The KF Retreat

As I pulled together the projects I planned to work on at the recent retreat, I mentioned that this might become known as the Kaffe Fassett retreat - that prediction was spot on. I made three quilts with this glorious fabric, and I love all three.

First, I finished a WIP (work in progress) that was begun while in Florida. I made blocks of an entire mostly-blue KF jelly roll. That was all done prior to the retreat. I set off those gorgeous blue/green/purple blocks with a narrow pink sashing, and used some blue from my stash for the cornerstones. 

That pic above looks washed out; here's a different angle; hopefully the colors look more vivid.

 The final measurements on this jelly roll quilt are 45"x50".

The second project was the project I planned to do with my dear friend Sharon. We'd spoken for a year or more about using our KF fabrics to make an Around the World quilt. I shared hers in yesterday's post. She'd begun it back in the fall while I delayed because - get this - I didn't have enough pastel colors in my stash. I had to buy more! (I know, you're all ROFLing, right?)

The wonderful floral pattern above was my center panel. From there, I just added border after border after border - all different widths and all selected with the idea of cohesiveness of color and design.

I really didn't know what it would look like when I began, but this is what I ended up with. I sort of expected that it would be more pink, but the fabrics led me to this and I'm pleased with it. It measures 48"x62". I could conceivably add more borders. Now that I am home and have access to my entire stash, I might just see what I find. However, I do like this and may just leave well enough alone.

Having this completed, I turned my sights on making a baby quilt for our new granddaughter. Both Cate and Reagan have quilts made like this, and I thought the newest little girl would need to have one as well. The last thing I grabbed when packing for retreat was a stack of solid fabrics piled on the end of a table. It was meant to be.

The  blocks for this quilt use the same general principle as Around the World - that is, begin with a panel of colorful florals or prints, border it with a matching solid, repeat a border of the floral/print, then finish off with the solid. Make 9 of these blocks and stitch them together. Voila! Baby quilt in no time. This one measures 60"x76". I am sure the ones I made for Cate and Reagan were lots smaller. Since there's not a set pattern, you end up with a surprise. I used narrower strips or started with smaller central panels on my previous versions. 

 I just found this picture in my camera roll; I'm completely clueless! One of these went to Reagan; I must have gifted the other one...but to whom? I forget...Below is the first one from 2022 when Cate was born.

 So, yes, it WAS a Kaffe Fassett retreat. Wonderful! It was really satisfying to complete 3 flimsies, all made (mostly) from my stash of KF fabrics. I'll be back soon with a final retreat report in which all the other quilters get grouped all together in one giant post.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne 

Sewing With Sharon

Normalcy is slowly returning around here as my physical therapy and healing continues. If you ask me, I am ahead of schedule in the recovery department, and am impatient to get to full, unrestricted activities ASAP!

One bit of "normal" this week was my Tuesday sewing day with Sharon! Oh, boy, did we get a lot done! Sharon began her first few surrounds of her Kaffe Fassett Around the World quilt. It is going to be spectacular, if this initial portion is any indication.

 

Does this halt you in your tracks? Look at the movement in those flowers! Such a striking center panel and it could not be more perfect. A small border of pink dots on blue and then another wonderful floral with roses on a lavender background - this combination of fabrics is a wonderful start to her quilt.

Her next layer is this light blue "fans" piece; it contains just the right pops of pinks, purples, and greens to enhance those same pastels in the previous fabrics. If only mine will be half as gorgeous. Sharon has great fabrics from which to choose, and with her "eye" for just the right color and design, her quilt is gonna' be amazing.

She took this quilt to about the 4th or 5th surround, then felt it wise to stop. She wants to sift through her Kaffe Fassett stash a bit more thoroughly before moving ahead. Like me, Sharon has fabric all over the place. There might just be one random piece of KF in a stack in the back of the closet, or under the desk, or in a storage tub. We'd best pull all these random KF fabrics together so we don't miss anything!

She moved on to working with her Tilda remnants, making 9-patch blocks with a gentle off-white neutral. 

We remarked that two fabric styles could not be more starkly different - Kaffe Fassett and Tilda. One is bold and color-saturated while the other is soft and muted. One screams while the other whispers. And both are just as luscious to work with as anything.

So my task for the day was to continue making pinwheels for my Winnie the Pooh panel. Finishing the pinwheels led to making top and bottom borders, followed by side borders. All very straightforward. Attach said borders to the panel and VOILA! It's now ready to go on the long arm machine.

I acquired the Pooh panel when Jan was purging her stash awhile back. I acquired the green for the pinwheels just last month when Becky was similarly purging. I would even venture that the dotted fabric in the pinwheels came from someone's purge - we've all been feeling the weight of the excesses of our stashes. Anyway, this quilt totally has happened through the generosity of my dear quilting friends!

Let's hope all this productivity continues. I would really like to finish out 2025 with a flourish of quilting activity!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne