One way to create an optical illusion in Bargello needlepoint is to alternate color schemes while working the pattern [...]

Whenever you search for FREE Bargello needlepoint patterns on the web, a list of cross stitch designs are always included. Not all of these designs can be converted to Bargello needlepoint; but [...]

In one of my quiet moments on the web, looking for free Bargello needlepoint treasures, I came across Pic2Point.com, a FREE needlepoint pattern maker site. This site is truly a find in a million! It lets you turn your photos or images into high-quality needlepoint patterns [...]

Being able to draw and draw well is perfect for hand-painting needlepoint canvases; but Bargello needlepoint does not require artistic ability, and that’s good news for folks like me who can’t draw—not one bit [...]

Bargello patterns are usually charted to make it easy to see the canvas grid and stitches, and are not drawn necessarily to scale. Here’s how you can calculate the design size when using different gauges of needlepoint canvas [...]

A typical Florentine or Bargello needlepoint stitch is vertical and made by working up or down over a specific number of canvas threads. To create variation and movement in a Bargello pattern, two or more of these stitches are either placed side by side or worked by “stepping” across the canvas row by row until the desired design takes shape [...]

It’s highly unlikely that a brand new, never before seen, original and unique Bargello needlepoint stitch can be created! As anyone who has experimented with needle and thread has found, just when you think you’ve “discovered” a new Bargello stitch, you find that someone else invented it years, decades or even centuries before you came on the scene [...]

It was not my intention to stitch this Bargello needlepoint design because it was too large for a 365-day Bargello Challenge piece; but alas, I couldn’t resist its colorful pattern. The difficult challenge with this pattern was deciding how much of it to stitch [...]

This monochromatic Bargello pattern is a variation on yesterday’s design with changes in thread colors and shades. The use of a monochromatic color scheme produces a totally different Bargello design effect that makes the pattern motifs softer with less definition between them [...]

Heart-shaped motifs alternate with small diamonds in this Bargello design to make a bold pattern. An optical illusion is also made when using carefully graded shades of colored threads (6 for the hearts, and 3 for the diamonds) [...]

The pattern in this Bargello needlepoint design is formed similar to the “Domes and Spires” Bargello piece in Day 5. The pattern is formed by reversing and mirroring a row of the Bargello design against itself [...]

This design makes me think of England’s Victorian Era. The soft pink and green shades showcase a Bargello pattern that mainly consists of large circular motifs (not an exaggeration, I assure you). I had to increase the width and length of the needlepoint canvas to 4.25″ square in order to fit the Bargello pattern [...]

Worked in a 4-2 step, this type of design is very typical of vintage Bargello designs. This Bargello needlepoint pattern is found on pp. 76-77 in Bargello: An Explosion In Color by Margaret Boyles [...]

This Bargello needlepoint pattern may be of small proportions, but it holds a lot of interest and tells its own story. Stitched in navy blue, green and soft yellow, the different arrangements of the colors tend to accent specific areas of the design [...]

This honeycomb Bargello design is one of my favorites. It was the inspiration for the Bargello Needlepoint Christmas Lights Ornament, one of 12 designs in the Bargello Needlepoint Christmas Series [...]

It’s amazing the number of Bargello designs that are found in historical needlepoint pieces. This Bargello pattern is often called the “fish scale” or the “eye of the peacock” (pp.72-73 in Bargello: An Explosion In Color by Margaret Boyles) [...]

As the last Bargello chevron design in Bargello: An Explosion In Color by Margaret Boyles (pp.70-71), this motif is turned upside down and worked with only one stitch to the step instead of two. The result is a slope of the slanted line that’s much steeper, while the number of step units is the same as the first chevron on Day 21 [...]

These cute and petite Bargello needlepoint chevrons are only five sets of 4-2 steps to the lower edge. The pattern for this design can be found on pp. 70-71 in Bargello: An Explosion In Color by Margaret Boyles [...]

Today’s Bargello needlepoint chevron pattern seems to interlock rather than stand out alone as in yesterday’s pattern. There are some additional differences as well–the lower edge of the design has nine 4-2 step pairs that make the motif slightly larger [...]

Chevron motifs are found everywhere; but mostly in badges on military or police uniforms. The stripes on the sleeves are made with the chevron motif to indicate the wearer’s rank and service. In Bargello needlepoint, the chevron pattern is formed when two opposite diagonal lines connect in the center to form a “V”. The pattern can be upright, sideways or inverted [...]

Today’s Bargello needlepoint design uses three colors and is a little bolder than previous diamond patterns because of the double row of burgundy stitches outlining the large diamonds. The other colors are royal blue and gold [...]