Twist-and-Turn Bargello Quilts

When I first laid eyes on this book my initial reaction was “NO WAY!” The cover design is often a pretty good indication of what is inside, and I knew it was above and beyond my capabilities. I love having first impressions proven wrong! As I flipped through the book, perusing the designs and glancing at the directions and graphs I thought: numbered graphs with my numerical dyslexia, a disaster in the making. However, I persevered; I started reading it from cover to cover, quilt by quilt. Admittedly I was confused, but like an ad for nappies on TV, after my golden hours of sleep, in the middle of the night, it “clicked”, I actually woke up thinking about how it worked and understood it. It’s simple, strip piecing, with different sized strips. Accurate cutting, piecing and sewing is explained in detail. Basics, which most of us already know and do, but it never hurts to review things does it? Throughout the eleven projects which range from 96 x 98in to placemat size, the directions, graphs, helpful hints and details actually make these patterns much simpler than they appear. Eileen Wright explains how to make the colour work for you. She shows one design in three different colourways and they are each stunning and totally different. I really want to try this technique and a few placemats for a friend’s new home is going to be my first project.