I have seen so many beautiful bargello quilts on here and I really want to try one. How hard are they and is it possible without a pattern?

Yes it's very possible to make them without a pattern. I have made three and never had a pattern. I found good instructions on the internet for bargellos and also on this site. Barb has a great tutorial, just type in bargello tutorial.

I did this one without a pattern. All I knew when I started was how big I wanted the finished quilt to be, and what color I wanted to use.

To make it easy on myself, I decided that the height of all the pieces would be the same. I only changed the width. So this was all done with 2 1/2 inch strips.

I was watching sewing with Nancy on PBS recently and she had a whole 2 week segment on Bargello quilts. The woman she introduced has come up with a simple way to make these quilts which is awesome. She has a book called "Bargello quilts with a twist that comes with a DVD also. You might find it on Amazon, or on Nancy's website 'nancys notions.com ' Its a wonderful book and very easy to do. You make it with only four strip sets, very easy, but the quilts are beautiful

I made mine with a free pattern from the net. It was easy and quick and I love that quilt.

your bargello is beautiful...would you like to share your pattern?

I didn't use a pattern, but here's the basic idea. The quilt is made up of 10 fabrics, cut into 2 1/2 inch strips, and sewn into 5 strip sets. If you follow the red, from the top to the bottom of the swish, that is 2 strip sets sewn together (one is upside down to get the bottom half of the swish).

All the strips are cut to 2 1/2 inches, making the finished individual pieces 2 inches tall. The widths are 1 1/2, 2 1/2, and 3 1/2 (cut size - 1, 2, and 3 finished).

To get a better visual, I would suggest using graph paper to color one section of the quilt. It helps a lot!

Wow very pretty ok now to get my fabric choices

You can make a bargello without a pattern. Choose 8-10 quarter yard fabrics.(not fat quarters) Cut three 2 1/2" strips from each. Sew the strips together making into a color run. Make a tube with two stratas. The third strata is cut in half then joined to make another two strata tube. Cut the tubes into strips ranging from 1 1/2 inches to three inches. Arrange the strips moving the top down one place. It looks best when the adjacent strips are only 1/2 inch larger or smaller. This keeps the curve smooth. Play with your strata tubes before cutting the tops. You will get the feel for the curve. Remember you will lose 1/2 inch in width for each seam.

A couple of questions, if you don't mind.
* With the quantity of fabrics and colors you mention, how big of a quilt would that make?
* I don't understand what you mean about the 3rd being cut in 1/2 and joined. How do you mean it is joined?

Thanks!