Welcome back to another tutorial, makers!

One of my favorite things to sew is strips of fabric because I find myself in a trance under my sewing machine, and at that point, I feel unstoppable. I'm sure when everyone is in the zone, you can relate too! Combing this love to strip piecing, I thought it would be a great idea to show all of you the Bargello Technique, which is made of strips of fabric sewn together to create the appearance of movement. I wanted to capture this technique with a small project so it is easier to digest, so what better than these awesome placemats!

This tutorial is great if you're a beginner quilter, and even if you have been quilting for years, I'm sure you'll learn something new to add under your belt. The idea of this technique is to use a variety of shades of print to create that illusion of movement.

Taking advantage that Spring is still here, I choose some fabrics that are pastel tones to represent the colors of the season. I used  AGF Pure solids "Honeydew," Floral Elements in "Blush," and prints from the Playroom collection "Teeny Confetti Candy," "Flowers All Around," and "Teeny Confetti Mint." 

Let's get started!

Fabric requirements:

Fabric A 1/2 yd

Fabric B 1/2 yd

Fabric C 1/2 yd

Fabric D 1/2 yd

Fabric E 1/2 yd

Fabric F 1/2 yd

Four (4) 3  1/2’’ x WOF strip from Fabrics A, B, C, D, E

Two (2) 20 1/2’’ x 14 1/2’’ rectangles from fabric F.

Sew fabrics A, B, C, D, E WOF strips in order 

Cut the strips at a 20 1/2’’ 

Take that 20 1/2’’ piece and sew it under the end of fabric A.

Cut seven (7) strips at a 2  1/2’’ W.

Take the first strip, which is SS1, and place it on your table. This will be your start guide.

Take the other six (6) strips and sew the beginning and end for each strip, creating a circle for each strip.

Unsew one seam from each tube to create a long strip, following the image below as your guide.

Now, join all seven (7) strips. 

Once assembled and pressed, trim the piece to a 20 1/2’’ x 14 1/2’’ rectangle as in the image below.

Use this technique to create many fun projects, such as this Making Waves Quilt, Follow the Wave placemats, and more!

I hope you this tutorial and as always please let me know if you have any questions or helpful tips you'd like to share in the comments below.

I'd love to see if you attempted this project, so make sure to tag us on social media using the hashtag #artgalleryfabrics, I would love to see your creations.

Until next time,

Happy sewing!

-Jannelle