Why is it called this and how is it made? I tried doing a search here - and even googled.... I know I'm rather google-impaired, but I couldn't find anything that really explained it.

Hi, have a look at this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bargello_(needlework)
It explains where the patterns come from. Then, from my understanding, they are adapted for quilting.
Hope this helps.
They really look much harder than they actually are, I have only been quilting for 8 months and I have made one, if you can cut straight and sew straight, you can do bargello!

Sorry I forgot to add, use the search option at the top of this page and type in bargello, there are lots of links to free patterns as well as photos and lots of advise.

Hopefully this will help.

I did even do a search here - lots of great pics, but no explanations that I could find. Although checking some of the links (thanks for that Wikpedia link btw - that was interesting to see where it originated!) did mention strips - so is it that the fabric is cut into long strips, cut and re-sewn w/the little blocks offset each row? I'm just trying to wrap my brain around this... and it looks like the strips are cut in different widths...

A mass of confusion. LOL. They are really pretty. I'm glad I made a small wallhanging Bargello and got wanting to try it out of my system.

Yes the fabric are cut in strips...strips sewed together in color order you would like and then subcut to sized need to create your pattern.
I use graft paper to get an idea of what the quilt might look like once I'm finished.

Give me a few minutes and I'll show a picture of how I graft it and color the squares and explain a little about how I do Bargellos.

I will try to explain the process to you. If you look at the design copy you will see that there are eleven fabrics to be in the quilt. further notice that those eleven fabric , are repeated three time in each vertical row.
I do my bargello in sections...if I'm using 6 or 36 fabrics.
You can strip piece all you strips and make a tube, then cut a piece the width you want, then open the tube to the fabric you want to be at the top. You have to continue with this cut and unstitch for each vertical row.....or you can do as I do.

I figure out from my chart how many pieces I need for the whole quilt using fabric #1 on top...so on for all the fabrics that will be used on the top edge of my quilt.

I think this image will see that my color pattern across the width of the quilt is also 11 fabrics.
I arrange my first set of strips with fabrics 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11.
Second set use fabric 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,1
and so on for all eleven strip sets.
Then figure out how many strips you need to cut from each of the sets and how wide they will be.

This is kind of complicated at first but once you get into it, it really isn't hard.

Clear as mud???? need more help, just let me know.

Years ago one of the major quilting magazines (sorry can't remember which) had an article on Bargello and said to sew all your stips together into a tube. Then cut. Then as you start to sew your strips together you simply take your seam ripper to the seam that needs to disconnect. Hope this makes sense. It saves you having to sew many different strip sets in a different order. You just sew the tubes and take apart the tube at the desired intersection after you have cut the second set of strips.

That is so totally awesome!!! Barb_MO, thanks for taking the time to explain it - I need to study that a bit to totally "get" it, but it does make a lot more sense already! The tube concept is another story, it'll take a while for my brain to wrap around that one. But the bargello idea itself is so cool - the effect can be so stunning!

Ok, how many years will it take for me to get through what I've started already to get to this?! Maybe I can squeeze in a smaller one just to play with this....

I'm going to print off your instructions Barb, so I have them in my "quilt file". :-D