Bargello U: Easy Bargello Piecing

We've talked a bit about how to make things in strips that look so much harder than they are.

Bargello piecing is so impressive looking. All those little pieces, done square after square. And it took you, how long? 
Don't be silly. We don't do hard here and we don't do time consuming. Bargello piecing is lightning fast.
These great fabrics are all part of the same fabric line and they're in stock in the store. You can sew along, if you want.

Take a number of strips. Sew them together. 
Cut them into segments.
The segments can either be the same or graduated in different widths. There's really no wrong way to do this.


Sew the segments at each end to each other to make a ring.This is the part my photo shop skills can't quite master. Would you please imagine I can show you that?

Sew the segments together moving up one square at a time.  

If you do different sized segments it looks like this.
Cut across all the segments to make it one bargello piece.

Tada! That wasn't that hard. It looks like a mountain of bits sewed together, but since we started with strip it's fast as a flash.
Things to remember when sewing strips:

• Even counts. Keep your seam size as accurate as you can. It doesn't matter what it is, just be consistent.
• Use a sharp rotary blade. Always. Actually it's much safer.
• Trim you strips to straighten them up. They will get funky after several cuts
• Press with steam when you're done, from the front. You'll want to make sure all the seams are flat and open.
• Do lift and press rather than running an iron over it.
• Seams in the back can point any way they like. It's better if you press to the dark side, but if they're inside your quilt making comments, squish them out. 

Sew up some seams and start cutting and stitching. It's endless fun and you'll find yourself amazed.