My class with Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably has been and gone. I would have to say it was one of the fastest days of my life. It simply flew by in a whirl of colourful pinwheels. 

The workshop started with an introduction from Brandon. He talked about how he and Kaffe work with colour, about how the class would unfold and how we should approach it. Brandon is as colourful and fun as the shirts he wears!!

Then Kaffe talked about the quilt we were making,  the design aspects we should look out for and the types of fabrics we should think about using. Though that being said he also emphasised that we should follow our own instinct. 

They had a great rapport and in a wonderful, enthusiastic way they both got across the aims of the class:

Get as much fabric cut and onto the grey flannel design wall.
Don't stop to think.
Don't get matchy matchy with fabric
Try combinations we'd never thought of
Watch out for interesting surprises. 
Remember there is no right or wrong
Don't ask our neighbour what they think
Just "Do It!"
 Elimination can be done afterwards.


So with that pep talk we raced back to our work stations and started cutting. I followed the guidelines and didn't try to think too much, I just grabbed fabrics and cut out triangles. I was really aiming for those surprise combinations, the ones were you they're almost so wrong that they work. Brandon came by and pulled a few fabrics out that he felt were too light. Kaffe came by and said he liked the browns. 

Brandon had brought music for us to listen to as we worked. A fun eclectic mix with up tempo beats that kept us moving at a good pace. There were some classics, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, lots of Beatles.. and then there would be a marching song or Bulgarian folk music, an old show tune thrown in  Brandon moved through the room singing the songs, and although no one joined in singing aloud with him there was a lot of humming going on. 

Before we knew it it was lunch time. We were told to have a good hour's break from our work. It was easy to fill in the time eating delicious wraps, chatting about out progress and a wander around the fabric laden shelves of the shop. Cottage Quiltworks has the best fabrics!!

Kaffe took some quiet time out to do some knitting. 


Fuelled from our lunch and on a high from buying new fabrics I dived back into cutting triangles. Soon it was time for Kaffe to talk about each persons work. He has a lovely way of describing the "story" of a quilt, the essence or character of the fabrics being used.  He also pointed out elements or colours he feels work well. 
To be honest all I don't remember exactly what Kaffe said about my crazy combos but the word "Gypsy" was used to describe the look and he liked the use of Brandon's dark Fish Lips fabric. 

One of the best things about the day was meeting Ann-Maree. I picked the right place to sit when I sat next to her!! We had such a great time in our corner with our fabrics and triangles flying everywhere. At one point all her triangles fell on the floor and she had to start from scratch but she came up with even better combinations. Her quilt is going to be a party of colour and super spots. 

There was a funny moment when Kaffe came around and swapped some little triangles over to create a really fun bright pinwheel. Five minutes later Brandon came up and said he didn't think that particular pinwheel was working, it was too bright. Too funny!! and a great reminder that everyone is different and has their own taste. 

Soon the fastest day ever came to an end. Not before a photo with Kaffe and Brandon though. Here's the proof of my day with the rock stars of quilting. 

A huge thanks to the lovely ladies at Cottage Quiltworks  they are always so helpful and cheery.