Bargello Rhythms

We caught up with Bernie Miller one Friday afternoon in her home studio  and asked her a few questions about her work as a fabric artist.

Interviewer: Has creativity always been a part of your life?

Bernie: I’ve never actually thought of myself as all that creative, but when I look back on my adult life, it seems like I have always been dabbling in something that allowed me to create. I’ve done different kinds of painting through the years. I’ve hooked rugs, knitted, tried cross stitch (and failed miserably), done macramé, and learned a variety of other crafts. For several years I was pretty immersed in photography and darkroom work. I’ve always enjoyed doing things that allowed my brain to teach my hands and vice versa, especially if those things involved color and beauty.

I: Does this creative edge run in your family?

B: I didn’t realize that my mother had a creative streak in her until I was older. While I was away at college she became a very accomplished knitter as well as trying her hand at other crafts. I still have some of her creations. And her mother was a very refined seamstress. Also, my sister has many creative talents that manifested themselves in her years as an elementary teacher.

I: Nowadays your creativity comes out in this unique kind of quilting. Why quilting?

B: I remember several years ago wanting something to do in the evenings as I sat in my favorite chair after a day at work. I went to the crafts section of the library and just started browsing. I came upon the section of books about quilts and there was something that just inspired me as I leafed through those books. I’ve always enjoyed working with colors and designs in just about anything I did. I said to myself, “I think this could be fun!” Sure enough, it has been. Of course, coupling it with the favorite chair idea had to be abandoned!

I: How did you start in quilting?

B: Initially, I did what are called watercolor quilts. These are wall hangings, using 2-inch squares of mostly floral fabrics that create the effect of a watercolor painting. It’s like an impressionist piece. There’s no pattern, so it’s a very creative process. You just start throwing the squares up on a design board, turning them this way and that, until you have a pleasing wash of color, usually from dark to light, from brilliant to pastel, from large motif to small, or a combination of these three.

I: Did you do many of those?

B: I did one and a half. I created one for a stairway in our home.

I: What about the half?

B: I had one all laid out on the design board, standing against the wall of my studio. It had been many, many hours of work getting to that point. One day when I came home from work I discovered that a good blast of air from a vacuum cleaner had sent those tiny little squares, hundreds of them, into a pile on the floor. After a good cry, I vowed that was my last watercolor quilt.

I: What other ones have you done?

B: I’ve done traditional bed quilts. I’ve created some wall hangings and throws as gifts for family and friends. I started the tradition of creating a crib quilt for each grandchild when they were born. So I did a boy quilt and a girl quilt when we were expecting the first, not knowing whether we were getting a granddaughter or a grandson. Our fifth, and almost assuredly our last, grandchild was recently born. And he is our fifth boy. So a lovely girl quilt still hangs on a quilt rack in our guest room. Maybe a great-granddaughter will get it.

I: Why do you concentrate these days on Bargello quilts?

B: I wish I could remember the first time I saw a Bargello. Probably it was in a book I picked up. I just remember thinking, “That’s beautiful!” I started my first one and never looked back.

I: Exactly how did you start?

B: No one taught me really. I just read all I could, and learned by doing. Marge Edie’s and Beth Ann William’s books were great resources and ones from which I’ve drawn many of my ideas. One of the books said I was supposed to do a place mat first, but I’ve never been good at walking before I run. So I ditched the place mat idea and went right to doing a full-blown hanging.

I: What is it about Bargellos that you like so much?

B: The first thing to be said is that not all Bargellos intrigue me. I find some of the designs a little awkward and others too predictable. I prefer to work with those designs that appear more graceful and flowing and somewhat asymmetrical. I like the way colors can naturally blend together in such eye-catching designs. And there is so much going on in a nice Bargello piece—the pattern can get inverted; colors get placed in unusual juxtapositions; the borders become a part of the design too. I’ve said that I never know what my Bargello is going to look like until it’s too late to do anything about it. You can make educated guesses initially and as you proceed. But it’s always a surprise, and indeed a joy, when you see it finally come together. No two I make are ever alike.

I: How do you go about choosing your colors?

B: It’s hard to describe. I’ve learned in talking with others that it’s almost an innate ability. Some people do it naturally, and for some it comes harder. Usually I just go into fabric stores — which I call my “candy stores” — and I just start exploring. Often I come upon a particular fabric that I fall in love with, and then I build from what I find in that piece, usually throwing in a renegade color to liven things up. A couple of times, I’ve spotted a collection of fabrics, ones that the manufacturer and fabric artist have created to go together, and work with that collection to define my choices.

I: What is most satisfying to you as you create this work?

B: As with any art, there’s creative work and technical work involved. The creative part of walking into a great fabric store and choosing from all the options and then arranging the color runs just right is way up there on the satisfaction scale. But I also enjoy the technical part: the cutting, sewing, pressing, squaring, etc. This all requires very precise work. Sometimes I’m in a “precision” mood and sometimes not. It’s easy to make mistakes if you aren’t concentrating. Another really fulfilling part of what I am doing is working with people who contract with me to create fabric art for a particular setting they have in mind. I learn what colors they love, where the setting is they have in mind, what their vision is, and then I lend my experience and expertise to come up with something that hopefully they’ll be proud of and something they’ll enjoy looking at for a long time to come. It’s a privilege to work in that way.

I: It sounds as if this is a lot of fun for you as much as than anything else.

B: Exactly! It’s great fun, and very fulfilling, especially when something lovely turns up at the end of the process. That’s a pretty nice way to spend one’s days.