Synopses & Reviews
Kaffe Fassett has led an extraordinary life and is a captivating storyteller with a vivid memory. Born in 1937, he spent much of his youth in Big Sur, California, where his parents bought a cabin from Orson Welles and transformed it into the world-famous Nepenthe restaurant, a gathering place for artists and bohemians. After attending a boarding school run by the disciples of Krishnamurti, an Indian guru, he studied painting at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, then traveled to England, where he made his home. After an inspiring trip to Inverness, Scotland, Fassett began designing knitwear for Bill Gibb, and then the Missonis,
Vogue magazine, and private clients like Lauren Bacall and Barbra Streisand, and, in the process, revolutionized the handknitting world with his explosive use of color. Further explorations led him to needlepoint, mosaics, rugmaking, tapestries, yarn and fabric design, costume and set design, and quilting. Now in his seventies, Fassett continues to produce new work and to travel worldwide to teach and lecture. In this intimate autobiography, Fassett shares rich, detailed stories about his lifelong creative journey as well as hundreds of glorious photos taken along the way.
Praise for Kaffe Fassett: Dreaming in Color:
and#147;Kaffe Fassett is to color what Julia Child was to French cooking.and#8221; and#151;Knitters Review
and#147;Lavishly illustrated with photographs from his life and work and dishing on everyone from Dustin Hoffman to Princess Margaret, Dreaming in Color describes a charmed life filled with creativity, big personalities, travels and not a little serendipity.and#8221; and#151;Vogue Knitting
and#147;Shapes and patterns are everywhere; they lie waiting for the person who wants to see them. It's the bricolage aspect behind his work and, arguably, Fassett himself: arranging disparate things to create something dynamic and new.and#8221; and#151;Vogue Knitting
and#147;This book would be a beautiful gift to receive or give. It is like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.and#8221;
and#151;Examiner.com
and#147;A glance through his new autobiography shows that this is a man who, in design terms, hit the ground running and has never stopped.and#8221; and#151;Selvedge magazine
and#147;Dreaming in Color, lavishly illustrated with 500 color pictures, is a feast for the eyes.and#8221; and#151;Shelf Awareness
and#147;Reading this book is like peeling an orange on a gray winterand#8217;s dayand#151;every single one of your senses is sparked as you get sprayed with infectious creativity.and#8221; and#151;Knitty.com
and#147;Kaffe Fassett is a luminary in the world of textiles and knitting, spreading the gospel of color in his books and travels.and#8221; and#151;The Houston Chronicle
and#147;It is a beautiful book, no question. Beautifully designed, thoughtfully composed, well-written, Kaffe takes you on his creative journey. We alland#151;quilters, knitters, needlepointers, and just plain art loversand#151;are indeed very fortunate that he would share all of this with the world.and#8221; and#151;Getting Stitched on the Farm
and#147;Fassett is a kind of Harrison Ford of the knitting worldand#133;.and#8221; and#151;The Washington Post
and#147;Kaffe Fassett is a luminary in the world of textiles and knitting, spreading the gospel of color in his books and travels.and#8221;and#151;The Houston Chronicle
and#147;This book is a gorgeous coffee table treasure but it so much more than the vibrant photos, it is a moving and interesting autobiography and I am so glad it has been published. What a treat to read, hold, soak in and enjoy.and#8221; and#151;Susan B. Anderson
and#147;Brimming over with beautiful eye-candy and intimate details, this colorful book is sure to charm and inspire.and#8221; and#151;Love of Knitting magazine
and#147;One of the bookand#8217;s many virtues is how effectively Fassett conveys his enthusiasm about his work to the reader. and#145;Iand#8217;m st
Synopsis
In
Simple Shapes Spectacular Quilts, world-renowned quilter Kaffe Fassett demonstrates how basic geometric formsand#151;squares, rectangles, triangles, diamonds, circles, and quarter-circlesand#151;foundand#160;in natural and manmade environments inspireand#160;his quilt designs. Twenty-three of his magnificent, inventive quiltsand#151;ranging from the relatively simple Tilt, ideal for beginners, to the more complex Circle of Stars, for more advanced stitchersand#151;are showcased in the book, along with step-by-step instructions for making each one.
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Along the way,and#160;Fassett alsoand#160;offers over a hundred photosand#160;of geometric inspiration from around the worldand#151;everything from triangular watermelon slices, to rectangular sheets of metal on African scrap dwellings, to lollipop-shaped topiary trees in Japan. In the accompanying text,and#160;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.
About the Author
Kaffe Fassett, an accomplished painter and designer of textiles, is widely acknowledged as a visionary in the use of color. In 1988 he was the first living textile designer to be given a one-person show at the VandA in London, where he lives. He is a fabric designer for Rowan Patchwork and Quilting and the primary knitwear designer for Rowan Yarns. Thisand#160;is his fourteenth book. Liza Prior Lucy is an expert quiltmaker and the owner of Glorious Color, a source for fabrics designed by Kaffe Fassett and friends.