Ballet with Kaffe Fassett - Millefiori Quilts 2

This page is all about my Ballet with Kaffe Fassett quilt. I've called my quilt Fireworks.

Fireworks


I started my Ballet quilt on 8 June 2017 with these fabrics.



Although I'm a great Kaffe Fassett fan, I decided not to make his fabrics the focus for this quilt.  I've always thought this pattern resembled fireworks, so I used a dark background to represent the night sky, and made the colours in my rosettes really pop, like fireworks do. 



I've loved this particular Cotton + Steel print above for some time, so I decided to use it as my inspiration fabric for this quilt. It's by Sarah Watts from the Spring 2015 Honeymoon range and is called Sketches and Memories from Costa Rica. I just love how the colours work together, and it has the dark background I'm looking for. 

Here are links to all my posts on the Ballet with Kaffe quilt:

15 June 2017 - Getting started

27 August 2017 - Progress and how to sew a 10 pointed star

15 Feb 2018 More progress

8 April 2018 - Meeting Willyne Hammerstein at AQC Melbourne

10 April 2018 - Willyne's Moncarapacho quilt at AQC

6 Feb 2019 - Back at it

12 Dec 2019 - Ballet with Kaffe Revisited

2 Jan 2020 - Ballet with Kaffe top is finished

4 April 2020 - How I attached the borders

20 August 2021 - Ballet with Kaffe = Fireworks (the finished quilt)



August 2017

Here's my progress from the first few months of working on this quilt.  I don't imagine it will all come together this quickly, but new quilts always pull me in and get me stitching quickly. 


February 2018

February 2019

Just like on la passacaglia, my mind is working faster than my hands and I already have groupings of fabrics set aside for future rosettes.  I'm really looking forward to this adventure. 


January 2020 - the top is finished

April 2020 and the borders are on.

May 2021 - it's finished an on display at the Great New Zealand Quilt Show in Rotorua, NZ


10 comments:

Camille Mendel said...

You are an amazing quilter Wendy and I look forward to following your progress on this quilt. I have too many unfinished projects including La Pass and I just need to get focused and knock them out. I admire your discipline to get to the finish line on your work. Thank you for inspiring me.

Chantal Thibodeau said...

I'm looking forward to see your progression. I started mine 2 years ago. I think I will need another year to piece it. I didn't use paper template for it as I found the 10 points star to difficult to join. I trace on my fabric and then sew on the lines.

Unknown said...

Lovely quilt! Did you know that la passacaglia is a Baroque musical term from the 17th century? It's a strummed interlude (walk or passage) between instrumentally accompanied dances or songs.

Prissy said...

I love this quilt! It's gorgeous.

Sumac said...

Your quilt is exquisite! The border looks great with all your fabric choices. I can see how that fabric was the inspiration. Well worth the time you put into it.

Janice quilting said...

What a wonderful quilt Wendy, could you please tell me what's the difference between hand piecing and English paper piecing? I hadn't realised that they were two different techniques until a read your piece about putting together the 10 point Star. I've been patchworking and quilting for about 4 years now and have only just started on hand piecing.
Also, another question, when I'm next able to visit NZ from my home in Ireland is there a way I could meet with a local quilters group? My son and his family live in New Plymouth.
Best wishes and thanks for your inspiration,
Janice

Wendy @ Wendysquiltsandmore said...

Hi Janice. You're a No Reply Blogger so I can't reply via email, but I'll leave a comment here and hope that you see it. English Paper Piecing is where you wrap the fabric around a piece of paper or card to achieve the shape you desire - most often done with hexagons for Grandmother's Garden type quilts.
Hand piecing is where you mark stitching lines on the back of the fabric and hand sew the pieces together along those lines. There's no basting involved - just a running stitch along the lines.
As for quilting groups in NZ, there are many, but most only meet once a month. Check out Aotearoa Quilters website for a list of guilds, or apply to join KiwiQuilters on Facebook closer to the time. There are over 2,000 members in that Facebook group and there's sure to be people from Taranaki.

ClaireW said...

Your quilt is so beautiful! I love the colours you've chosen and how you have placed them. I'd like to make a millefiori quilt some time. Yours is really inspiring.

grace soha said...

I am just attempting this pattern--Thank You So Much for sharing pictures, experience and guidance. You are an inspiration.
I especially love the border & learned so much from studying how you chose to place colors in the rosettes. I might really can do this! :-)
Catherine

Gretchen Weaver said...

I can't believe how fast you make these quilts! You must real focus on 1 project at a time. This quilt is another beauty!