Starting a new Bargello
 

I'm starting a new bargello quilt from "Twist and Turn Bargellos" by Eileen Wright (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/156...ls_o05_s00_i00)

It's titled "Supernova", but my husband has requested one that looks "like the ocean". I settled on what turned out to be a very limiting color scale from dark blue through teal to white. I needed 20 fabrics, and this is what I've come up with. I'm going to start cutting tomorrow, I think. What do you all think? Does it look like it's blending alright? I don't mind if it's a little stripey, but I've been looking at them so long I need some fresh eyes :P

The fabrics and colors are gorgeous! The only change I personally would make is the off-white with tan buds/ stems (#19 in the layout). I think the browns in that one fabric would make odd little clusters.

I think they are beautiful but I do agree with JenniePenny about the 2nd from the right. It may not show up well.

Hi Kim...I have done a few bargellos so IMHO I would change No 19 to go in at about No 14 or 15.Love your choice of colours.
regards Lynda

I agree with the other number 19 is not a good choice. The value of the print is too dark for the placement. Maybe change. Maybe consider swaping positions number 3 & 4 . It may just be my monitor but number 3 seems of lighter value than 4.

Hello ... I really like the color scheme.

I agree with others regarding the 2nd from the right, but I would also remove the center one - the green and white circles. When I choose bargello fabrics (I've made about 6 of them), I use fabrics that don't have a color or value change as large as the smallest piece that I will cut. The pattern you chose will use 1/4" pieces. Both of these fabrics have both color and value changes larger than 1/4".

I would also swap some of the fabrics around. I converted your selection photo to a B&W print to help decide value. I always do this, or view through a color viewer before I commit. Sometimes the results are remarkable. Take another look.

Counting 1-20 from the left (note: I'm counting the two fabrics I suggested removing to make numbering easier)

Swap 3 & 4
move #7 to between 4 & 5
Swap 8 & 9
Move #6 all the way to the 2nd from right position
Move #3 all the way to between 8 & 9

Re-photograph and convert to B&W again and see how you like it.

Ok ... this might be a little easier to see what I'm talking about. I painted numbers on each fabric to show the moves I suggest.

"R" is for remove

Kim, I've made a few bargellos too and I agree when # 19 is cut it may prove to be too dark in some spots. I'm also concerned about #s 14 & 16. On my screen they seem very close in color & value which may prevent your bargello pattern from being as defined as you would want. Your color choices are gorgeous! I'm getting ready to start a similar color range bargellos for my DS & DDIL. One of the 9 colors is the dark green nation I used for the table runners at their reception. She wanted a water look also but the pattern she picked only needed 10 fabrics. 20 is much harder than most people think! I've made 2 that used 20 and it is the hardest part of the whole project! Look forward to seeing pictures.

I made a quilt from the same book called Nebula and I did it in blue. Here is the picture. I like your blues. It will be a gorgeous quilt. [ATTACH=CONFIG]392727[/ATTACH]

Thanks, everyone!

My camera is not the best at taking true-to-life photos. This one was optimized for color saturation (not value), and so I think some of them might be a bit off. A lot of the darker colors in the scale look different than the photo, but you're right about #3 and #4. I switched them, and then I took a new photo of them in black and white (not changing to black and white on the computer), and it seems to be a better representation.

As for the second to last fabric, I've had misgivings about it, too. The leaves are much less brown in real life, more of an algae green, and the white background is actually a warm ecru. You can't see in the photo, but it has birds and much more densely-patterned areas. I love it, but I can understand the problems. Guess I'll look through my stash.

I'll think about something to replace that middle fabric, though. I wanted to stay away from making of quilt of basically tonals. I wanted some variation and texture, which means that the print doesn't necessarily need to be constant throughout - in the scheme of the whole quilt, it should still accomplish the grading. But it is a big change, not just a small one, so I'll look around. I've been to the fabric store about 4 times and I've pretty much exhausted their selection, so these represent the best set I could muster :/ If there's a solution, it'll have to be in my stash.

I also have to be conscious of color. I'm not making a single-color bargello, and so I can't move things around based soley on value. For instance, moving #8 to a higher number looks alright in black and white, but it sticks out like a sore thumb in color because it's much more green than the light blues that would be around it.