Bargello quilt patterns are one of those quilt designs that are mesmerizing and eye-catching.
They have unique curves and movements to mimic waves and look fabulous, no matter your color palette.
We will look at how to make a bargello quilt and FAQs surrounding this fun quilt pattern.
We will then check out an excellent compilation of bargello patterns to wet your quilting palette.
FAQs About The Bargello Quilt
Contrary to what you may think, the bargello quilt pattern is quite simple to construct once you know the basics of the pattern. Here are a few questions that get asked about this unique quilt pattern.
What Is a Bargello Quilt?
A Bargello quilt is, in essence, an optical illusion. Different size strips of fabric create its design. They often look like a complex design with beautiful movement, but they are an excellent choice for beginners to try out a strip-style quilt pattern.
They have almost a pixelated look and use pieces that usually have the same height and varying widths. Having pieces with different widths helps with the illusion of movement within the pixelated design.
How Do You Put a Bargello Quilt Together?
If you purchase a bargello quilt pattern, the pattern designer has probably written easy-to-follow instructions on how to piece together the quilt top. Every design is different, but generally speaking, these quilts are pieced together by row.
TIP: I would recommend laying out all the pieces first before you sew them together to get an idea of the finished product.
How Many Jelly Rolls Does It Take to Make a Queen Size Bargello Quilt?
The number of jelly rolls you will need for a specific project will depend significantly on the size of quilt you want to create. Any pattern you choose will give fabric requirements, and many bargello patterns are jelly roll friendly.
I can’t tell you exactly how many jelly rolls you will need for different size quilts, but here is a guide that will give you an idea of how many jelly rolls you may need for your project.
- Baby: 1 jelly roll
- Throw: 2-3 jelly rolls
- Twin: 3-4 jelly rolls
- Full/ Queen: 5-6 jelly rolls
- King: 7-9 jelly rolls
How Many Colors Do You Need for a Bargello Quilt?
The number of colors you will need for this quilt pattern will vary depending on your pattern. But since the whole point of this pattern is to create movement and variation, the more colors, the better. You will need at least ten different fabrics or colors for most bargello quilt patterns.
How Hard is a Bargello Quilt?
This quilt pattern is an excellent example of how looks can be deceiving. Bargello quilts appear complex, time-consuming, and daunting.
They use traditional patchwork piecing and small squares and rectangles to create waves and movement. This makes the bargello quilt pattern an excellent choice for beginners.
19 Stunning Bargello Quilt Patterns
We will see some free bargello quilt patterns and paid options in this list of ideas. This quilt style is versatile and will be fun for quilters of all ages and skill levels.
1. Ribbon Bargello
Here we have a gorgeous ribbon-inspired bargello design. The movement of this quilt pattern is satisfying, and, surprisingly, this quilt top construction uses only squares and rectangles. This pattern will help you make a 42”x57” quilt.
2. Diamond Jubilee
This lovely black, white, and grey bargello quilt shows us how vital color placement is. By using dark colors, the designer was able to add shadows and dimension to this quilt. The designer also used solid black and white borders to give the quilt a sharp, professionally finished look.
3. Turtle Beach
What a fantastic choice to create a beach scene using an easy bargello quilt pattern. The person who made this quilt used a simple bargello pattern; then added sea turtle applique pieces to create this beautiful scene. The perfect choice for a beach house or someone you know who loves the ocean.
4. On Eagles Wings
I don’t know about you, but I love to see quilts made using earth tones. Going from light cream to a deep brown gives these curves in this pattern so much depth. The designer used the leftover fabrics to create a lovely patchwork border to finish off this design.
5. Braided Bargello
This braided design allows fabrics and colors to dance across the quilt top. The link for this quilt goes to a book filled with 16 braided bargello quilt patterns. It will go over cutting techniques, strip piecing, and fabric selection.
6. Sew Simple Bargello
Here is a bargello quilt pattern that has four variations and endless possibilities. You only need two fabrics to create these beautiful designs if you can find ombre fabric. You will need ombre and regular patterned fabric. This pattern is easy to understand and perfect for beginners.
7. Making Waves
Here is a free pattern created by Mister Domestic (Mathew Boudreaux.) This is your pattern if you are looking for a beginner bargello quilt pattern. He provides video tutorials to go along with this pattern and also designed a pillow version of this pattern if you want a mini project.
8. Serenity Bargello
Northcott Fabrics has created a free bargello pattern for us to use. This pattern comes with links to YouTube videos to help construct the quilt top. The finished size of the quilt is 47 ½” x 62”.
9. Argyle Bargello
This breath-taking design is accentuated by the fantastic color palette the designer uses. She also creates even more movement with the quilting that goes along with the direction of the pattern. You can tell this was a labor of love, and it looks perfect!
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10. Bargello Peaks Utopia
This jelly roll-friendly pattern only requires one jelly roll to create a 50”x 68” lap quilt. If you prefer yardage, you will need to cut 40- 2 ½” strips. The pattern lists how many different fabrics you will need and how many strips to cut from each fabric.
11. Catherine Wheel
Being able to see the individual pieces in this mockup will help you see the simplicity of the design. Yes, this design has seemingly complex curves, but the pieces are small squares and rectangles if you break down each section.
12. Bargello Pinwheel
If you are a beginner quilter, this pattern would be an excellent choice. This pattern is comprised of 16 easy-to-construct blocks. It is a fat quarter friendly design that lends itself well to batik and gradient fabrics. The finished quilt will measure 60” square.
13. Twisted Bargello
Purples and blues are a popular color selection for bargello quilts, and seeing this example quilt makes it obvious why. The colors go very well together and look gorgeous in curved movements.
14. Twist-and-Turn Bargello
Remember that beach-themed quilt #3 we checked out earlier? This is probably the pattern that the designer used to create that beautiful quilt. This pattern is a book called Twist-and-Turn Bargello Quilts. This book has 11 quilt patterns inside.
15. Harmony Bargello
Here is a free beginner-friendly bargello pattern that uses the same size square for the entire quilt top. You can use this pattern with solids, batiks, patterned fabrics, or a mix-match of different types of fabric. The finished quilt size is 60 ½” x 72 ½”.
16. Spiral Bargello
This circular quilt pattern is a free download and will help you make a gorgeous 42” circle. You can make this circular quilt if you can sew a straight line. The designer suggests you have a wedge template to simplify the cutting, but you can make one out of cardboard or cardstock.
17. Color Connections
Modern and striking, the Color Connections pattern is an intermediate to advanced skill level quilt pattern. This pattern will instruct you to create a 35”x52” small quilt. This would make a lovely wall hanging or a large table runner.
18. Double Bargello Jewel
We love to see a rainbow color palette and the bargello quilt style is the perfect choice to let those colors shine. The quilt pattern designer suggests this pattern is for the advanced beginner. The finished quilt size will be 74”x90”.
19. Melinda’s Heart
You can, surprisingly, create a heart shape using a bargello quilt pattern. This perfectly symmetrical heart has added depth and dimension since the designer uses an ombre color palette. They also decided to do intricate free motion quilting on the entire quilt top to add a design layer over an already beautiful quilt.
This quilt pattern style is fascinating and intricate but can be surprisingly easy for anyone to create, even first-time quilters. I hope this compilation of bargello quilts has made you interested in the design, and you will try your hand at making a fun, curvy quilt someday.
