Thursday 2 August 2012

Kaffe Fassett Dreaming in Colour

We will also be launching at the Festival of Quilts Kaffe Fassett's much anticipated Autobiography. Kaffe will be on our stand A24 and will be signing copies on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. You can pre-order a copy of the book now on our website and we will send it out after the book is launched on the 16th August.We also have a combined book offer with Kaffe Quilts Again with a £4 saving on the RRP of the 2 books.

Kaffe Fassett: Dreaming in Colour. An intimate, photo-filled look at the fascinating life and creative output of a renowned artist and designer.

Kaffe Fassett has led an extraordinary life and is a captivating storyteller with a vivid memory. Born in 1937 in San Francisco, he spent much of his youth in Big Sur, where his parents bought a log cabin from Orson Welles and transformed it into the world-famous Nepenthe restaurant, a gathering place of artists of all sorts (Kaffe has many stories to tell about mingling with the likes of Olivia de Havilland, Elizabeth Taylor, and Henry Miller). After attending a boarding school run by the disciples of Krishunamurti, an Indian guru, he studied painting on scholarship at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, but left after less than one year and traveled to England, where he ultimately made his home.

After struggling to make a living as a fine artist for several years, Fassett met the fashion designer Bill Gibb and began designing knitwear for his collection. He went on to design knitwear for Missoni and for private clients like Lauren Bacall, Shirley MacLaine, and Barbra Streisand, and to revolutionise the hand knitting world with his explosive use of color. Further explorations led him to needlepoint, mosaics, rug-making, yarn and fabric design, set design and quilting. Now in his 70s, Fassett continues to produce new work in his studio in London and to travel worldwide to teach and lecture. This intimate autobiography is lavishly filled with Fassett's amazing stories about his bohemian childhood, his hard-earned rise to fame, and all of his creative pursuits. It includes photos of him throughout his life (including his stint as a model in Paris), his home (which is an artwork in itself), his work (everything from childhood drawings to pencil sketches, to oil paintings, to massive tapestries and set designs, to hand knits and quilts) as well as the people and places around the world that have inspired him.


Kaffe Fassett Dreaming in Colour






Kaffe Quilts Again

Kaffe Fassett's latest project book for Rowan, Kaffe Quilts Again, is being launched by Kaffe on the The Cotton Patch stand (A24) at the Festival of Quilts at the NEC on the 16th of August. You can pre-order copies of Kaffe Quilts Again (4953) on our website now and we will send a copy out to you after the book has been launched.

Photographed in the small rural village in Bulgaria, its natural, unspoiled beauty makes the perfect backdrop for this scintillating collection of favourite quilts by Kaffe and his designers, recreated in the new Rowan fabrics. Kaffe and his team of designers explain how they have gone about the task of recreating them, in some cases changing the colour palette completely.

The new fabrics inspired him to look again at some of his original favourite designs. For example, the new woven striped fabrics from India and Kaffe's own printed Marquee Stripes made it a must to create two new version Chevron quilt (from Quilt Road), each very different. One is in earthy woven stripes, the other in sizzling Marquee stripes, illustrating how colour can change the mood of a
quilt.

Add to the mix of new fabrics Philip Jacob's sublime florals and Brandon Mably's quirky designs, plus new colourways of firm favourites and shot cottons, and quilt designers are spoilt for choice.

The quilt instructions in this book are simple and clear: a sumptuous flat shot photo of the finished project, an ingredients list of the materials needed full written instructions, with useful tips, and illustrated with coloured diagrams, and all the templates.rated colour in deep earthy tones. In the Designer Profile, Kaffe explains how he creates his quilts, a fascinating insight into a genius at work.


Kaffe Quilts Again
Kaffe Quilts Again

Carnival S Block Quilt

Dotty All Season Garden

Sunshine Stars Quilt

Summer Chelsea Quilt