Kaffe for Kim

My friend Kim LOVES her some Kaffe Fassett fabric. Last year we went to Missouri Star Quilt Company and every time we’d go in to the Florals Shop she’d enter, look around, sigh and say “Kaffe” (like an exhale). Most other times when she sees some Kaffe it is a more excited exclamation – “KAFFE!!”

We went on a quilt retreat in mid-March to celebrate both of our birthdays and she kindly gave me a Kaffe layer cake. I couldn’t believe it! Kim parting with some precious Kaffe! That retreat wound up being right before (like days before) New Mexico shut down for COVID, so it was a really interesting retreat (and birthday).

Later in the year I was trying to organize my sewing room and ran across the layer cake. I was looking for a project to just work on without thinking about it too hard, so I set out to find a good Layer Cake pattern. The other thing about Kim is that she LOVES her some Jenny Doan (from Missouri Star Quilt Company). Just loves Jenny. I searched through MSQ YouTube videos to find a layer cake pattern from Jenny, and found a good one with the “Bear Paw on Point” Tutorial.

The funny thing about this quilt is that Kim actually helped design it, without knowing (I think!) it was meant for her. At some point I asked her “do you like purple?” – she said “oh! I love purple!”. Then I posted some progress on the quilt and asked “I want to do a border – what do people think? A Kaffe fabric border or the purple solid?” Kim replied “do more of the solid and then can show off your fancy quilting! And do a nice Kaffe for the binding”. So I was pretty sure she’d like the final product!

And here is the final product – I give you Kaffe for Kim!

When I was working with this layer cake I was thinking “wow, these fabrics are CRAZY. So many colors and patterns!” – but somehow they work together really well.

I did have fun quilting it. It is quilted with a light purple thread. I did a winding feather all around the edges with swirls as a filler. I just did a dot to dot in the fabric – because who can compete with the fabric? – and some continuous curves in the purple between the blocks.

The back looks pretty cool:

I found a nice Kaffe stripe for the binding:

and then I pulled out my new embroidery module on my Bernina to make a label. The KAFFE!! is supposed to sound like Kim when she sees his fabric. 🙂

I just gifted the finished quilt to her the other day and she loved it! I’m so happy.

KAFFE!! for Kim Details:

  • Finished 62″x80″
  • Warm and Natural Batting
  • So Fine #524 (a light purple) in the top and the bobbin
  • 291,811 total quilting stitches

2 thoughts on “Kaffe for Kim”
  1. I love it. I like Kaffe and I LOVE purple. I like your idea. I will think about what you did and create my own. Thanks.

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