Happy Fall, and Happy Birthday to Libras!
I know many of you are fans of Australian pattern designer Kim McLean, who uses Kaffe Fassett Collective fabric to create her colorful contemporary “Album” applique quilts. I was delighted to see an interpretation of her quilt design “Roseville Album” at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham UK last month. This quilt was made by Megan Gibson, and quilted by Janette Chilver. It is all needle-turned applique using 80 weight thread. It is definitely a labor of love!
We are fans of Kim’s patterns and Kaffe Fassett’s Collective fabrics, so I am tickled to share this interpretation with you. It certainly attracted a lot of attention at the quilt festival. It is very effective because Megan used a lot of busy hot brights in the applique album motifs, against a muted cool solid background. The contrast of hot vs cool, and busy vs solid, effective makes this into an eye-popping quilt!
One way to quickly expand your Kaffe stash for a project like this, is to pick up a couple 10″ square Kaffe Precuts. They are fun to pet and spread out in your workspace while you audition them for your next colorful project. You’ll find a huge selection of Solids and Blenders on this page, for potential background fabrics. Plump up your colorful thread stash with some wild hues, and scoop up some fresh sharp needles for those Fall sewing projects.
I am continuing to upload more photos from the Festival of Quilts on my photo pages. If you’d like to be notified when I upload the next batch, be sure to hit the “Follow” button on my Flickr page. The next album uploaded after the Birmingham quilts, will be my photos from Bear Camp in Alaska.
If you missed my lecture on ‘Art and Activism’ last week, the recording is now online. It is one hour long, so grab a cup of tea or glass of wine along with a notepad because there are lots of ideas for those who want to use their art to make the world a better place.
I am attending the AQSG seminar (American Quilt Study Group) for the first time this week. eQuilter is a sponsor for the event, and I look forward to learning more about the history of quilting at this gathering in Louisville Kentucky. I hope to share some stories and nuggets of inspiration with you next week, after I get back home.
Sharing your love of fabric…
Luana and Paul
* The quilt photo above was taken by Luana Rubin at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham UK in August 2023. It is framed in a collage of Kaffe Fassett fabrics currently in stock.
Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterest or TikTok pages for Color and Design ideas.
See Luana’s Flickr Photo Pages for travel images, review our blog, or follow us on Facebook.
Check out our Video pages for interviews and show reviews.
Travel/Quilt Calendar:
Sept 28-30 – AQSG Seminar – Louisville, KY
Oct 27 – Nov 3 – Quilt Market/Festival – Houston TX
