quilttiger

Hang in there and take a deep breath now and then. I've made some bargello quilts. It was not difficult but my biggest challenge is selecting all those beautiful fabrics and arranging/rearranging them until they sing! Take your time and enjoy the process. Once you are done, you'll be glad you did it!

quiltmom04

I've done several Bargello designs, (see my avatar) and there's nothing to be afraid of. There ARE things that will make you successful, though. Here goes: 1) cut accurately 2) label EVERYTHING - you might think you can see the difference between widths, but it will become overwhelming. And group them somehow - i like lunch size zip lock bags. 3) I make a copy of the instructions, so I can write all over it as I construct the steps, so it preserves the original. And then make notes and check off the steps as you do them. 4) try to sew in the quiet. If you can't, try to not be actively engaged in conversation with someone, because the Bargello needs your attention to detail. 5) follow the instructions. I know that sounds simple, but the pattern folks have worked this out for a reason, so if it says to press or cut in a certain way, do it. You can change it on your next Bargello.6) put a small safety pin in the top, left square, so you when you have to put it down and come back to it later, will know where the beginning is. Again, you'll think you know, but with the safety pin, there is quickly no question. Good luck! You CAN DO THIS! The sewing is easy - the tricky part is staying focused!

dc989

When I'm facing a really challenging project like this I photocopy the pattern and even make sections bigger if I can. Then I use a yellow maker and pencil to go through it and mark or underline important details. Still confused? I do it again and repeat until I feel more confident. Then I use a red or black pen to mark the areas where I know for sure how I want to proceed. I blow up copies of the blocks if necessary so I can see for sure what I'm doing. This whole process might take me several days since I stop and ponder, erase and start over etc. I never mark on the original pattern until I know for sure what I'm doing. After all that I make a block out of scraps if possible just to be sure. I keep all my notes etc in a big baggy so I can refer back. This has sure saved me some costly mistakes in cutting, piecing etc.

Taughtby Grandma

I learned on the bargellos I have done to take it one step at a time. It's fun to watch the pattern unfold as you go. I also admit to wanting to skip to the end too quickly and put my friend Mr Ripper in motion to fix it. LOL

PKGranny

Have you checked for a tutorial on the web showing "how to". Sometimes reading a pattern and visually seeing it, or something similar, helps clear up the confusion. I made the spicy spiral tablerunner. It looked so confusing to me until I had a tut that broke it down and I could see the end result. Good luck.

btiny36

Read Read Read. With your experience you shouldn't have any problems....Wow I just did a image search of this pattern and holy wow I seen one made with blacks and white...Good luck you can do it

mrs. fitz

Speaking from experience, if I read instructions they could be written in a foreign language. Show me and I can do it. Maybe you could take the pattern to a LQS and ask someone to show you what to do. Maybe a quilting friend would be able to help. At least someone could explain paper piecing to you (altho nobody has been able to show me how to do it LOL). You've done difficult patterns, you can do this one. But visual and/or hands-on instruction might be the answer. Good luck.

weezie

Joy, you've made fabulous quilts! My advice: read the instructions until you get the "I GET IT!" moment. If I'm about to start on a big investment of my time and money, I read as many times as it takes to grasp what the words and illustrations are trying to tell me.

grammysonya

I love doing Bargello quilts. My first quilt was a Bargello, I didn't know I was suppose to be afraid of them. Here is what I did. I didn't have a place for a design wall so I covered a child's easel with flannel and sat it near my sewing machine. It is a must because you can see your strips and detect a mistake right away and correct it before you get to far into your quilt. I copied the instructions so I wouldn't ruin the original pattern. I took a piece of heavy cardboard and pinned a piece of each kind of fabric and numbered then with a sticky note. My pattern had 12 different colors. I propped the cardboard up so I could see at a glance which color was what I needed. I cut and sewed the strips as directed. When I began to actually make the pattern, I did the first step, marked it off the directions, went to the next step and marked it off as I went. This was very helpful to me because I found out I would forget which step I was working on if I didn't mark it off. As the pattern starts to begin to show you can see at a glance on the design wall if you have a piece wrong side out or the wrong number. Oh yes, you will probably figure this out on your own but it took me a bit to realize I had to take some of the strips apart to get the right sequence of numbers in order.
Just dig in you will love it. I do.

Quiltntime

There's a bargello wall hanging on the McCall's website that's titled Bargello Pocono Ridge. Sept/Oct, 2011 issue. Gives you step by step instructions on how this bargello was pieced and cut. First time for me, and it was very easy. Best of luck!