Piastrelle

Here's a mini Italian lesson for the day: "piastrelle" means tile in English. Piastrelle is the name of this gorgeous blue-toned quilt designed by Stephanie Sheridan and machine quilted by Linda Leathersich, featured in McCall's Quilting July-August 2014 issue. The quilt uses the blue colorway of the Venezia collection from Contempo.

"Piastrelle" designed by Stephanie Sheridan and machine quilted by Linda Leathersich;
featured in McCall's Quilting July-August 2014

What attracted you to the Venezia line, and specifically to the blue colorway?

I love the contemporary yet classic design in this line, and the blue

colorway is so clean and crisp!

Can you talk about the Italian tiles that inspired the design?

I have been thinking about an Italian floor tile inspired quilt for some time ... I loved the classic elegance, but wanted to do a more modern take on it, which is how I came up with the Piastrelle design.

Why did you decide to highlight the particular print you did in the square in a square pattern?

The print highlighted in the "diamond in a rectangle" version of the square in a square pattern was part of the inspiration for the quilt. I used the diamond motif and echoed it into the block shape which is classic, yet unique at the same time.

Can you talk about your choice to use black as sashing?

The sashing was indeed meant to mimic the grout lines in a tile floor. I tried white and light blue, but didn't love the effect - not enough drama! When I placed black in the sashing it pulled the whole concept together.

Do you have a favorite print in the collection?

My favorite print in the collection is Tapestria - I adore the design and the subtle brush of silver metallic!

Did you face any challenges in using a monochromatic collection?

I find the biggest challenge in working with a monochromatic line is finding the "zinger" ... the one fabric that gives the quilt design a punch of interest. The Occhi fabric with its dark background and linear motifs was it for me in this line.

What's your favorite thing about the quilt?

I think my favorite thing about this quilt is that it looks challenging, but is actually pretty easy to put together. You get a lot of bang for your buck with this one!

Tell us about the machine quilting.

My mom, Linda Leathersich, outdid herself in the quilting as usual. She used a lot of curved quilting to contrast against the very linear piecing – the effect is just stunning!

See the entire Venezia collection here (both blue and black colorways!)
Find the kit for the Piastrelle quilt here.
Find McCalls' Quilting magazine here.

p.s. Another Venezia sighting! Check out the Venetian Blues quilt in the spring 2014 issue of Quilt Trends magazine. This bed quilt was designed by Sue Harvey and Sandy Boobar of Pine Tree Country Quilts. You can find the kit here.