I have this thing for Italy. So when I saw Va Bene!, a line of fabrics depicting scenes and buildings and landmarks from Italy, it had to come home with me. Many of our trips are detailed on my travel blog, Traveled Mind, which I’ve maintained for several trips, and it serves as a journal of sorts. It’s always fun to go and read it to remember the perfect bruschetta pomodora in the courtyard just beyond the steps of Santo Spirito in Florence (and is why I put the snippet of fabric showing this on the quilt label).
The facade of the church Santo Spirito, Florence
Brushetta Pomodora (pronounced with a hard sound: brus-ketta)
Recipe is found *here.*
So with this memory floating in my mind, I fell in love with the tomato fabric and the sights fabric and the background fabric with the Venetian gondolas and knew that I wanted to make this for Another Year of Schnibbles that Sherri and Sinta are hosting.
This was my first attempt. I ending up snipping off the piano key borders — even though they are in the original pattern — because everything seemed “mushed” together. I think a quilt should have strong focal point, or perhaps several places where the eye can travel to, and with the borders and this fabric, it just wasn’t working.
I also quilted the nine-patches in the ditch, and then did a heavy stippling on the triangles to smash them flat into the background, hoping the nine-patch design would pop up a bit. I think it also helped with that no place for the eye to rest thing I was talking about.
Windows of Santa Croce
I’d purchased this tea towel on a very hot day when we were touring Lake Como, and tucked it away in the suitcase. You can’t always find fabric in distant places, but there’s always a tea towel or two, showing the sights.
Florence Duomo exterior
Tuscan countryside
My husband is a great traveler, very adventurous, and loves to rent a car and just drive around, trying new places to eat, finding the out of the way place, avoiding the tourist traps, although he will put up with a few if the sights are top notch. So Italy fits us well. Enough people speak English, the food is amazing, and the scenery is picturesque.
So what else could I name this quilt but Take Me Back to Italy?
This is Quilt #112 on my 200 Quilts list.
It’s also my second finish for the second quarter of Leanne’s Finish-A-Long,
. . . and my first Schnibbles in Another Year of Schnibbles.
That’s a pretty big pedigree for such a small quilt, but this one can handle it.
It’s Italian.
You are a good and brave woman to labor through a Schnibbles! Love the story and the pictures – is on my bucket list!
I love your last line- very clever! You lovely photos of Italy remind of a short time I spent there in 1980- a lifetime ago! I hope you get to go back one day too!
well done. what a great trip reminder
The Schnibble looks wonderful and it definitely takes me back to our visit to Italy. Your photos are gorgeous.
Lovely quilt, I like the border you used. I would love to go to Italy, your pictures are beautiful.
I love that you can combine quilting with another one of your passions, travel. It’s fun to see the pictures of the product and its inspiration intermingled here in this post. You have inspired me–I am going to be on the lookout for a nice tea towel in our future travels.
Fabulous, I love everything about it! Great quilt, great post. My parents really enjoyed Italy when they went, they love to make bruschetta too!
Wonderful memory quilt! Congrats on your second finish!!
What an inspirational read. I like that you changed the pattern to please your eye and that your quilt has a story. Just lovely!
Love your quilt, and also love your pics of Italy (hubby is 100% Italian, but born here in the US), and your comments about your trip and the reasoning for how you put the quilt together. Now I have to go and find some of that fabric: it will make a wonderful quilt for DH. thanks for sharing!! Helen in Healdsburg
I love your quilt – especially because the story behind the fabric choices give you such happy memories of a wonderful trip. Using a tea towel on the backing is a brilliant idea!
I love bruschetta too – good bread and tomatoes? What’s not to love? 🙂
I love your Schnibble. Having a quilt as nearly a scrapbook really appeals to me. I love the idea of the tea towel, too. I’m going to have to remember that.
I love that you used the tea towel on the back of the quilt! I have bought a few of them on my trips, but end up using them in the kitchen because they are so much fun.