I have a gift card from last year's B-day that I have been saving for "something special." Well, my LQS is having a class on Elieen Wright's Cosmic Twist pattern from her book "Twist and Turn Bargello Quilts." I love the look of bargello quilts and want to try one.

http://www.satin-moon.com/store/product3672.html

My LQS lists the skill level as advanced beginner. I am hesitant to sign up because the last class I took that they listed as advanced beginner was a very complicated Lone Star, which has sadly become the UFO I am most likely not to pick up again anytime soon. What do you think?

The quilt is beautiful but I fully understand what you mean. I have 2 UFO's that will probably never get done.

A Lone Star as an advanced beginner class??? Are they nuts?? What a certain way to cause frustration and chance for failure for any beginner/new intermediate quilter!! Heavens. One wants to ENCOURAGE them, not discourage them!

Jan in VA

The Bargello will not be complicated like the Lone Star. As long as you label your pieces well, it is a fun quilt to make. I label everything.

I am trying my first bargello quilt right now. It appears to me that the hardest part is selecting the fabrics - getting the right tones, but I'm sure there is someone at your LQS who can help you with that if you need it. Next most important thing would be to make a chart of all the fabrics you are going to use and the order in which you will use them. You cut them in the widths stated in the pattern, then you start sewing them together. This is an expensive quilt to make because some of the patterns use many different fabrics. I have cut my bargello out using seven fabrics and am now sewing them together. You sew the strips into loops and cut them apart where you need it to keep the pattern. I say all this to tell you that it is not as hard as the quilt appears. Give it a try. You might start with a simple one like I did before you attempt this one. Good luck.

I too have trepidations about starting something that looks and READS as complicated as that! But I had my confidence boosted recently by doing a Big Block Bargello I found on the internet. (I got it so long ago I don't even know from where!) Now I have made two of these tops from large floral prints and love them. They are on my stack to quilt next week! They have given me enough confidence to try a bargello and I have also learned the fundamentals of bargello technique from it.

the secret to bargellos is to label everything and keep things in order. Not difficult, just need to stay organized. Im sure you can do it!!!!!

I just finished a bargello for my niece. It was made basic block size. I made all 5 inch squares (beginner) which I am not by any means a professional or not even close.
I chose fabrics, labeled them by nbr and put them in plastic bags, had DH draw up how I wanted it. I will post the pattern.

Do not fear the Bargello! I would rather make one of those than a Lone Star any day. I would consider starting out with a regular Bargello before I would tackle a Cosmic Twist. Yikes!

It is basically "tube" sewing. You cut strips, sew the strips together. Then you rotary cut them. Mine (a UFO, but not for sake of difficulty, sake of my own OCD) had varying widths. you unsew the tube one strip down for every next column.

It's very easy. I know you can do it. Your pattern will be a bit dif from mine, tho, because of the shift in pattern.

Have fun!

Bargello is much easier than a Lone Star. For one thing, no bias cuts, no triangles, just a bunch of squares and rectangles. The "twisted" Bargello are a bit trickier and depending on the complexity of the pattern you may or may not "tube" the strips. The one in my avatar was not tubed.

A few tips for you.

1) When you choose colors bring a color viewer with you. If your choosing red fabric you'll need a blue or green viewer. All other colors use a red viewer. The viewer will "remove" the color and show the "value" instead so you have light to dark. I have a red "Ruby Beholder" that I use and my blue is a wine glass that happened to be the right color! You could also use a few pieces of easter basket colored celophane sandwiched together to make a color viewer.

2) When choosing fabric, select fabric that doesn't have drastic color/value changes within itself on a large scale. For example: a 5" purple flower on a cream background with 3" of uninterrupted background color showing would be a bad choice. Some of your bargello blocks will be small enough so that only cream is showing and some will have only purple showing. If the purple flowers were very close together, or very small, you would be OK though. I've made several Bargello now (5? 6?) and each time it can take me literally days to pick just the right fabric in just the right order. I leave them laid out on my table and just look at them a little every day in different lighting.

3) When you sew the seams together (for both the 'color strips' and the 'bargello strips') sew one seam up and the next seam down. I usually leave the tail of thread attached to the beginning of the strip so I know which way I sewed the last row then start in the opposite direction for the next row.

I'm totally in love with Bargello and they are a lot easier than they look.

Good luck and have fun!!

If you can cut straight and sew straight you can do a bargello LOL
Take it slow and keep things organised it's not that bad

What is a color viewer and where can you purchase them?

I agree. The Bargello is all squares and rectangles, easy to match up seams.
I made a queen sizw Bargello, currently wokring on a wallhanging size lone star, and the later is definitely WAYharder than the Bargello..I'd say fo for it. I am now wishing I started another Bargello instead of this Lone star, but it will not turn into a UFO..I hope :?

My first Bargello was a twisted Bargello at my LQS and I considered myself a confident beginner/new intermediate at the time. It turned out beautifully (I did the FMQ also). My teacher made all the difference-as a long time educator I can definitely recognize the impact she had on all of us. Beautiful quilts and all so different!! If you're not familiar with the teacher try to find other patrons of your shop that are willing to give an honest opinion. Label & organize, measure & check twice to sew once! Enjoy.

A color viewer will remove the "color" and allow you to view the fabric for value only (light, medium, dark) as it is sometimes hard to see with certain patterns.

there is a viewer on the market called a "Ruby Beholder" which is a translucent red plastic rectangle about 3" x 7". But you can't use red to view red fabric. For red fabric (and reddish browns, and oranges) use either blue or green. I don't know of a blue or green item on the market.

OR you can find something that is primary red or primary blue or green, translucent, and easy to carry (to take with you to LQS). You can even make your own by purchasing a sheet of colored celophane (the kind they use to wrap easter baskets). Just cut several squares or rectangles - enough to have "color" but not so much that you can't see through.

You then view the fabric from a distance through the viewer and you'll be able to see light from dark.

OK ... took two pic's of some fabric I have laid out on my table at the moment auditioning to be palm fronds <g>. Took one pic normally, the other I held my red color viewer against the camera lens. you can see how the viewer removes the 'color' of piece and reduces it to lights and darks.

Thanks, DogHouseMom, for posting the filtered pic! Never realized that it would make that much difference!

Wow, thanks everyone. I will definatly sign up for it.

I honestly left that Lone Star quilt class in tears and tucked it away where not even I would come across it. Two moves later, it's still in the same UFO box... somewhere at the bottom. Supposedly all I had to do was run a 1/4" seam on my perfectly trimmed strips and my star would appear; I call BS on that idea!


That color viewer is pretty awesome, thanks for the illustratin DogHouseMom!

I took the basic bargello course online from Quilt University, and I was totally shocked by how easy the technique is. At BEST, I could have been considered an advanced beginner. If I could manage an online course, I'm sure you can manage an in-person course where you can actually see how things are done.

While easy, bargello quilts are quite time, material, and thread consuming. (And the narrower the strips, the more time, material, and thread is consumed.) If you think about it, the first 1/3 of the work is creating a new piece of fabric, consisting of sown-together strips from all the fabrics you've chosen.

The second 1/3 is cutting your newly constructed "fabric" into new strips and sewing them together. (The third 1/3, not special to bargello, is finishing the quilt - batting, back, quilting, binding.)

To summarize, the technique requires 3 skills:
- the ability to use a rotary cutter
- the ability to sew a 1/4" seam
- the ability to keep track of all your pieces (I used scraps of paper attached with safety pins, and my design wall was two beach towels basted together :-)

I hope this helps and gives you the courage to proceed with the bargello class.

An easy way to keep track of which fabric is A, B, C etc is to keep the first cut after you put the color strip together (and before you "tube" it). Just hang that on your design wall and I either pin small post it notes to it, or if fabric is light enough I just use a heavy marker and mark it.

And one more tip. When you cut your color strips into Bargello strips, remember to constantly check the tube/pieced strips for straightness after you cut a strip. Because they are all pieced it's easy for them to skew and you'll have slanted bargello squares/rectangles. Yeah - ask me how I know :)

I have done two from that book and personally I would say for ME a Bargello is easier than a pinwheel quilt! lol I know it sounds really stupid but I put a (short) twin size surf song together in seven days from first cut to wash dry deliver. However I have been working (more off than on) for a year and a half on a pinwheel quilt and have all but given up on it because they don't "look right"!

I think the word BARGELLO scares people!

At joannes I just picked up these pins with lettered beads. You add one letter to each pin (A-Z) and you could use them to label your fabric or rows. I got them for when I started my first Bargello.

I've been watching these for a while. May try one after I finish my next three quilts. They are gorgeous!

Bargelo's are not hard, you just have to pay attention to what you are doing. One row at a time, after you have your strips done. Good Luck ! ! !

I agree, the most difficult part was picking out the fabric.
And I think the most important thing is to make a "cheat sheet"; (it's not really a cheat sheet, just don't know what else to call it) and cut a little piece of fabric and mark fabric with corresponding number). That way it makes it easier to see what number goes where. I'm sure your teacher will tell you all about it. I'm on my second one and it's going together very well. You will enjoy it. And have fun with it.

Hi Everyone - thanks for your advice to momski. I adore all the bargellos posted on the board and wondered how difficult it is. I feel like I can try it someday and have great success! Now if I could only master the straight and perfect seam...... :roll: :lol:

Thanks for some great info. I too want to do a bargello and am feeling more confident after reading comments here. Have done a trip in strips so get that concept. Love that there are no bias cuts.

I just finished the Cosmic Twist bargello and I didn't find it all that difficult. Every thing is numbered which makes the pieces go to gether great. There is a picture of mine on the boards - I don't know how to get it here but I believe it is titled Wedding Quilt and is pink and green

I just finished the Cosmic Twist bargello and I didn't find it all that difficult. Every thing is numbered which makes the pieces go to gether great. There is a picture of mine on the boards - I don't know how to get it here but I believe it is titled Wedding Quilt and is pink and green

I say go for it. If you are hesitant what better way to learn how to make one than to have an instructor there to ask questions as you sew?

Oh I would so like to make a bargello. After getting the pat and reading the directions for the Spiral tabletop I got so confused - that it got put away. Reading all the post here I think I might have to give the bargello a try. Thanks everyone for all this great info. I just love this pattern and they are all so beautiful.

I think Bargello is much easier than it looks. I love doing it and have done one lap quilt size and several placemats sets of six. Also there is a American Flag pattern that is Bargello that I have done. I plan to do more Bargello when I finish the many ufo's that are calling tome. Just go for it but start out with easier patterns and then you will love it. I too did a Lone Star years ago and I found it to be very frustrating but I finished it and it turned out good. I donated it to a Silent Auction for a Charity.

Well said. Once you've selected your fabrics it's really straight forward.

I had a Lone Star UFO from 2002. I picked stitches and it got so stretched out of shape, it would never be sewed right. I put it in a box on the top shelf. Every little bit, my husband would ask if I had worked on it lately? I finally couldn't take it any longer and put it in the trash. I cried buckets of tears while I tried to make that. I would call a LONE STAR a quilt for an advanced-well seasoned quilter!

OK - Here's the thing.......while it may be a bit complicated....you have a wealth of friends on this board who would be willing to help you if you run into problems that the class does not cover. I would go for it.

I think Bargellos quilts are not hard, but to my way of thinking they are very tedious. You really need to have a good eye for color , unless you follow a pattern to a T. I believe the main thing is concentration in the placement of the blocks. Beautiful quilts. I actually bought a book, but that is as far as I have gotten.

I sure agree with you, Jan. I also have a Lone Star UFO that will probably never get made! I don't think the bargello will be too difficult, but takes concentration in placing the pieces just right after you get them chosen and cut...

Go for it. It is not hard. I agree with the other ladies. You will enjoy the class.

Go to the class. I made my first bargello just by reading the book. A class would help a lot, you would have someone who has done one to help you.

I'm in love with Bargello and they are a lot easier than they look.picture of my first