One of the surprising comments that Kaffe made at the beginning of the class was that more often than not, he noticed that students would make a quilt in the colors of the clothes that they wore, and he was quite right. For more than two decades, Kaffe Fassett's sumptuously textured, vibrantly colored designs have thrilled readers and inspired them to pile on color and break the rules. Adjectives like “delicious”, “voluptuous”, “fresh”, “juicy”, and “passionate” were liberally sprinkled in his vocabulary and rolled off his tongue easily.

He was christened Frank Havrah Fassett but as a teenager decided to change his name to the more artistic sounding Kaffe (rhymes with safe) after an Egyptian character in a children’s book.He is a fabric designer for Rowan Patchwork and Quilting and the primary knitwear designer for Rowan Yarns.

Kaffe started his artistic career as a painter, first in the US and then in the UK where he moved in 1964.

For me, his knitting designs were not exactly easy or quick and I was busy starting a career and a family. It was interesting to see how at the end of the day a blue themed quilt was made by someone wearing a blue cardigan or a predominantly yellow quilt was put together by a student wearing a yellowish top.

The high level of intensity and energy that he maintained all day despite having passed the age of 80 was incredible. He has published many books, including over 20 beautifully photographed quilt pattern volumes which make it easy to produce one of his trademark designs. All quilts have step-by-step instructions, and actual size templates are included for photocopying at the back of the book.The book will inspire you to make quilts that don't pretend to be antiques, but will instead enliven a room in a distinctly modern way. While some of his color combinations and business of the quilt tops could be offensive to some, I think that one has to see the brilliance of his work. Kaffe Fassett puts a new spin on some of the traditional quilt patterns and his creations are fresh and original. InGlorious Patchwork-one of his most spectacular and original books-Kaffe presents more than 25 designs that draw on the essence of his colorwork. If you are new to patchwork and need a step-by-step guide, this book provides it more than generously.

During those years, Kaffe’s design world also expanded to encompass needlepoint patterns, mosaics, fabric designs and quilt patterns.Quilting is increasingly acquiring an even greater following and with this innovative collection Kaffe will attract many new converts. This particular design is photographed in a garden with the table set with china filled with fruit, flowers and confections. He freely admitted that he was fortunate to grow up in the 1950’s in an atypical (even for California) home and school environment that supported and encouraged his natural artistic creativity. I like to focus my traveling lens on history, art, architecture, nature, cruising, and soft adventures with a touch of luxury. Listening to his talk it was clear that his eye and his mind were wired to see color and pattern in ways that most of us do not.