Mountains / Bargello Quilt Block Pattern
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Bargello quilting is a technique that involves creating intricate designs through the careful arrangement of fabric strips. Here's how you can sew a basic bargello quilt block:
Materials needed:
- Fabric strips in different colors and widths
- Sewing machine
- Quilting ruler
- Rotary cutter
- Iron and ironing board
- Batting
- Backing fabric
Steps:
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Choose your fabrics: Select a range of fabrics in colors that complement each other. You can choose to work with as many or as few colors as you like. Cut the fabric strips into 2.5-inch widths.
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Arrange the strips: Start by laying out your fabric strips in a pleasing arrangement. You can experiment with different color combinations and layouts until you find a design you like.
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Sew the strips: Begin by sewing the first two strips together, right sides facing each other, using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Press the seam open with an iron. Add the next strip to the first two strips, again right sides facing each other, and sew using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Continue adding strips in this manner until you have a long strip of pieced fabric.
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Cut the strips: Use a rotary cutter and quilting ruler to cut the pieced fabric strip into shorter strips of varying widths. Cut at an angle to create a zigzag effect.
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Arrange the shorter strips: Take the shorter strips and arrange them in a pleasing pattern. You can experiment with different arrangements until you find one you like.
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Sew the strips together: Sew the shorter strips together, right sides facing each other, using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Press the seams open.
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Repeat: Repeat steps 4-6 with the remaining pieced fabric strips until you have as many blocks as you need for your quilt.
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Assemble the quilt: Arrange the blocks in a pleasing pattern and sew them together, right sides facing each other, using a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Add batting and backing fabric to create a finished quilt.
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Quilt and finish: Quilt the layers of your quilt together using your preferred method. Bind the edges of your quilt to finish.
With these steps, you can create your own beautiful bargello quilt block. Experiment with different color combinations and strip arrangements to create a truly unique design.
The secret to the nine patch is all about ironing seams so that they butt when they are joined.
Cut 5 A squares and 4 B squares in the required size.
Chain piecing, join a B square to only 3 of the A squares, right sides together, with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. No need to press just yet.
The result will be:
Next, take the remaining A and B squares and, chain piecing, join them to these units, right sides together, with a one 1/4 inch seam allowance:
Your result will be:
To make this faster you can cut strips.
Cut A and B strips for the appropriate width, and join them into A/B/A and B/A/B units. Note you will need twice the length of B/A/B strips, as there are two of these units. Once your strips are joined, right sides together, with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Press every seam towards the dark fabric.
Cut across your pre-joined strips to create the units needed for the nine patch:
You will achieve the same result as above, but this method is faster.
To make a standard 9 patch, the width of the unit cut from pre-joined strips is the same as the width of the original strips.
Press all the seams to the dark fabric so that all the seems butt up.
Join the B/A/B units to your A/B/A units with butted seams, right sides together, with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.
The direction of the final, central seam is optional. But guided by the placement of the block in the larger scheme, and wherever possible, iron to facilitate budding the seam joints.
Wider Application:
Just as the 4 patch, you can apply this methodology to all kinds of 9 patch blocks. As long as the patch has an underlying 3x3 grid, no matter how many pieces, the basic principle applies. It is repeated over and over, each 9 patch laying adjacent to the next 9 patch. As long as you keep pressing seams in pairs of opposite directions, piecing will be smooth sailing.
Try these out. Each block has an underlying 3x3 grid, and can be pieaced as a 9 patch.
Sometimes it is not obvious which direction is the dark with complicated blocks like those above. Just remember the basic ironing plan is:
How to Resize Quilt Blocks:
The first step in modifying any quilt block is to decide on the size of your finished quilt block. You can come to a decision based on a number of factors: doubling a pattern, cutting your pattern in half, or choosing the size based on your available fabric.
NOTE: When working from a pattern’s cutting instructions, make sure you remove the seam allowance before doubling or tripling the size. For instance, if your pattern calls for 3-1/2″ squares, first you’ll subtract the sum of the seam allowances (1/2″), double the finished block size (from 3″ to 6″), and add the seam allowance back in (1/2″). So, when all is said and done, you will cut a 6-1/2″ piece of fabric.
Resizing Square Blocks:
Square blocks are the easiest to resize. Simply add to your finished block measurement. For example, if you’d like your finished block to be a 4″ square, you’ll need to cut a 4-1/2″ square of fabric.
Resizing Rectangular Blocks:
Similarly to the square, for rectangle blocks, you’ll add to the length and width measurements of your finished block. If you’re doubling block that measures 3″ x 4″ in your quilt, you’ll cut a 6-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ rectangle of fabric.
Resizing Half-Square Triangle Blocks:
When you want to change the size of a Half-Square Triangle block, add 7/8″ to the desired finished block size. To make a 4″ finished block, you’d cut 4-7/8″ squares.
Resizing Quarter Square Triangle:
Since there are two cut lines and two seam lines in a Quarter-Square Triangle block you’ll need to add 1-1/4″ to the desired finished block size. For a finished block that’s 4″, you’d cut your squares 5-1/4″.