Maggie Ball - Bargello Quilts with a Twist

I learned the technique of making bargello quilts in 1991, when I took a class from quilter and fiber artist Alison Goss. I loved Alison's work and felt very inspired by the workshop. My first bargello quilt was symmetrical, but I gradually became more adventurous and enjoyed a freer approach, experimenting with increasing the complexity of the design and adding strip sets.

In the traditional bargello quilting method, named after a needlepoint technique, multiple strips of the same width (usually eight to ten strips, or sometimes as many as 20) are sewn together, then counter-cut in a variety of widths. The width size increases in specific increments; the strips are set adjacent and offset by one fabric. This creates the illusion of flowing curved lines, even though there is no curved piecing involved.

Many quilters find the large numbers of strips difficult to handle and are deterred from attempting these types of quilts. I have created a block in which only four strips are joined at a time so that the construction is much simpler. In addition, it is easy to generate a great variety of patterns by manipulating the block orientation. This technique draws on the principles of bargello quilting, using strip piecing and the same specific width increases in the strips and counter-cuts to create the flowing lines. Therefore, I've named it the Bargello block.

All the quilts in this book are made from the new Bargello block. I stumbled upon the idea quite by chance when I was looking through unusual settings for quilts on my computer in an The Electric Quilt Company program. What I found was actually the mega-block used in Rebel (below and on page 118).

Rather than using it for a quilt setting, I drew it out as a 64-piece block and began to play with different arrangements. I then realized that if I divided it into four, I had a much more manageable 16-piece block that was easy to construct and remarkably versatile as well.

I was amazed by the number of attractive quilt patterns I could create from this one Bargello block. So began the series of quilts featured here. I taught the technique and was delighted by the excitement of my students.

My hope is that you, too, will enjoy exploring the many possibilities of this new Bargello block and be inspired as well.

RebelPieced by the author, machine quilted by Wanda Rains.

The North Cascades Are BurningDesigned and made by the author in the traditional bargello method in 1994, a bad year for forest fires in the North Cascades around Mount Baker and Lake Chelan, Washington (43 48). Photo by Mark Frey