Are Bargello quilts difficult to make?

I am going to start one soon. Best tips I got were to stay organized with all the strips. (I found safety pins at Joanne's each with a letter so you can label fabrics easily. I also heard that once you have your pieced strips, you should alternate the end you sew from so that the quilt doesn't get "wavy."

yes, and no. At first it seems like a lot but once you make one or two it gets easier. :)

I thought it would be, but was surp4ised at how very easy they were. The very first one I made was a scrappy one using Bonnie Hunters scrappy bargello pattern. (quiltville.com)
and I could not believe how easy it was.

They look harder than they are !! Some patterns are more time consuming than others, but its all straight sewing, no curves , no Y seams .
Its a matter of staying organized . My first one I really just could not wrap my brain around the un-sewing part.... now ... I love it , one of my favorite methods. Don't know why I was reluctant when there was nothing to be scared of. Do take the time to read the directions and go step by step.
If you can sew a 1/4 inch seam ,and cut accurately you can do it.

Nope less stress than trying to match points on a pinwheel! lol

I think a Bargello is one of the easier quilts to make. And they have so much impact. Make sure you have a sharp blade and good measuring tools. Jump in and try it!

Bargello quilts are not difficult at all, you just need to label your colors carefully so you don't mix yourself up.

They are really easy as long as you keep your sets organized. A design wall reall helps too.

I've only made one and had a ball doing it.

Have made 2 love them and all the advice about organization, alternating sewing and labeling is true. Double check things!

I love them, but won't do the tube method, because I HATE unsewing. So I only do strip-pieced patterns not tube patterns.

I have been thinking about having a go at one of these. I thought it would be too difficult but your responses to this question have given me the incentive to have a go. Thank you

We can both give it a try together and show our quilts once they are complete. :)

Not hard, just need to stay organized.

I've now made three and they might be my favorite pattern. Someone suggested the scrappy bargello from www.quiltville.com and they were right... it's a great starter one. Naturally, that scrappy was my third one (I didn't start with the easy one first!). The one you see pictured was my second and I made it from a wall hanging pattern I found in a magazine.

I have made one, but, it is all one sized blocks. I found what they call beginner quilt. Suited me just fine. I used 12 patterns,4 colors. Had DH draw me a pattern which I will enclose here. I cut the squares needed into small sandwich baggies and labeled the baggie by # which made it easier. I think the hardest part is matching seams. The pattern I am showing is for a queen sized.

I have made one, but, it is all one sized blocks. I found what they call beginner quilt. Suited me just fine. I used 12 patterns,4 colors. Had DH draw me a pattern which I will enclose here. I cut the squares needed into small sandwich baggies and labeled the baggie by # which made it easier. I think the hardest part is matching seams. The pattern I am showing is for a queen sized.

sorry for the double post

I just finished my first..my advice is start with an easy one and stay very organized with it..I thiught I was good enough to design and go advanced..it was almost my undoing..lol..I have become addicted to them and won't stop..but start slow!!

The past 2 episodes of Sewing With Nancy were on bargello quilts. I think you can view them online.

Did you do the tubing methed (not that i know what that is. i have to look that up.)or the block methed?

What size did you make your blocks?

I wanted to make a bargello quilt, queen size, for my daughter, but thought maybe I would make a table runner first to practice and see just how bad it would be. To my surprise, it wasn't hard at all....actually very easy. The table runner went together in one day with no problems at all. It certainly makes the thought of a queen size one much easier. But do label all your fabrics and make a map...a small piece of all fabrics in order (each numbered)....and keep where you can see. It will help you keep track of what you are doing. Good Luck!

I put the strata together(strip sets) and I do not put them in a tube..I leave mine flat!!

I used the squaring up fabric I cut off the end, unsewed it and pinned it to the wall so I could make sure I was sewing every color in the order it should be.

I cut my blocks 5 inches and ended with 4 and 1/2

thank You!

the second quilt I made was a bargello quilt, it took me a while,but I only make one quilt a year,I have a book by Cheryl Phillips (quilts without corners) it is a great bargello book and if I can follow it anyone can,
I won the peoples choice at our quilt show with my bargello
I know you will do fine
D.swindle good luck

Have made several and love them. My favorite in fact.

1) Stay organized with which fabric is which letter or number. An easy way to do this is put color run together - lop off one end - then write in black marker A, B, C, D etc. Hang that on your design wall.

2) Sew the color strips in alternating rows. Sew up one, down the other. The way I remember is that I don't trim the threads at the beginning of the row, and I trim the threads at the end of the row close. I can look at a row and know which end I started with by the length of the thread.

3) Make sure you are ACCURATE in your seam allowance. It's important to be accurate from one strip to the next, and all the way through the project.

4) When you cut your bargello strips from your color strips, keep checking that they are straight and adjust if necessary. If you cut them crooked - you'll have lopsided pieces that will be very hard to match.

5) Make a copy of the pattern of where each strip goes. Use a pencil to mark off each strip as you've cut it and hung it on the wall.

6) Cut all your strips and hang them on the design wall first, don't cut and sew them together right away.

7) Oh drat ... forgot the first step and didn't feel like re-numbering :) Choosing fabrics!! Pat attention to both color and value (light/dark) when choosing fabric. Also, avoid prints that have a marked degree of value or color change that are of a size larger than your smaller bargello "square". For example, if you choose large pink roses with a green background - the flowers are 5" diam and the largest background area is 3". If your smallest bargello color strip is 1" you are going to have areas where all you see is green in anotherwise color run of pink. It will stand out.

Have fun with it! I love bargello!!!