterns. I haven't done any yet, but have fabric and plans to do the flying geese challenge.
Third, I had the definite pleasure to hear a lecture and take a workshop with Kaffe and Brandon hosted by Sarah's Fabrics on October 4th and 5th.
The workshop was awesome! Kaffe took some of us shopping in Sarah's to get just the right fabrics for our zig zag quilt. We all did the same pattern from Kaffe's book Quilts In Italy. The pattern is quite simple but it's the fabrics that make it outstanding. We all used very different colorways. I choose soft blues and greens to evoke the feeling of the Italian coast. We only did cutting and arranging during the workshop. I have most of my quilt sewn together now.
Sarah's is having a show of all the workshop quilts on Friday January 27, 2017. Since I'm traveling, I don't think I'll have my quilt done in time to hang. Too bad! But I'm going to go and see all the completed quilts. I'll add some pics in a blog update so you can see some of the other colorways.
Curious about color? Check out the Kaffe Collective!
January. A new year. Resolutions. New Projects. NEW BOMs!
OK, so given the fact that I have so many ongoing BOM, it's crazy for me to think about starting any new ones, right? But there are soooo many gorgeous quilts out there just waiting to be created. I am powerless to resist.
At this point there are three BOMs that I have committed to. There may be more later, but right now there are three.
One of them I have already started on - it's The New Hexagon Millefiori Quilt Along hosted by Katja Marek of Katja's Quilt Shoppe in British Colombia, Canada. I had been drooling over several different millefiori type quilts on Pinterest and had even bought a book. Then as if by magic, the quilting spirits knowing I wanted to do one of these, a notice appeared on FB about the quilt along. So I ordered the book and precut paper pieces and picked up some Kaffe Fassett fabric. Within a few days I had my first hexagon pieced.
This quilt is meant to be hand pieced using the English Paper Piecing method. Each 3 inch hexagon is pieced in a different way. Katja's recommendation is to use a fabric glue stick to baste the fabric down around the shape. I've always thread basted in the past, but being the curious sort I am, I decided to try the glue stick. It is much faster and I really like it so far.
So, now I had this great center Hexie done and I'm having a lot of trouble choosing fabric for the first round that works well with the center. After hours of playing with swatches of fabric and my magic mirrors, I gave up on my first center and decided to start over. A trip to a LQS resulted in some Alexander Henry fabric I had been considering earlier as well as some cute coordinating bits.
Have you ever fussy cut pieces for EPP? I use a plastic template with registration marks drawn in so that I am sure I am cutting the exact same area of fabric. If you are curious about fussy cutting, this is a great tutorial. It's a bit time consuming in terms of prep work, but it gives you great results - not reflectional symmetry, but rotational symmetry.
New fabric is cut, paper pieces for all 38 hexies are basted, and center and round 1 are done for Rosette 1. If you're on FB, check out The New Hexagon - Millefiori Quilt-Along to see photos of everyone's rosettes. It's awesome!
While I'm on vacation in Arizona visiting my Mom, I'll be hand piecing the hexies together and I'll post a picture of the finished Rosette.
Happy Hexies!
Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending my second workshop with Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably at Sarah's Fabrics here in Lawrence (here is a post about my first workshop at Sarahs). WOW! This was a color class - and man did we do color!
In order to provide some focus, I choose Moroccan Spice Market as a theme and narrowed by pile of Kaffe Collective fabrics down to paprikas, chili powder, a bit of tumeric, hot red, orange and pink. I wanted the reds to glow and zing, so I choose a dark blacky purply smoky series of 6 fabrics for my triangles. I'm happy with the outcome. I'm planning on making Moroccan Spice Market about twice as large as it is now, so I have lots more hexies and triangles to cut.
I have a few other quilts made from Kaffe Collective fabrics. Some finished, some almost finished, and some in my pile of many UFOs. I have 4 shelves on my FQ storage tower devoted to KFC fabrics. I'm smitten, in love, hooked. 
