Viva Venezia

Book excerpt: Magnificent Mosaic Quilts, Direct from Venice to You. Re-create the grandeur of Venice in 10 splendid quilts inspired by marble floor tiles. Learn to give your quilts the look of real marble with batiks and hand-dyed fabrics, or choose brighter colors for a bold, contemporary look. Speedy new strip piecing methods make these quilts surprisingly easy to piece-try Christine's technique for sewing Tumbling Blocks with no Y-seams! For centuries, these grand mosaic designs have graced the floors of some of Venice's most beautiful buildings. Now you can make these mosaics your own in fabric. The book includes complete instructions for 10 quilts, including a spectacular Venetian Sampler medallion quilt. An extensive gallery shows the brilliant effects you can create by making the same quilts in a brighter color palette.