Bargello Quilting

While researching all of the wonderful topics on this website, my “Must Try” list has grown out of control.

Just when it seemed that not one more thing could be added, along came bargello quilts!  The lovely feel of movement such as waves and weaving in these quilts looks so intricate and nearly impossible for anyone other than a seasoned quilter to make. 

But there is a great surprise to these bargello quilts.  These quilt tops that appear to have been made by sewing little scraps of squares and rectangles together are quite simple to create.

It was quite a revelation to learn that those little pieces are not individually sewn together!  They are actually strip sewn and cut!

To make a bargello quilt, fabric strips are cut at a specific width and sewn together.  New strips are formed by cutting the pieced fabric carefully with a rotary cutter, sometimes at the same or at varying widths.  

The groupings of new strips are then sewn together into rings with the seam allowances facing outward.

The strips are then laid out in a pattern, and the seams of each of the separate rings are cut in different orders with a seam ripper.  

The ring is then laid open. Once this is complete, the strips are sewn together, and a quilt block is formed.

After the blocks are finished, they can be placed in different formations to create amazing patterns, from waves to weaving, from flames to diamonds and so much more.

Now that I’ve made the process perfectly clear (lol), trust that bargello quilting is something that is much easier to do than it looks.

To find free bargello quilt patterns, we have a wonderful page chock full of them!  Although the free patterns are lovely, there are also bargello quilt patterns for sale. 

If you would like to see the Etsy patterns for bargello quilts, we have a page for that as well.

Scroll down and see how simple it is to sew a bargello quilt. I'm pretty certain that this will be the next thing on your “Must Try” list, too!