I'm really excited to announce a new kit that I've been busy working on at Bargello-a-Gogo HQ, which is the Bargello Owl Wall Hanging Kit! My latest kit design was inspired by a Macrame Owl Wall Hanging that my Nan had purchased back in the 70's and it was always hanging on her wall in her home throughout my childhood/teen years. Since Bargello embroidery was popular in the 60s/70s, I thought it would be great to make a Bargello Owl with a super funky retro feel! Whilst my Nan's original owl had been rather plain and brown with some glass eyes, I really wanted this design to stand out in bright, bold colours (since that's what Bargello is all about!)....
I'm excited to announce that the latest Bargello-a-GoGo Bargello embroidery kit is now using Appletons Tapestry wool (instead of DMC that had been used for previous kits). There are a couple of reasons why going forward, I've decided to use the Appletons brand of Tapestry Wool instead. They use 100% Pure English Wool and it is also manufactured and dyed in the UK. Since Bargello-a-GoGo is based in the UK, I was keen to support a manufacturing business in the same country. Compared to other Tapestry Wool brands, there is a great option of having either skeins or hanks in my kits (depending on how much wool is required for the kits). The skeins also contain 10 metres rather than...
I love adding little groovy objects to display in my studio that make me happy every time I look at them. Over the past few months I have purchased several fun retro felt ornaments from a company called Made By Stitch Studio including this cute little Pink Fawn which I thought looked great alongside my Bargello-a-GoGo Coasters and retro Babycham Glasses: One of the latest additions to my studio was this groovy orange felt Alpaca: I felt really inspired by the 70s retro feel of this ornament to create a little fun Bargello item to go with it! I thought it would be great to create a fun Bargello rug to stand on and here is a photo of what...
Since experimenting in Bargello embroidery and after trying out many types of threads, canvas and various size embroidery needles, I have found the following materials to be my favourite: Tapestry Thread - There are some great Tapestry Wool brands such as DMC, Appletons and Anchor. They all have a great colour choice and give a nice, full coverage of the tapestry canvas. Size 18 Tapestry needle - I have found this size needle works really well with the threads described above and also with the style of tapestry canvas I use. 10 Count Plastic Canvas - I absolutely love this! It is great for beginners, sews up quite quickly and I love how rigid it is so I can make...
I first discovered Bargello embroidery last year when I was looking for an embroidery project to do. I've always loved the music and fashion from the 60s/70s and have always enjoyed sewing clothes inspired by these eras. This meant that I had accumulated a collection of sewing patterns and craft magazines from these decades over the years. I decided in my embroidery inspiration search to look through my vintage Golden Hands craft magazines. I had bought a big bulk of these several years ago in a charity shop haul and every now and again I had turned to them for various craft projects. What had completely escaped me until last year were these really cool embroidery stitch styles that were...
