Kaffe Fassett’s
Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts
U.S. $35.00
KA F F E FASS E T T , an accomplished painter and designer of textiles, is widely acknowledged as a visionary in the use of color. In 1988 he was honored to become the first living textile designer to be given a one-person show at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Since then, the exhibition of his textiles has traveled the world with him as he has taught and inspired others. He is a fabric designer for Rowan Patchwork and Quilting and the primary knitwear designer for Rowan Yarns. Kaffe Fassett’s Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts is his fourth quilting book and his fourteenth book overall.
LIZA P R I O R LU CY is an expert quiltmaker and the owner of Glorious Color (www.gloriouscolor.com), a source for fabrics designed by Kaffe Fassett and friends. She works with Fassett on his fabric lines and books.
Jacket design by ANNA CHRISTIAN
Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts 23 Original Quilt Designs
LIZA PRIOR LUCY
Photographs by Debbie Patterson
FA S S E T T
STC Craft | A Melanie Falick Book
| LUCY
U.S. $35.00 / CAN. $45.50 / U.K. £22.50
ISBN: 978-1-58479-837-8 ISBN 978-1-58479-837-8
53500
9
Printed in China
Kaffe Fassett’s
K A F F E FA S S E T T with
Jacket photograph © 2010 DEBBIE PATTERSON
115 West 18th Street New York, NY 10011 www.stcbooks.com
CANADA $45.50 | U.K. £22.50
781584 798378
stewart tabori & chang
In Kaffe Fassett’s Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts, world-renowned quilter Kaffe Fassett demonstrates how basic geometric forms—squares, rectangles, triangles, diamonds, circles, and quarter-circles—found in natural and manmade environments inspire his quilt designs. Twenty-three of his magnificent, inventive quilts— ranging from the relatively simple Tilt, ideal for beginners, to the more complex Circle of Stars, for more advanced stitchers—are showcased in the book, along with step-by-step instructions for making each one. Along the way, Fassett also offers over a hundred photographs of geometric inspiration from around the world—everything from triangular watermelon slices, to rectangular sheets of corrugated metal on African scrap dwellings, to lollipop-shaped topiary trees in Japan. In the accompanying text, Fassett reveals how he experiences the colors and basic shapes around him, how we can train our own eyes to see this rewarding source of creativity, and how we can, just as he does, combine striking fabrics with simple shapes to create our own spectacular quilt designs.
contents s quares
10
Three patchwork designs that illustrate how to easy it is to create lavish quilts with simple squares
r ecta n gl es
36
Four colorful quilts that celebrate the versatility and geometric simplicity of the basic brick and strip shapes
tria n gl es
62
Four opulent patchworks composed entirely of basic triangles
Boston Common
Tilt
Haze Kilim
20
46
70
Striped Donut
Belt and Braces
Clay Tiles
26
50
75
Yellow Potpourri
Target Log Cabin
Indigo Points
31
53
78
Stripescape
Earthy Mitered Boxes
57
82
d iamo nds
86
Five quilts made up of diamond patches cut from extravagantly patterned fabrics
qua rter circl es 126
circl es
Three quilts using quarter-circle geometry in an array of spectacular colors
Four quilts featuring circle shapes to showcase opulent, vibrant color
148
Circle of Stars
Damask Quarters
Backgammon
98
134
158
Facet
Tumbling Fans
Floral Snowballs
106
138
163
St. Marks
Bow-Tie Circles
Bounce
111
144
167
Bordered Diamonds
Bicycle Wheel
116
172
Introduction
6
Basic Techniques Templates Not-So-Lone Star
120
178
182
Acknowledgments
192
N ot- S o - L o n e S ta r Ever since I saw a particularly bold lone-star quilt designed by my friend Claudia, I’ve wanted to try my own daring variation, so here it is (with a few extra stars at the corners, thus its name). I’ve noticed that most quilters choose off-white or, at best, solid-colored backgrounds for their large-star quilts, so whenever I see one where the quilter let it rip and placed her dynamic star on a strong patterned fabric, it feels like a special treat! I made mine with one of my boldest prints, called Lake Blossoms, in a good, dark colorway. The lighter colors contrast to create quite a buzz. You could do a deeper-colored star for a more subtle effect. Send me a picture if you do. I do look forward to seeing the variations you quilters will get up to, but I hope you always have a strong big-scale background, which to me is the cornerstone of the design. See instructions on pages 120–125.
Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts
5
B o s to n C o m m o n This is a perfect quilt for a beginner. It is made almost entirely of square patches, with triangle patches only around the outer edge. The squares are set “on point”—the corners of the squares point upward and downward and side to side. Use one of these two colorways in Kaffe Fassett and Rowan fabrics or create a unique one of your own. finished size Autumn Boston Common 96" ✕ 99 1 ⁄2" (244 cm ✕ 253 cm) Spring Boston Common 78 1 ⁄4" ✕ 82" (199 cm ✕ 208 cm)
M at e r i a l s Autumn Boston Common (shown on opposite page): Use cotton quilting fabrics 44–45" (112–114 cm) wide Spring Boston Common (shown on page 15): Use cotton quilting fabrics 44–45" (112–114 cm) wide Pat c h w o r k fab r i cs Autumn Boston Common: An assortment of 17 different medium-scale dotty and circular motif prints in autumnal colors (predominantly reds and greens, with brownish accents) in the amounts listed for the 17 fabrics below—OR the following 17 Kaffe Fassett fabrics: Fabric A: 1 ⁄2 yd (46 cm) Paperweight in Algae Fabric B: 1 ⁄8 yd (12 cm) Organic Dot in Spring Fabric C: 1 ⁄8 yd (12 cm) Organic Dot in Contrast Fabric D: 1 ⁄4 yd (25 cm) Paperweight in Pumpkin Fabric E: 3⁄4 yd (70 cm) Organic Dot in Gold Fabric F: 3⁄4 yd (70 cm) Roman Glass in Byzantine Fabric G: 3⁄4 yd (70 cm) Auricula in Black
6
Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts
Fabric H: 1 yd (92 cm) Auricula in Red Fabric I: 1 yd (92 cm) Dahlia Bloom in Autumn Fabric J: 1⁄3 yd (31 cm) Dahlia Bloom in Succulent Fabric K: 1 yd (92 cm) Auricula in Green Fabric L: 1 yd (92 cm) Organic Dot in Brown Fabric M: 1 yd (92 cm) Roman Glass in Jungle Fabric N: 1 yd (92 cm) Paperweight in Gypsy Fabric O: 1 ⁄2 yd (46 cm) Paperweight in Paprika Fabric P: 1 1 ⁄4 yd (1.2 m) Auricula in Olive Fabric Q: 3⁄4 yd (70 cm) Dahlia Bloom in Lush Spring Boston Common: An assortment of 17 different medium-scale dotty and circular motif prints, plus some subtle stripes in spring colors (predominantly blue-greens, with lime, orange, and red accents) in the amounts listed for the 17 fabrics below—OR the following 17 Kaffe Fassett and Rowan fabrics: Fabric A: 1 ⁄2 yd (46 cm) Fan Flower in California Fabric B: 1 ⁄8 yd (12 cm) Organic Dot in Mint Fabric C: 1 ⁄2 yd (46 cm) Tree Rings in Purple Fabric D: 1 ⁄4 yd (25 cm) Guinea Flower in Yellow Fabric E: 3⁄4 yd (70 cm) Diagonal Poppy in Lavender Fabric F: 3⁄4 yd (70 cm) Dahlia Bloom in Vintage Fabric G: 1 ⁄2 yd (46 cm) Spools in Lavender
Fabric H: 1 ⁄4 yd (25 cm) Dahlia Bloom in Spring Fabric I: 3⁄4 yd (70 cm) Spools in Jade Fabric J: 1 yd (92 cm) Diagonal Poppy in Duck Egg Fabric K: 1 ⁄2 yd (46 cm) Guinea Flower in Green Fabric L: 1 ⁄2 yd (46 cm) Shirt Stripes in Soft Fabric M: 1 ⁄2 yd (46 cm) Jungle Paisley in Grey Fabric N: 1 ⁄2 yd (46 cm) Fan Flower in Red Fabric O: 3⁄4 yd (70 cm) Cloisonné in Aqua Fabric P: 3⁄4 yd (70 cm) Rootlets in Blue Fabric Q: 1 ⁄2 yd (46 cm) Guinea Flower in Pink O t h e r i ng r ed i en t s Backing fabric: 8 1 ⁄2 yd (7.8 m) of desired fabric for Autumn Boston Common; 5 yd (4.6 m) of desired fabric for Spring Boston Common Binding fabric: 3⁄4 yd (70 cm) of a stripe Cotton batting: 103" ✕ 106" (260 cm ✕ 270 cm) for Autumn Boston Common; 86" ✕ 89" (215 cm ✕ 225 cm) for Spring Boston Common Quilting thread: Green thread for Autumn Boston Common; pink thread for Spring Boston Common Templates: Use templates C, D, and E (see pages 182 and 183)
B o s to n C o m m o n
Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts
7
Kaffe Fassett’s
Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts
U.S. $35.00
KA F F E FASS E T T , an accomplished painter and designer of textiles, is widely acknowledged as a visionary in the use of color. In 1988 he was honored to become the first living textile designer to be given a one-person show at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Since then, the exhibition of his textiles has traveled the world with him as he has taught and inspired others. He is a fabric designer for Rowan Patchwork and Quilting and the primary knitwear designer for Rowan Yarns. Kaffe Fassett’s Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts is his fourth quilting book and his fourteenth book overall.
LIZA P R I O R LU CY is an expert quiltmaker and the owner of Glorious Color (www.gloriouscolor.com), a source for fabrics designed by Kaffe Fassett and friends. She works with Fassett on his fabric lines and books.
Jacket design by ANNA CHRISTIAN
Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts 23 Original Quilt Designs
LIZA PRIOR LUCY
Photographs by Debbie Patterson
FA S S E T T
STC Craft | A Melanie Falick Book
| LUCY
U.S. $35.00 / CAN. $45.50 / U.K. £22.50
ISBN: 978-1-58479-837-8 ISBN 978-1-58479-837-8
53500
9
Printed in China
Kaffe Fassett’s
K A F F E FA S S E T T with
Jacket photograph © 2010 DEBBIE PATTERSON
115 West 18th Street New York, NY 10011 www.stcbooks.com
CANADA $45.50 | U.K. £22.50
781584 798378
stewart tabori & chang
In Kaffe Fassett’s Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts, world-renowned quilter Kaffe Fassett demonstrates how basic geometric forms—squares, rectangles, triangles, diamonds, circles, and quarter-circles—found in natural and manmade environments inspire his quilt designs. Twenty-three of his magnificent, inventive quilts— ranging from the relatively simple Tilt, ideal for beginners, to the more complex Circle of Stars, for more advanced stitchers—are showcased in the book, along with step-by-step instructions for making each one. Along the way, Fassett also offers over a hundred photographs of geometric inspiration from around the world—everything from triangular watermelon slices, to rectangular sheets of corrugated metal on African scrap dwellings, to lollipop-shaped topiary trees in Japan. In the accompanying text, Fassett reveals how he experiences the colors and basic shapes around him, how we can train our own eyes to see this rewarding source of creativity, and how we can, just as he does, combine striking fabrics with simple shapes to create our own spectacular quilt designs.