Melitastitches4fun's Blog

I have got 2 of the blocks done. One is a square and the other a rectangle. Both are four-way designs. The rectangle had to be shortened which allowed me to figure out how to fit the design into the space I had available. I think it worked out well. As Liz says, “Be creative! Do your own thing!”

There is one more Bargello piece I have been wanting to work on & that is Bargello Techniques by Liz Morrow. It is an ANG Correspondence Course (http://www.needlepoint.org/CorrClasses/classes/bargello-techniques.php) that the CyberPointer’s chapter selected as a project. I am looking forward to learning the techniques behind Bargello which is what Liz describes in her very detailed booklet. It will be a wonderful resource to keep on hand for future projects.

The threads were selected in Arizona during our Christmas vacation while at Old Town Needlework. After seeing Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West, I decided I wanted to have as close to Cherokee Red in the piece as I could get. So, I selected reds as my main color and went with blues as the contrasting color. I got a light and dark blue in case I want to mix it up a tad. Because, as usual, I am not going to stitch it exactly as pictured. I have a black collage frame that I have been wanting to use. That won’t take up less wall space but will be a different type of finishing than I’ve done before. Black will look good with the reds. I remember reading that you should know where you are going to finish before you begin. Tonight I began my adventure!

I decided on Vineyard Merino (from left to right):
Dark blue/Polo blue #M1210
Medium blue/Gentlemen’s grey #M1209
Darkest red/Sangria #M1135
Dark medium red/Brick red #M1019
Medium red/Quartz #M1017
Light medium red/English rose #M1016
Lightest red/Conch #M1136

Here are all the sample stitches put together. Only the Silk n’ Ivory, Vineyard Merino (Wiltex Threads), and Planet Earth Silk have sufficient coverage for Bargello. Of those, the Vineyard Merino seems to cover just slightly more at the point of the holes. The other 2 provide just about identical coverage. The remaining 5 threads just don’t cover well enough unless you untwist the thread as Liz suggested but I didn’t try that.

Row 1: ThreadworX Vineyard Silk – ThreadworX Expressions

Row 2: Silk n’ Ivory – Pepper Pot

Row 3: Shepherd’s Silk – Vineyard Merino

Row 4: Vineyard Silk – Planet Earth Silk

TIP: I read in an ANG Yahoo message that if you thread Silk n’ Ivory one way it pills. If you thread it the other way it doesn’t. You take each end and twist it in your hand. Then, thread the end that splays more into the needle’s eye. I’ll have to try this!

Postscript: Liz has since done a comparison of more threads that is fantastic: http://lizartblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/bargello-threads.html and we both agree Silk n’ Ivory has sufficient coverage but Liz feels Vineyard Merino (Wiltex Threads) is marginal and she didn’t review Planet Earth Silk. And, I didn’t review Jumbuck (Dinky Dyes). Additional information is at https://www.lizartneedlepoint.com/working-with-bargello.html#/