COVID Bargello

On Tuesday, I talked about how to sew and iron strips for use in a bargello quilt.

Today I want to backtrack and tell you about the design process for this quilt!!

My guild issued a challenge back in June for a Bargello quilt…..easy enough!! BUT, we had to make it remembering our feelings in March of 2020…..you remember those day days don’t you?

As I thought back, I remembered the feelings of inadequacy as I tried to help my clients figure out how to keep their businesses open. I was worried for them, my kids and their jobs, and my immuno-compromised husband!!

I WAS A MESS!!!!

I sat down with a drawing pad and started planning!! My original idea was to make a bunch of small bargello pieces and have them mixed together in one quilt…..

Then I thought about making one with only black, grey, white, and lime (puke) green…..

….or maybe make one and cut it up into pieces…..

The problem was this…..

Years ago I made a challenge quilt based on a “polka dot theme”. Since it kept being called the “poke-a-dot” challenge, I made this quilt……

While it was a fun quilt, it has never hung on a wall. It just sits in my quilt closet!!

I didn’t want that to happen with this quilt. I wanted something that I could proudly hang on the wall and enjoy!!!

So it was back to the drawing board.

I thought back to the idea of using black fabrics and a small trickle of inspiration started to happen.

What if I start with black fabrics, and slowly move into bright colors??

I pulled out my 2.5-inch black strips…..

…..and started playing!!!

Maybe something like this……

….or maybe this…..

Before I started sewing, I decided that the bottom black fabric needed to be a thicker strip and I also wanted a LOT of the yellow/orange floral at the top.

The final strata looked like this…..

I saw that the black fabrics at the bottom were reminiscent of the early months of Covid. Then there was a happier time when the vaccine came out, but the Corona variant moved us back to black!! Then, earlier this year things started to get brighter……groups began meeting again, masks were removed and life started to return to normal. Now it is almost as if Covid didn’t happen!!!

So, the Strata is prepared……come back tomorrow for the slicing and sewing!!