I mentioned in my blog yesterday (two blogs in a week, unbelievable isn’t it? *grin*), that I’ve been working on my Second Bargello Quilt – Bargello #2 as it is called for the time being. It hasn’t been named yet.
Have you ever felt that a quilt was way over your abilities? I have… and the Bargello quilt was one of them. Like me, you have probably seen all the “big” bed size quilts, and thought, there is no way at my skill level that I could accomplish anything like that. Something like this one? http://www.lockwoodquilts.com/store/bargello_quilts/lovers_knot.html
I’m sure the patterns are good, but just the thought…
Cori and Myra of Blue Meadow Designs designed a small Bargello for McCall’s Quilting Magazine. I saw it, and thought I could do that. The instructions were easy to follow, and I made my first Bargello quilt –West Coast Sunset (which is displayed in my header). With the making of this Bargello quilt, and looking for information on Bargello quilts, I have learned lots. If you are looking for resources, check out my Bargello Resource Page.
I have just finished piecing the Bargello portion of my second Bargello Quilt. This one I did completely on my own, including planning the design.
This is the Bargello #2 quilt… with borders pinned around it.
I was asked by the Guild to teach an Introductory Bargello class… can you imagine, I’ve made one Bargello quilt, and now I’m teaching it? I did the class in May, and it went well. My DD#1 wanted a Bargello for her front foyer, and I decided the class sample, would be hers. She chose pink, purple and lime green. At first my initial reaction… was, not favourable, to say the least… but after I started buying fabric… of course I didn’t have any soft pinks… or not much pink fabric at all. And it has grown on me.
I saw the Paisley pattern at a quilt shop, and liked it, and bought a FQ. The fabric grew on me, and the next time, I was in the shop, I noticed they had a bolt… and I bought some yardage… it was the same pinks as the Bargello… wasn’t sure about the brown… but seeing it altogether, it works for me. I’m hoping to get the borders on tonight, and then I’ll need to find some batting, and get it sandwiched… then the task of deciding how to quilt it. I was considering using a meander, using the paisley pattern, as the inspiration… we’ll see. I’ll let it “grow” on me.
With this quilt, I started thinking of writing a tutorial for it. I took pictures as I went along, although I am missing photos from the beginning, I’ll deconstruct my tube, and take photos at each stage, and just reverse engineer it. Sounds grand, doesn’t it?
After I get some of the other projects I want to do, I want to design a “twist”, or a mirror image Bargello, to see what I can come up with, one of these days.
-Alice
Pink, purple and lime are a terrific colour combination and they have worked well in this quilt.
I am not surprised that you were asked to teach a class on this – anyone who can figure this out is clever indeed – never mind drafting your own!
I think the pink/brown border combination works surprisingly well. I probably would have trod a more *traditional* path with a lime green inner border and a funky print with some of the colours for the outer border.
I’m looking forward to seeing how you quilt it.
I read that you made a tube? I’d be interested to learn how that works as I thought these are made differently. I’m off to check out a couple of bargello patterns in my magazine colection.
Curioser and curiouser!
Happy Stitching…Ann
By: a good yarn on 10 November 2008
at 11:21 pm
Omigosh. That lover’s knot is gorgeous, and so far out of my ken. I tried one of Ricky Tim’s harmonic convergence quilts recently, and have come to the conclusion that I have problems sewing a straight seam. Still.
What does it mean by make a tube?
I like the brown and pink paisley. It fits the feeling of the quilt…if that makes sense.
Lovely quilt, as usual
Essentially you cut a lot of strips… sew them all together… then sew them into a tube, then cut, the widths as required by your design.
-Alice
By: nessili on 11 November 2008
at 5:39 pm
Even though you haven’t used brown in the bargello piecing, somehow it brings it all together nicely. I suppose because it’s a similar colour value to the dark blue too.
Do you think you’ll embellish this one as well?
I wasn’t so sure at first either… it sat with the brown and paisley on my cutting table for about an hour, before I started cutting. I knew the photo didn’t turn out… it is actually a deep purple. I need to get a separate flash for my camera, so it doesn’t flash right at the object. I had considered embellishing it, but I had another idea, to finish it before Sunday, and hang it in her foyer. She’s out of town for the weekend. hee hee -Alice
By: Fer on 11 November 2008
at 5:49 pm
Excellent! Surprises are the best.
I try to take photos in natural light as much as I can, but I suppose you’re not getting so much of that now!
LOL – You are too funny… no, not much natural light… although, I do have the daylight bulbs in my quilt room. I didn’t get the surprise worked out, I was under the weather for a couple days. I’m hoping Tuesday, if I’m not called into work, to sandwich it at the guild. -Alice
By: Fer on 16 November 2008
at 7:06 pm