Like Amy I love quilts and I am particularly fond of Bargello quilts. These pieces capture the look of those quilts so perfectly. I raced through Rhapsody but other deadlines are interfering with getting Romance done.
Here are my observations in no particular order.
If you are using the colors specified in the chart, be sure to use the Levantine Blue canvas specified. Several of the decorative stitches allow the canvas to show through so the blue is an integral part.
You do not use an entire skein of Watercolours for these pieces, so if you have partial skeins start with that. Although sometimes it is difficult to match dyelots with Watercolours I don’t think exact matches are necessary for this piece.
If you do not like a particular stitch for an area, substitute it with another stitch of the same size. I did this several times and tried not to have it be the same stitch as blocks near it.
Use a highlighter to mark off each block as you finish stitching it. This made it so much easier to keep track of where I was.
Mark your lines between the threads, not on them. Or baste in the blocks (I have a friend who has done this).
Rhapsody is easier to stitch then Romance because many of the lines run from one end of the piece to the other. Thus you can start to stitch at one end and follow the color all the way to the other. In Romance the lines are more jagged and no lines of color run all the way across with a square in every row filled.
I did not work all the “plain” blocks first and then the decorative stitches, but worked one line at a time. I cut my skeins of Watercolours and then would work a line of a color until I used all three plies of one strand. Then I’d move on to the next color. This gave me a nice sense of progression.
This is one of the most fun pieces I’ve done in a long time and I highly recommend it.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
Lauren Layne says
I love Janet M Perry’s,
Bargello Flame pattern.
How can I get a chart for this pattern?
I will be thankfull for any information you can give me.
Thank you,
Lauren
jmp says
Lauren —
Can you give me more information on the pattern you are seeking?Many of my Bargello patterns are in my book, Bargello Revisited. Please let me know.
Keep Stitching.
Janet