Kaffe Shuffle

In 2014 when I was working on my book Cut and Shuffle Quilts (now out of print), the publisher asked me to include a quilt using Kaffe Fassett fabrics in the book. 

This is the quilt that ended up in the book: Heat Wave

The premise of the book was to start with a framed square, slice and dice it, shuffle the parts, and create new blocks from those parts. Here's the block used in Heat Wave; the top, bottom, and side units are turned inward. Heat Wave has pieced sashing between the blocks.

If you look at the block parts on the right and look at the block in the lower right corner of the quilt, you see that I used black for the center square and print for the frame. When working on this quilt, I started with blocks with printed centers and black frames. I ended up not using them, instead using blocks with black centers and printed frames, making the black less prominent when they were cut and shuffled.

Since 2014 I've had those orphan Cut and Shuffle starter blocks just sitting in a drawer. I needed a project to work on at retreat in July, so I gave some thought to what I could do with them. I wanted something different, not just another Cut and Shuffle quilt. Prior to retreat I cut each block into fourths. Here's the same framed starter block image as above, showing where I cut it.

I ended up with a lot of print squares with black frames on two sides. By themselves, they looked too busy together and didn't combine into a large enough quilt. So I planned for some sashing, using the same magenta/mango dot print as in the original quilt above. 

At retreat I laid out the blocks on point, with the sashing fabric. We were all surprised at the three-dimensional effect that appeared! 

With an on-point layout I would need side and corner triangles. I planned on using the dot print, but that would have been just too much, too loud and gaudy. Yuck! The consensus among the retreaters was that I should use black for the side and corner triangles.

I agreed, but there was one problem. That black isn't actually black, it's a charcoal-on-black tiny crosshatch print. And I didn't have any more of it. Since it was from 2013-14, my chances of getting more were nil. 

The quilting gods were with me at retreat. Our hostess has a small shop, and she had a different tiny charcoal-on-black crosshatch print. Very close! What were the chances I could ever find something that close?!!! The two black prints never actually touch each other, and unless you know they're different and hold them together, you wouldn't know a substitute print was used. 

I was able to get the top assembled at retreat. Fortunately we caught that turned square in the bottom row before the borders were added. 

The girls convinced me that it needed black borders to finish framing it, so back to the shop I went for more of that black print. They were right, the black border helps contain all that chaotic color.

So now I have a finished flimsy. Still a UFO, but definitely farther along than just a pile of orphan blocks. I have enough of that new black for the binding. I might have something in my stash for backing, otherwise I'll see if there's something in PCQ's stash.

Since it started as a Cut and Shuffle quilt and uses Kaffe fabrics, I'm calling it Kaffe Shuffle. This will be a donation quilt for the local family services agency, probably for a teen girl. 

Linking up with Alycia Quilts, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Wendy's Quilts and More, My Quilt Infatuation