Oristano Quilt Pattern

November 2021 Jessica Bishoff

The Italia Collection is a fusion of memories from my time in Italy. I visited the small town of Oristano many times and once while caught in an unexpected torrential downpour, I found myself taking refuge in a small church. The long white beams and tall ceilings were grounding and comforting during a difficult time.

Memories, I have found to be the best inspiration for quilt design. Each quilt, commemorates a story and provides an illustration of how one can create and discover using personal experiences.

Oristano continues the theme of the Siracusa Quilt Pattern by using the following quilting skills:

Strip quilting
Chain piecing
Consistent ¼” seams

Oristano is a great pattern for quilters and quilting beginners who want to practice sewing strip sets and strip cutting (which can be pretty scary!)

One of my favorite aspects of the Siracusa and Oristano quilt patterns is the speedy piecing method! Short on time? Mom has a birthday? Sister had a baby? Need a cozy quilt for vacation? Grab one of these patterns and you’re good to go! Strip piecing is magical.

Although it does require attention to detail, strip sets need to be sewn accurately to ensure even cuts, however, it all seems to work out in the end!

Slotted Rulers for Quilting = Magic!

Again, if you’re making the Siracusa Pattern or the Oristano Quilt Pattern, using a slotted ruler is fantastic (and they didn’t even pay me to say that!). Seriously though, slotted rulers are my best friend for good reason, they save you so much time squaring and cutting fabric strips.

Included in the Oristano Quilt Pattern

So what's included in Oristano Quilt Pattern instant PDF download?

There are fabric requirements for Crib, Throw, and Twin sizes
Cutting instructions
Detailed quilt assembly instructions and helpful illustrations
Links to helpful videos for strip cutting/strip quilting and finishing the quilt
BONUS: a coloring page so you can try out different colors

Quiltd Studios Original Oristano Quilt Pattern

The cover quilt for Oristano was inspired by one of my favorite color palettes featured in West Elm furniture and décor. It is warm, and earthy, with autumn tones. It features a contemporary fabric palette:

Kona Parchment
Kona Bone
Kona Biscuit
Kona Roasted Pecan
Binding: Parchment
Backing: Art Gallery Fabric Homebody Togetherness in Home by Maureen Cracknell

I designed Oristano to be the ideal wall hanging, bedspread and throw. I wanted it to be versatile and stylish. I matched the binding to the quilt top (which I know.. some will find boring) but I really wanted to maintain the clean lines of the front of the quilt. It has so little to distract the eye, and maintaining that calmness was essential.

The backing is anything but boring! I chose Art Gallery Togetherness in Home because it pulled all of the colors together and added vitality with the navy blue. And I mean, who doesn’t love AGF fabric?! It can get a bit squirrely while quilting (probably user error), but it’s just gorgeous.

Tips for Assembling Oristano

Okay quilting friend, if you’ve never strip quilted before, things can get a little hairy if you aren’t careful. Here are some tips for creating strip sets and assembling the quilt top:

Make sure your cuts are accurate, they don’t have to be perfect but they do need to be as close to perfect as you can (slotted ruler for the win!).
When you sew strip sets together, make sure your seams are accurate, that means maintaining an even width the entire time you sew. I have this terrible habit of sewing really, really fast and my seams can get wonky if I’m not careful.
When you’re cutting strip sets, you have two options, lay the entire strip set out on a very large cutting mat OR folding it in half (or in thirds). I usually fold mine and cut, I square my fabric up a bit (even out the ends a bit) and then use a ruler to cut my desired sizes. It’s scary, but you’ll be surprised, it works beautifully!
When you start to assemble Oristano, I’ve found that sewing the strip set to one of the cross strips first is good for making sure the cut strip set doesn’t get wonky (you can also sew 1/4” on both sides of the desired cut BEFORE cutting to ensure it stays in place). The number one rule: BE GENTLE. I’m not trying to yell, I’m speaking from experience, this little strip set will get so out of shape. Move it as little as possible. You can see that I matched my strips by sewing them to one of the cross strips first, rather than starting from the top.

BONUS: Oristano in Shades of Gray (and a Print!)

I did it, I used a print. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and found a print that made me happy. Okay it’s not the most exciting, but I really like the look of natural earth tones and these fit the bill. I used the following fabrics for the Oristano in Gray: