Bargello is a fun and colorful form of embroidery—here’s how to make a retro-style small pouch or pencil case
Bargello is a striking embroidery technique that makes it easy to create vibrant geometric patterns. Try it on a small pouch you can use as a little bag, pencil case, or sunglasses holder.
Bargello-embroidered small bag—materials:
- Plastic mesh for needlework, about 20 × 30 cm (2.5–3 mm holes)
- Hjertegarn Blend Bamboo yarn in duck egg blue (6029) and pale pink (4951), or comparable cotton yarn
- A thick darning needle
- An 18 cm zipper
- Fabric for lining
- Sewing supplies
Bargello-embroidered small pouch—instructions:
1. Cut about a 19 x 27 cm piece of the plastic mesh. You can cut a bit larger at first and trim it once you finish embroidering.
2. Embroidery is worked flat. Choose a thread that covers the plastic well. For this project, Blend Bamboo yarn was used in triple thickness. Start at the lower-left corner of the plastic with pink yarn. Leave a tail on the right side and stitch over it. Make each stitch in the same direction, from bottom to top, so they lie neatly. First, embroider the hexagons with pink yarn, following the pattern. Make sure the pattern lines up at both ends of the piece. If the side threads are too loose, you can secure them in the middle with a small running stitch.
3. Embroider the triangles left on each end with the blue yarn. Then stitch the areas between the hexagons, following the pattern. Finally, embroider the top and bottom edges of the plastic by stitching around them.
4. Cut a piece of fabric the same size as your plastic and finish its edges. Attach the zipper to the lining's edges and stitch it in place. Sew the sides of the pouch closed. Hand-stitch the lining to the inside of the embroidered plastic.
5. Finally, sew the sides of the pencil case. Pass the thread around the edge squares toward the base to form a figure-eight pattern. As you sew, make sure the designs match at the edges. Weave in the thread on the wrong side. Sew the other edge the same way.
