I went to quiltville.com and printed the directions for the bargello quilt. I cut all my strips (2 1/2 x 16) and I sewed the first group of 32 together and made the tube. I pressed seams all in one direction and now I'm ready to cut my strips. My question is: with 32 strips sewed together that's a very large tube to try to cut straight rows...know what I mean? Is there a more manageable way of doing this???

Also, the directions say to cut all rows 2 1/2". That's not going to give the design any "movement" is it? I thought rows were cut in different widths.

How big will the quilt end up being? The size really determines how long your stripes from the tubes will end up being. It may seem a bit scary at first but after you start working with it you'll see it isn't so bad.

You can cut them different sizes instead of all just 2 1/2". I've done them both ways and you do get more movement and "flow" from the ones cut various sizes. Just remember, if you cut more stripes, that means you will loose more fabric in the seam allowance so your quilt won't be as wide as the directions you are working with. Just something to think about.

I'm looking forward to seeing the quilt when you get it pieced together!

Some of the simpler patterns for Bargellos have all of the same size cut strips. :D:D:D

My quilt had many different sizes of strips and it turned out great.To cut the strips I had to fold it in half to make it manageable.

fold the tube in half sometimes the directions will tell you to do this. Just make sure you have a good grip and a sharp cutter! I have made several bargellos and this works wonders!

I would love to make one of these,but I am a scarycat!!!! Lace

yes fold it into a managable length.
but I wouldn't go more than 4 layers thick.
just use alot of pressure on your ruler and a new cutter blade.
also slow and steady!
show us pictures!

http://quiltville.com/scrapbargello.shtml
is this the one?

check out the tutorials page for the bargellos done here, there are some great tips and tricks that will help. i found with the one that i made with all the same size strips that some applique helped bring it to life, the different size strips to make things move but either way they are nice. and maybe for your first one you should do it that way, working with the same sizes will help you 'get the hang' of the process. then you can branch out and be more adventurous with the next one.

That is the one I made and it was easy to do .