A Crafter's Life

Kaffe-philia

tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Recently I’ve gained a bunch of new tierneycreates blog followers! Welcome new followers/readers, thanks for joining this random discussion of a crafter’s life!

I guess with all the new followers, I should actually write a new post (what a novel idea!) so they have something to actually “follow” (smile).

Last post I shared with you my “Aurifilia” – my obsession with the beautiful Italian AURIfil thread. This post I want to share with you someone else’s obsession: Kaffe-philia.

(“-philia” = denoting fondness, especially an abnormal love for a specified thing – dictionary.com).

Saturday I visited the home of a quilting friend who is obsessed with Kaffe Fassett fabric.

In case you have never heard of Kaffe, especially if you are not a quilter, he is a U.S. born designer who moved to the U.K. when he was a young man. He first made it big in embroidery needlepoint and knitting and then moved into quilt and fabric design. Here is a link to his website: www.kaffefassett.com if you would like to read more about Kaffe Fassett.

My friend has been collecting Kaffe Fassett fabric for many years and here is a peek inside her stash:

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A close up of some of her Kaffe Fassett fabric delights:

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And a peek inside one of her boxes, on top of her “rack-of-Kaffe”, with her shot cotton stripes collection:

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It is even more yummy in person but hopefully the photos give you a taste of her collection.

She has made many quilts with Kaffe Fassett fabrics over the years and here is a commission quilt she is currently putting the binding on, made exclusively with Kaffe Fassett fabrics using a pattern from a Kaffe Fassett book:

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Here is the cool fabric on the back which is a sateen and you can see a close up of some of the quilting she did on the quilt:

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So you might be thinking: “Tierney, those fabric are lovely, do you own some?” I own a tiny bit of Kaffe Fassett fabric yardage. What I do have quite a bit of are Kaffe Fassett FABRIC SCRAPS! If you have followed my blog for a while you know of my love of fabric scraps (bordering on pathology).

You will never guess where I got the fabric scraps…(hint: from my friend with the Kaffe-philia).

Although I have not invested in a lot of Kaffe Fassett yardage, I am guilty of my own Kaffe-philia (true confession time). I was (last year I finally stopped) obsessed with owning the latest Kaffe Fassett book, and here is my bookshelf to prove it:
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Question: So Tierney, just how many quilts have you made from all these Kaffe Fassett books you own?

Answer: (Sheepish grin) None. But I plan to in the future, I really do!

My friend with the Kaffe fabric obsession, and I with the Kaffe book obsession, got to meet the fabulous Kaffe Fassett a couple of years ago at a book signing at the Stitchin’ Post in Sisters, Oregon. I tried not to go to all “fan girl” on him when I got him to sign one of my books.

There are many wonderful fabric designers, do not know why his fabric and books are so addicting!

Do any of you have a little bit of Kaffe-philia?

Postscript

Recently, one of the bloggers I follow, thecraftycreek, has been working on a lovely Kaffe Fassett quilt that you might want to check out if you love Kaffe Fassett like some of us do. See her post – Feel the Sunshine and Do a Happy Dance! 

Published by tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles

Quilter, crafter, obsessive tea drinker and lover of all furry creatures (especially dogs and cats) - join me on my tierneycreates blog as I share stories from "A Crafter's Life".

25 thoughts on “Kaffe-philia”

  1. I don’t have any Kaffe Fassett fabrics or quilting books but I do have an old knitting book of his and one on needlepoint. I know if I did have some of his fabrics they wouldn’t last long in my stash.

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  2. Thanks for the link, I remember years ago (probably 35ish!!) going to a talk by Kaffe in Bradford about how he got into knitting, I don’t think he had discovered quilting by then, I’d love to hear him talk again 🙂

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  3. Your friend’s fabric room looks like a dream quilt shop!
    My introduction to Kaffe Fassett was when I first visited Val and Kim’s Quilt Shop in Dripping Springs, Texas. It was love at first sight. I have been back twice. I just finished one quilt top with one of Kaffe Fassett’s large florals. At the shop, I resisted buying one of KF books. Silly me.
    Now, I need to return to Dripping Springs!

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    1. No be strong, keep resisting, don’t get messed up on buying the books like I did (or at least get them used and only one at a time and make sure you make at least one quilt from them – ha!) 🙂

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  4. Scrapsphilia, that is your affliction.

    I do have very small amounts of Kaffe in my cupboard, but not a lot. And I’ve used some in a number of quilts, but never in large amounts. I love their exuberance. What I love about his patterns is they are generally very simple piecing, which they very well should be. When your fabrics are so busy, lots of piecing is redundant. I’ve tried the same thing in a couple of quilts — use big or showy prints and the piecing can be much less. It would be fun to see someone else’s stash like this.

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    1. Oh yes, you nailed it – “Scrapsphilia”! 🙂
      Reading your comments, I think that is why I do not have much Kaffe Fassett yardage in my stash – his floral patterns are too much for me. I like little bits of Kaffe and mainly the stripes or the smaller patterns.

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  6. Oh darn – I was gonna ask you to ask your friend to keep me in mind for any Kaffee Scraps she might like to dispose of… (I’m a scrap-a-holoc). But looks like she already bestowed those treasured scraps to you, her friend.
    😦
    The photos were pure eye candy – including your book stash!

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  7. Tierney, I really enjoy seeing Kaffe fabrics. They are always so filled with vibrant colors. I do have a few pieces of his fabric. If I use his material in my Quilts it’s usually on a small scale. Love your stash of books. Great to have on hand for entertainment. 🙂

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  8. Love, love, love the happiness and beauty that scream from Kaffe fabrics!!! Thanks for sharing. I love all of the sneak peeks in the stash closet.
    😊

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  9. What beautiful textiles he does – I’m familiar with his knitwear designs, and have enjoyed his approach to colour and pattern in knitting (I love the bursts of colour!). I had never looked into his fabric before this post. Your friend does beautiful work. And, so neat to read that you got to meet him. He seems like a very cool guy. 🙂

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    1. Thanks and yes she does do beautiful work! There is a book (no I do not own it) with a tour of his home and it is extremely colorful! I think I would go crazy living with that much color – too over stimulating – but as you saw in his knitting patterns/books he is definitely into bold and strong color 🙂

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  10. What a stunning quilt! I would never have thought to combine those colours and patterns but it works amazingly well. Very inspiring…And your bookshelf of craft books looks wonderfully inviting!

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