Bill's Bargello

These are the 12 fabrics Bill choose for his lap quilt. The gals in the quilt shop had a good time working with him to select this variety. Our first project was to place them in the correct order and this is what we came up with. I printed this image and put it by my sewing machine so I can refer to it as I'm sewing.

The pattern Bill selected is a Bargello - but it is just a picture, without specific instructions, so I had to deconstruct it in my head before beginning. He wants his quilt to measure just wide and long enough to cover him from toes to shoulders while he is stretched out in his recliner. He also wants a "pocket" at the feet to tuck his toes in. I figured the final dimensions will be about 33-inches by 75-inches.

After many notes, I began cutting. From each fabric I cut 2 sets of 3-inch wide strips. I stitched one set of 12 strips together by sewing strips one and two, then three and four, etc. I sewed the pairs together starting at the opposite ends of the fabrics till I had a rectangle that measured approx. 42-inches (width of fabric) by 30-inches (12 strips @ 3-inches each minus 1/4-inch seam allowances). The selvaged ends were uneven. I then folded right sides together and connected fabric one with fabric twelve to make a tube. I made sure I did not match ends and joined the fabrics at the natural position.

Next, I cut strips from my tube - 11 strips in various widths from 1 1/4 inch wide to 3 1/4 inches wide and 10 separator strips all 1 1/4 inches. I kept them in order but since most of the fabrics are batik, I didn't need to. It would have been necessary if I was using a fabric with an overall design.

Bill's pattern has a main set of strips (the ones of various sizes) and narrower separator strips. The main strips start from fabric one at the top to fabric twelve at the bottom and the separator strips go in the opposite direction. The main strip tubes were opened at different seams according to the pattern and the separator strips were cut open mid-fabric so none of the seams joined. If you think of the pattern as a graph, the design of the main set of strips moves down the entire width and the design of the separator strips goes up then down. I used the main strips in the order I cut them from narrow to wide and back to narrow with a separator strip between each.

The first section is finished and measures 32-inches wide by 30-inches long. I will make another section exactly like the first from my second set of strips and join it to the bottom of the first section - so the design will repeat in the same order. I don't know yet whether I'll add an entire third section, partial section, or make the foot pocket from the border fabric.

Stay tuned. Today, we play boccie ball at 3:00 PM, then go to dinner at the Ocala Airport. Yes, we have an International Airport here in Ocala - but regular flights don't fly in or out - just private jets and planes from overseas carrying horses. Ocala is, after all, the self-proclaimed "Horse Capital of the World."