Bold Blooms: Quilts and Other Works Celebrating Flowers

by Kaffe Fassett, Liza Prior Lucy

A stunning guide and vibrant pattern collection of twenty-five new patchwork and needlepoint projects, from the renowned color expert and quilt & fabric designer. Drawing inspiration from the natural beauty of flowers, Kaffe Fassett’s Bold Blooms invites crafters to explore the behind-the-scenes process and fascinating design methods used to create Kaffe’s bold fabrics and modern color palettes—from “sketching” with fabric swatches to creating mood boards and renderings to sewing visually striking quilts. Featured throughout are 18 new quilt patterns and seven new needlepoints. Ideas bloom on each page as eye-catching artwork, inventive quilt designs, needlepoint canvases, and bold ribbon patterns grow from concept to completion. Renowned for his use of color, Kaffe creates unique palettes from nature and his surroundings to create color “moods”—from neutrals and soft pastels to rich, dark tones—and he shares his design ideas, practical quilting advice, and needlepoint techniques useful to both novice and seasoned crafters throughout these colorful projects. With an emphasis on patchwork and needlework, the inventive designs and fresh color palettes translate to many creative disciplines ranging from mosaic, beading, fiber arts, embroidery, floral arrangements, and home décor. Accessible to quilting and sewing beginners and experts alike, the lively floral designs on each page are sure to inspire and send readers off on a color-filled creative journey, offering something for makers of all skill levels. “[A] gorgeous coffee-table book for crafters. . . . Patterson’s photographs enhance the artistic aspect, making the book not just a craft guide but a beautiful keepsake of its own. The whole book is just smashing.” —Publishers Weekly

Genres: Quilting, Nonfiction, Art, Crafts, Sewing, Adult

394 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 13, 2016

Reviews

[Malvina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved Kaffe Fassett's use of colour and bold styles. I was privileged to see an exhibition of his at Bath in the UK a few years ago, and just being in the room surrounded by the amazing colour explosion of his work was a magnificent treat. This book is a gift to read. It gives some personal commentary by Kaffe Fassett about his inspirations from colour, why he uses colour in different ways, and how he offsets it with different backgrounds, shapes and styles. There are paintings, needlework and quilts, as well as objects he's collected over the years. And, of course, beautiful furniture, homewares and sumptuous garden settings! The photographs are incredibly lush and just leap off the pages. Even though I don't quilt, it's simply a fabulously inspirational and wonderful book to read, and makes you think about how you decorate your own home.

[Karly Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

The size of the book was a little overwhelming but as soon as I dipped in I was in! There is great inspiration, a lot of writing all by Kaffe, about his process and encouragement and just glorious color! There are several very simple quilts in here and I expect I will be checking this out at the library on a regular basis. This is a dandy book, so joyful!

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scrumptuous colors

This book is so beautiful that it has made me giddy. The fabrics and patterns are delightful but seeing them staged is just as interesting. Truly a jewel of a book.

[Tilden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will never make any of the quilts or pillows in the book but it is fun to just peruse the book for the beautiful photography. I envy Kaffe for being so talented and able to create such lovely, bold color choices.

[Nann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Renowned designed Kaffe Fassett shows how he composes still lifes in different color palettes and how those arrangements influence his fabric and needlepoint designs.

[Dorothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of inspiration to spark my own creativity.

[Tabitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of Kaffe's books are gorgeous. When I begin quilting I will return to this and all his others!

[Shelley Peper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorgeous, but way out of my league.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quilt patterns, needlepoint charts, and just a lot of floral gorgeousness :)

[Kylee Ervin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous book with lots of inspiration and patterns for needlepoint (as well as just plenty of flowers) I want to translate into cross stitches.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of the same patterns from old books, but with new fabric collections

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for ideas about using the author’s brilliantly designed fabrics to create beautiful quilts.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great design choices by Kaffe Fassett for rooms, quilts and pillows

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent!

[DragonTree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it more than I thought I would. I want to quilt or at least I think I want to quilt.

[Tonideveson · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful read

Such a fountain of inspiration, Fassett share not only his art, but also his processor which is invaluable. This book is a keeper to refer to over and over again

[Candida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful look into Fassett's process. Glorious quilts.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous projects, and pictures in this book. I would highly recommend it to other crafters out there who cross stitch, needlepoint, or quilt.

4 stars.

[Juliezs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another splendid book from Kaffe Fassett, just as visually deep and evocative as we've come to expect. Out of all the other ones he's produced over the years this one seems to have the best explanation of how he sees, uses, plays with, and loves color. He takes us through his process of going from inspiration, to painting, to how the fabrics (or ribbon or needlepoint patterns) are made. Fascinating to read all about how it all comes together before we see fabric in the stores, or finished quilts in a book.
There are great palette descriptions that are illustrated with pages of photo inspiration and then stunning flower arrangements that become the centerpiece of still-life vignettes utilizing sumptuous fabrics, ceramics, and the occasional vegetable. The photography is of course top-notch, and I appreciated how the finished quilts are displayed both indoors and outside.
Each quilt has a description of how and why it was made with musings on possible other color combinations that might be interesting to try. The quilts aren't terribly innovative or brand-new, but the way they're described in this book, with more of the design thoughts and processes that went into them, makes me want to try several of them out right away. There are also needlepoint designs and charts for floral focused pillows.
This book also made me want to spend more time in my garden and attempt to grow some peonies again.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful! Autographed