My Bargello Adventure Part 1

Last summer I decided I finally.. after 40 years, I wanted a nice bed spread for my queen size bed. Yes, never in 40 years have I had one! I have had comforters but never a dust ruffle. I have had nice blankets on top.. but never a bed spread. And I didn't like comforters, so it had to be a full spread. So I suddenly thought my favorite colors were teal..blue and green shades but preferably blue.  I intended to make a block quilt. I went to the fabric store, bought several prints and colors of blue/green teal and started looking for a block pattern. Now, a year later.. I am starting it! However, not a block... a BARGELLO!!! Yes, those wonderful and amazing motion quilts! Bargello is a pattern that shows motion or movement predicated on how you place the tons of tiny little squares vs. the colors of the squares vs. the size of the squares!

My first attempts turned out pretty good..Orca for my grand daughter as she loves the whales, and the pink for my daughter.. she loved pink!!! If you want to check them out...here are the links...

Orca, Whale of a Quilt

Pretty In Pink  


But now... it is my time. How many times do you actually make for yourself? I am always making for others, but now... I want a bedspread!!!

So I got out the prints I had from last year, of course, needed a few more prints/colors and ended up with 10 prints/solids in blue/green teal.

 This is how I layed them out...the first time! You have to spend some time organizing, reorganizing, replacing, matching etc..before you get that "Ah-Ha" lightbulb moment of "THAT'S IT!" Then... walk away for a few hours and go back....often that "Ah-Ha" moment says... "no...not quite right" and you juggle the prints again.

And also... when you think you have the perfect line up...remember, they will be repeating the line up so...take half from the left.. and place them on the top of the right end and see how it looks that way, as that is how it will look when you have the squares sewn together. Some times it doesn't really match!  In other words..play with it! Walk away, come back and play again. Ask your friends..online ones too and see how the "see" the prints and colors. Some times a second pair of unfamiliar eyes help you see what ...is right in front of your eyes!!!  Hopefully it won't take you as long as it did me.. I have a hard time matching colors.. odd as that sounds coming from a 50 years sewer!


After 2 days of fiddling and chatting with others for their view, I decided on this line up.
I went from dark to light..then fiddled. I am not completely happy with that small black print, but it is close as I could find to match the other 2 prints. I am not wanting the image of the print to stand out... just the colors. I tried it with light colors and with dark and it seems like...in the middle is where it looked best..separating the darker blues from the lighter green teals

 Then, I took the 5 fabrics on the left in above picture and put them on the right side of the line up..as that is how they will be when sewn together. and I am kind of liking that small black print more..seems to blend in a bit better.

This one.. I just wanted to see how it looked without the small black print at all, so I put it at the end....and I find, it has grown on me and I do at least kind of like it in the mix so I will be keeping it in the line up. I am thinking also, it and the solid black...will (hopefully) make a kind of outline throughout the bargello pattern, maybe enhancing the flow in some way! I will be able to see that once I get the strips cut and layed out in the pattern I create.

So...that's it for now. I have to pre wash everything, iron the wrinkles out and then..I will cut one yard from each and start cutting the strips of various sizes. I am hoping to have some of these left to make pillow shames or at least some deco toss pillows.

I watched a video that really helped me and even have been talking with the maker of the video and it and she have been a huge help so if you'd like to check it out....here it is!

Making a Bargello Quilt with Patti Carey

Thanks for reading and hope you will join to follow along...maybe make your own!

Thanks for stopping by and...keep on preserving those memories! Want to read more at Fabric and Memories? CLICK HERE

A Pocket Recipe Altered Book is in my Future!

Well everyone, I have been searching for ideas on  ideas and inspiration to create pages for my fabric lace memory books. I  seem to have hit a wall in the creation department! I make a pocket on every page for adding a tangible memory item, from the past or to have for a future tangible memory item. Well, in searching for inspiration...I stumbled on this....and I need one of these! Well, before you think I've one sandwich shy a picnic lunch,  let me tell you about what I am talking about first. 

Years ago, late 90's I guess... I decided to make a family cook book. I had made some things that the kids liked or others in my large family liked and we had large family gatherings and some of my cooking was specifically requested to be brought to every family function. Add to that some of my mom's favorite recipes and I have a book to publish! So I thought I would put a cook book together for my kids to have after I'm "gone". You know, carry on the family tradition. I typed one out using Word Perfect...(remember way back way?!?!?) and I just type on half sheet of 8x10 colored paper.  I type the recipe and then at the bottom, wrote out a few lines about why this recipe was special or the memory that went with it.

The one that sticks out first and foremost was a cookie I made and rolled it in powder sugar. I made a bunch and my little boy - around 4-5 years old..begged for them. I gave him some and then said no more. Of course, all-american boy he was (still is!) begged and begged and I said no, you've had enough....no, later after dinner...you moms know the drill! Anyway...the next day we went through the same thing and I said the same thing. Later that day, I noticed his lips, chin and all down the front of his shirt had white "stuff" on it! I did a bit of silent,"mom detective" work, and  realized he had snuck some of the powder sugar cookies out of the cookie jar! And in eating them quickly and secretively, the powder sugar left a huge trail of evidence!  I asked him if he had had any cookies...he said no. I asked if he had washed his face...he said no. I asked if he was sure he had not taken any cookies from the cookie jar. He said no. I took him to the bathroom and put him in front of the mirror and asked 'What is this on your face and shirt?" Talk about total shock "I just got caught" look...he was so pitiful looking, I could hardly keep a straight face! We talked and he said he was sorry.. and (to my knowledge) he never snuck into the cookie jar again...at least if there was powder sugar on the cookies! Either that or he figured how to eat them without leaving the evidence all over his face!


Check out this YouTube video. I just love this little album! It will be perfect for a recipe or two on each page... or in each pocket. I am a pocket person...I love pockets and the extra space they give!  But isn't this perfect? And since I have four grand daughters, I'd have to make four books so multiple recipes on one page thanks to the pockets will be a huge time saver!

And I also found this recipe card book made with file folders.. I love it to! Maybe I'll combine parts of each style of book and make my own creation! I feel a trip to the dollar store in my near future...they have some scrapbook items there, but always a package of 10 file folders for a buck. And I'll pull out my stash of scrapbook papers, inks, punches and stickers and oh oh oh... I get to organize my sewing room again!!! I LOVE organizing it! I need to call it my Craft Studio since I have so many different crafts going on in there!


This is my Pinterest page    if you'd care to see the beautiful inspirational ideas I keep and repeatedly browse through for inspiration and motivation to get my fabric memory books done... I have a board for Fabric Lace Memory Books, Altered Paper Books, Quilts, Junk Journals and a few other non craft boards..Now, first thing is to decide what kind of page I want to make and the binding I like best...well, I'll answer that...spiral bound...makes for easy turn of pages and the perfect open page option.

Thanks for stopping by and...keep on sewing those memories!
Want to read more at Fabric and Memories? CLICK HERE
This post is linked to the Linky Party for the day. Click on the "Daily Linky Parties" tab at the top of my page and join us!

The Bargello Adventure.... Begins!

Well, back to sewing! Junk Journals have been fun, but now.. I have made all I need, and... I need  a bed spread for my queen size bed...and the time has come.. I am starting it.. finally!!!  I originally intended to make a block style quilt, but that old Bargello style haunts me and I have decided that is the pattern/style what I want! Something unusual and different (not saying block quilts are common and ordinary, but.. you know what I mean!)

So memory doesn't serve all that well sometimes, thanks to my friends in my sewing/quilting groups,  I have been re-familiarizing myself with the procedure of the Bargello... Bargello is a pattern that shows motion based on how you organize small squares and multiple colors. It is a fantastic view!

4 years ago I made 2. One for my daughter and one for my grand daughter.  So I thought I'd bring those back to life and start my journal of a new bargello story with those...check them out and let me know what you think! I have learned a ton since then, both about bargellos and basic quilting so...I think this time might be easier and look better...or at least as good in a different way!

Pretty In Pink 

(click the title to go to the page)

Orca, Whale of a Quilt

(Click the title to go to the page)

I will be documenting my Bargello Adventure here if you want to follow along. Options to follow are up at the top on the left side bar. So..join and come along with me! Maybe you'll get hooked and want to make one to! The options are endless!

Thanks for stopping by and...keep on preserving those memories! Want to read more at Fabric and Memories? CLICK HERE
This post is linked to the Linky Party for the day. Click on the "Daily Linky Parties" tab at the top of my page and join us!