This is the design that inspired the quilt that is on the front cover of my book "Tessellation Quilts". I found it on floor tiles in Siena Cathedral in Tuscany, Italy. It reminds me of "Delectable Mountains" and is an excellent example of a tessellation - interlocking pieces of the same shape that can go on into infinity.
You will make the quick version of this design called "Evening Moods" with 6 bright and contrasting fabrics and a very dark background. Black as a border outlines and emphasises all the colours and the quilt is further enhanced by the inner sashing of small squares interleaved with black to make an unusual frame around the quilt.
Lone Star
Enjoy making this pretty quilt using the Lone Star design. Two sets of four contrasting diamonds make up the interior, edged in a dainty stripe; they are surrounded by 8 floral squares. This medallion is then made into an octagon by the addition of 8 dark diamonds and four corner triangles make it into a large square. A floral border with four contrasting corner squares completes this quilt which is quickly pieced.
Christine will demonstrate hints and tips along the way to make piecing your quilt as easy as possible. Your fabric choices determine the quilt. I usually choose the border first (in this quilt I chose a light floral fabric) and then match the rest of the fabrics, making sure I have contrast in light, medium and dark values.
Squaring the Circle: Two Quilts at a time!
Make this exciting quilt using circles and squares cut on the diagonal to produce stunning designs which look complex but are so simple to piece! Using this new technique you will be able to make two quilts at the same time - or one larger quilt, it's up to you.
Techniques include piecing and fusible appliqué. A variety of graded background fabric introduces shading which enhances the effect of the principal fabrics. Christine will also demonstrate various decorative stitches. Using Op-Art fabrics in black and white really makes the quilt sing but you could use alternative patterned fabrics.
Nottingham Stars
This attractive quilt is made using two simple blocks; Variable Star (Block 1) and Ohio Star (Block 2). Alternate plain blocks (Block 3) allow you to showcase your quilting either by hand or machine. A vine along the borders adds an extra touch.
Using themed fabrics, eg Seasonal, floral, Christmas or perhaps bright colours, you can have fun ringing the chances. This quilt can easily be enlarged by adding more Variable Star and alternate plain blocks and adjusting the border accordingly.
Fantastic Fans
Have fun making this pretty Dresden Plate Fan quilt. It's as easy as pie! Using the special Fan template and a variety of fabrics with contrasting colours and values, you can achieve several fans at one sitting.
Alternative settings will also be demonstated. You can end up with a large quilt, a lap quilt or a cusion, whichever you wish, but the fun comes with the larger quilt as you can play with the colours.
Sailing Round the Lighthouse with Chris Porter
A large red and cream lighthouse will be fused and appliquéd onto the pieced background of sea and sky. Little sailboats will be foundation pieced and there will be various types of embellishment from fancy threads and beads to shells. Watch out for those fish!
Autumn Leaves
Using cotton fabric, decorative threads and buttonhole stitch, enjoy sewing different leaf patterns around a central medalion block. Embellishment with an array of stitches gives the leaves a realistic look.
This original design is easy to sew and you will get the chance to try out various stitches and feet on your machine. Christine will demonstrate all the stitches and you will be able to learn enough to finnish the quilt at home.
Below are some Brand New Classes from my New Book "Viva Venezia!"
Magnificent Mosaic Quilts, direct from Venice to you!
Attic Windows
This design appears in many different colour combinations on medieval tiled floors throughout Italy. The Attic Windows block gives the impression of being three-dimensional whatever way you decide to hang your quilt. It is extremely easy to piece with a simple set-in seam.
Marbled batiks will make your quilt glow. This is the front cover quilt from Christine's new book "Viva Venezia!" (C&T Publishing). Warm terra-cotta colours combined with black, white and cream with grey make this a highly visual three- dimensional design. You can use any colours you like as long as they have contrast.
Chevrons
This quilt was inspired by a fascinating setting of floor tiles that I discovered both in Venice and in Rome. The pattern is made from pairs of vertical diamonds: one light and its partner dark. The colors in my quilt range from pastel tones to richer, darker shades. The matching pairs go across the quilt, and the effect changes from a vertical diamond design to a horizontal zigzag.
These undulating patterns create a stunning tessellated impression of a three-dimensional concertina. A dark inner border frames the intricate design and is echoed in the binding. The light marbled border gives the eye a place to rest from the more complex interior of the quilt, and also provides an opportunity for a complementary quilting design.
Tumbling Blocks - the Easy Way!
Learn how to make my version of Tumbling Blocks based on fabulous floor tiles in Venice. These Tumbling Blocks create an illusion of being three dimensional, but they are simple to piece and give an impression of great complexity. There are no set in seams!
Lattice Illusion with Christine Porter
The Lattice design gives the impression of being three-dimensional when it is, in fact, flat. The interplay between the medium and dark stripes and the light and dark stripes makes the diagonal lattice appear to float on top of the smaller squares “beneath.”
Strip sets in two color ways make this an easy quilt to piece. Black, gray, and white marbles are the predominant colors in Venetian tile floors, but you can also achieve a fabulous design with your favorite colors. Contrast is the name of the game.
Japanese Lanterns with Christine Porter
This new quilt class is from my new book "Viva Venezia!" based on floor tile designs from Venice. As soon as I saw this pretty pattern I had to make it! The concertina shape of the blocks is fascinating and the way the colours run from light to dark in the lantern-like shapes just lends itself to having fun with fabric.
Easy strip piecing makes the interior of the quilt go together quickly and easily. The checkerboard border frames it particularly well. This quilt looks stunning in both floor tile and contemporary colours.
