Brenda Retzlaff

Brenda's Round Bargell Quilt - queen+ size

Brenda Retzlaff

Here is a picture of my Round Bargello Quilt...with pins in all their glory.

The border doesn't show up very well but is like an ice cream cone shape with the center colors in random order.

I haven't started the thread basting yet.

Tiffany

Wow! Brenda that is spectacular! I have made a few bargellos and am ready to branch out into the more difficult and unusual ones. Where did you get the pattern for your quilt? I agree with Loretta, I can't stop looking at it. And your borders showed up well enough for me to drool over the picture. :lol:
~Tiffany

Brenda Retzlaff

Thanks, it was worth all the work & rework and a few tears of frustration along the way.

The pattern is in Quilts Without Corners by Cheryl Phillips. It has a number of lovely and unique round quilt patterns in it. I purchased a 9 degree wedge ruler that I found it on the internet at a reasonable price.

Brenda Retzlaff

Thanks for the compliments. It's faaaaaar from perfect but I'm learning that it doesn't have to be.

Tiffany

Thanks Brenda! I've added the book to my list. I've heard of the book but never seen it and always wondered what the quilts inside looked like. I'm very impressed with yours and am eager now to see the book in person!

Sadly, I demand perfection from myself when quilting and 'good enough' normally isn't something I allow myself. That's not to say I'm the perfect quilter. Bwa ha ha hahahahah! No, far from it. I just can't seem to subscribe to the theory that many quilters have, which is if you can't see it from ten feet away and walking past it, then it doesn't matter. I cringe when I hear that and at the same time I am glad for people out there who are so relaxed and comfortable with themselves and their work that they 'don't stress it.' I have many friends who feel this way and they help balance me. Still, I will pick out mistakes every time I make one. For me, progress is that I have made a rule for myself. If I pick it out three times and it still doesn't work, 90% of the time I will stop and either leave it as it is or toss it into the scrap pile and move on.
~Tiffany

bj

Your quilt is just beautiful. I love bargello's but haven't worked up the nerve to tackle one yet. They really appeal to my left and right brains both :D ! I love the geometry involved and the creativity. Can't wait to see it quilted!

Tiffany

BJ, don't let the look of the bargello intimidate you. It really is an easy pattern. Oh, not the round one she made, but the normal ones with only the straight lines are quite simple really. Mostly it is simply sewing strips of fabric together, cutting them into strips, sew these strips together with one offset from the other...what is tedious can be all the sewing and pinning. I'm a pinner! I think you'll really enjoy this technique. :D
~Tiffany

joannl

Brenda,
Your quilt is beautiful! I agree with the others who recommend basting versus pins. Two reasons:
1. You have to keep removing or moving the pins to fit in the frame.
2. I have better luck with the layers staying put with basting.
There is a short free video on Sharon Schamber's website that gives an unusual method for basting. I haven't used it yet but I'm going to on the quilt I have under construction now ( that would be one of the quilts I have in progress right now!) Wishing you wonderful quilting!
The address is:

http://sharonschambernetwork.com/media/free/index.html#

sandpat

I'm a newbie also but had been told that I had to thread baste to hand quilt and that I had to pin baste when machine quilting. I'm hearing something kinda different here. What is correct...not that there are any quilt police..LOL

joannl, that is an interesting video...would you try to baste between where you might quilt (machine) in the ditch, then cut the basting threads to finish machine quilting?