(Get ready to make a BIG dent in the scrap stash!)
Quilts made of only one
shape, be it a square,
diamond,
triangle, hexagon, or others have been around since the beginning of
quilting.
I have always been amazed at how one simple unit, such as the lowly
square
can be used in so many different ways! Tho known by many names, quilts
made with a simple one size square are timeless: One Patch, Trip Around
The World, Sunshine and Shadow, Boston Commons, Postage Stamp, even 9
patch,
4 patch, 16 patch etc.....the fascination for quilters remains the
same.
The colors may change, the light/dark values may change, but a quilt
made
with one simple square will always stand as a testimony to the
true
essence of quilting....to make something with so much beauty from such
odd left overs..all from one little square!
Quilted and bound!
I am ALWAYS looking for quick, fun patterns that use up lots of odds and ends. I think I will go through life trying to use up all these abundant odds and ends, never making a dent in the big pieces I have collected! There must be something true in the saying that scraps never totally go away, they have a tendancy to multiply while you sleep!
This quilt is a good one for using up EVERYTHING...even really ugly stuff. And since fabrics are placed randomly...it is almost magic how everything just looks GOOD together, no matter how yuck you think that old print is, or that weird colored solid, etc....
Lap
Sized Quilt:
The quilt center will measure 48X64 without borders.....
For
this quilt
you will need 128 2-1/2"X16" strips. You can get several strips
out
of a Fat Quarter...or you can dig through your scraps and cut what you
have got into useable sized pieces. This is what I did, because I
was using up *odd ball* stuff. The leftovers from trimming the
strips
to 16" lengths will be saved for other scrap quilts...probably 4
patches
and 9 patches! (I also used the leftovers in making the braided border,
above)
For
the first
panel....stitch 32 strips together randomly as shown into one long
length. Try as best as you can to keep the edges even on at least ONE
edge of the panel. There may be some fabric "scooting" but that's okay.
I find it helpful to at least always match the CENTER of each strip to
keep the panel straight.
Now comes the fun part...take the bottom of the panel, and sew it to
the
top of the panel with right sides together, so you are forming a
*Tube*.
If you have ever sewn a strip pieced trip around the world quilt, this
will sound familiar to you. If not, TRUST ME!!
Carefully
CAREFULLY fold your tube so it is straight and flat....align the edges
as best as you can, and trim off the edge so it is straight. Cut
the panel-tube into SIX 2-1/2" Sections.
***NOTE***
If you find your tube is too unwieldy for
you to fold straight, don't sew the last seam that turns the panel into
a tube. Leave that one undone for now. Grasp the panel
between the
16th and 17th strips, holding it by the seam and letting the ends fall.
Shake it out...this will help align your panel. Fold it carefully and
cut into SIX 2-1/2" sections as above.
Set one of the strips aside to use as your first "uphill" or "downhill" strip, and then take the other 5 strips and sew the last square to the first square with right sides together so you are forming loops as if you HAD cut them all from a tube. I find this helpful the longer my panels are. It helps keep my squares straighter.
Set one of the strips aside to use as your first "uphill" or "downhill" strip, and then take the other 5 strips and sew the last square to the first square with right sides together so you are forming loops as if you HAD cut them all from a tube. I find this helpful the longer my panels are. It helps keep my squares straighter.
Now comes the fun
part!!! Take one
of
the
strips of squares that you just cut....and choose a square you would
like
to be the top left hand corner of your panel. (Or, this is your 1st set
aside strip from the ***HINT*** section mentioned previously)
Carefully undo the
seam between that square and the one above it.....opening the strip
into
one long length. This first panel is an UPHILL panel...meaning
you
will move the second square down up into the top position with the next
strip....and unpick the seam so the OLD top square becomes the next
bottom
square..etc... (Is this confusing? Does this pic help??)
Repeat
this
proceedure for all 6 strips in the panel and stitch them together,
carefully
matching seams...press well.
For
the DOWNHILL panels you will do the reverse, moving
the top square in the first strip down in the next strip, so it is in
the position of the second square, and what WAS the bottom square on
the first strip, now becomes the top square on the second strip.
The lap quilt has 4 Panels....2 up hill, 2 down hill....
Complete
all
4 panels and stitch together. Press and add borders. Quilt
and
bind as desired! And dont forget a label for posterity!
I added 4" borders to the lap quilt above... If you are really ambitious and want to make the large quilt....you will need over 360 2 1/2"X 16" strips! Make your panels 46 strips long for a 92" length. My large quilt has 6 panels with 6 rows (3 uphill 3 downhill) and two side panels with 4 rows....for a total of 88" wide.
I added 4" borders to the lap quilt above... If you are really ambitious and want to make the large quilt....you will need over 360 2 1/2"X 16" strips! Make your panels 46 strips long for a 92" length. My large quilt has 6 panels with 6 rows (3 uphill 3 downhill) and two side panels with 4 rows....for a total of 88" wide.
September 2005: The week that Hurricane Katrina hit. I am making quilts for refugees like crazy. I just feel the need to do something MORE than just click a button on the computer to send money. I have a bin of 3" scrap strips, and with a bit of math and figuring have revamped the Scrappy Bargello to work with these larger strips.
This quilt finishes at
72X82. This is perfect since the
Red Cross is asking for twin size.
For
this quilt I used 112 strips cut
3"X20". Each panel is
made from 28 strips. The panels measure 15"X70". 4 panels make a quilt
center that is 60X70. I added a 2" cut inner black border, and a 5" cut
outer purple border to finish the top. The construction is exactly the
same as for the quilt made with the 2.5 strips above!
January
2008: Super Bowl Bargello! The quiltvillechat@yahoogroups.com
list had
a bargello-sew-a-thon on Superbowl Sunday! I was able to complete this
top in one day...
Here
it is, hot off the presses! The first quilt quilted in my new home in
Winston Salem NC! I used plaids, stripes,
and prints all from recycled 100% cottono clothing! What a fun project.
The binding is on, and I am in the process of hand sewing it down. Here
is a close up of the quilting!
I made 6 panels 40 strips long. (A total of 240 strips) It gave me a quilt center that measures 72"X80" before borders.
Here are
a couple smaller ones! Baby
Bargello
was made for my friend Jill and her newborn son Justin! To make the
baby
quilt size, Make your panels from 20 strips...each with 5 stairsteps
instead
of 6. The quilt will be 40X40 before borders.
While in Lancaster PA I picked up a bunch of Amish Solids. I
wanted to use them ALL in a small wall quilt, and I played around with
the scrappy bargello to come up with this quilt! I used 1 1/2" strips
with
30 strips in each panel. 5 stair steps to each panel! I want to hand quilt
this one...but for now it
is
just
hanging on my design wall because I like looking at it so much!
Questions or Comments? I would love to hear from you!! Bonnie@Quiltville.com
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