Easy Strip Piecing Technique - How to Create Patchwork with Anthology Fabrics by Bari J
May 22, 2025
Hello Makers,
Boho, florals, vibrant colors, maximalist, are just a few words that come to mind when sewing with Bari J’s fabric collection over the years. I started working for AGF back when Bari J’s, Emmy Grace collection came out. It was the first photoshoot I modeled for and it is what made me become the Bari J fan I am today! This past weekend I had the opportunity to sit down with her new collection called Anthology and I was so blown away by the striking, gorgeous designs and the way she put this collection together. With an amazing assortment of florals you feel like you can smell them as they bloom out of the fabric, perfect for fussy cutting or using as a focal point in a quilt or sewing project. The stripes offered in this collection are like no other. I knew right away that using strip piecing was the best way to break into creating patchwork and block designs for quilts, bags, and decor projects with this collection. I followed along to the Quilting Tips- Learn to Strip Piece Three Different Ways video on the AGF youtube channel.
I got lost in the quilty magic that is strip piecing and it was literally the most therapeutic and absolutely best way I have spent a Sunday in a long time. For someone who is used to designing on the computer and having everything planned out before starting a project, this sewing session really reminded me of why I love all things fabric and sewing. Allowing yourself the freedom to play and be creative, improvising as you go, really helps to think outside the box and come up with unique and rewarding pieces you can be proud of.
I started by cutting up 2 of Bari J’s panel fabrics Plaid Tales and Stripped Narrative. I knew right away I wanted to use the Stripped Narrative in the strip piecing method to create the easiest chevron design. Playing with the direction of the different stripes in the collection was one of my favorite things to do because it allows you to create even more fun movement in your quilting projects bringing your project to life. I paired the strips I cut from the panel with more strips and prints from the collection that complimented it and that also gave me a good amount of contrast to make things flow and each print shine. To help with this I also used AGF Decostitch and Floral Elements.
*Featuring Plaid Tales from Anthology Fabrics
One of the best things by far I am so happy AGF supplies us quilters with is the blenders and Pure Solids that match back with every new collection that comes out, which takes out the guess work when creating quilts and matching back fabrics. They do all the hard work which gives us more time to sew! I highly recommend you take advantage of this great tool by clicking on any collection you are sewing with and click on a fabric swatch in the collection and at the bottom of the page you can scroll through the curated blenders AGF chooses to match back beautifully with the collection.
Placing my strips at varying width 2 ½” apart I sewed strips together and lined up my 45 degree line on my ruler to the bottom of the strip set and cut a clean edge and cut out as many 3” strips as I could.
I followed the video and made another strip set with my strips going in the opposite direction to get the other half of my chevron design and alternating my piercings to get a chevron design below. You can use this technique to create a full quilt or make a big enough section to make bags, pillows, even garments to add a bit of patchy boho style to your wardrobe!
I also played around with sewing strips together and using different rulers to cut out triangle shapes to create intricate looking HST’s.
I used square rulers on point to create a string block and cut out four of them to create this X block design below but have fun turning your pieces and creating different style blocks just by placing them in different directions. For this block I cut out strips from the Plaid Tales panel showcasing the fun plaids and cross stitch folk art designs, mixing them back with AGF blenders to really make them stand out.
If strip piecing wasn’t already magical enough you will find that you can even create additional blocks by using your left over scraps. With the scraps left over after cutting out my string blocks to create the block above I was able to use these left over triangle scraps to create this block below!
Using another triangle ruler and shape you can sew your strip piece triangles together to create a whole quilt, maybe alternating solids or AGF blenders triangles to add to the quilt design. It's just as easy as that!
Or sew your triangles into octagon designs. I would love to turn the octagon block I made into a placemat or make a bigger one to make a large mediation poof to sit or lounge on!
I loved the main design on the Plaid Tales panel that I needed to give it some love by fussy cutting out the two birds perched facing each other with the beautiful cross stitch floral looking designs and elements. I used strip piecing units I cut to create a border to frame it. I decided to pair it back with some AGF Floral elements as well.
My first impression after creating this block was I need to turn it into a tote bag! Even continuing another border to make it larger and turning it into a pillow would be so dreamy!
I had left over sub-cut strip pieces and started playing around with sewing them to other left over strips I didn’t use and made a striped patch block. The sky is the limit here with the directions you can take and explore when sewing with Anthology Fabrics. I can see this patchwork piece inserted into a back of a jean jacket for a upcyled new look.
I also couldn’t pass up the chance to fussy cute the elegant bloom in the,“Ribboned Blossoms Tart” print! For this block I wanted to make it a lil bit less loud and busy and go more monochromatic. I knew I wanted to frame it using a four patch square design. The easiest way to do that is sew two strips together, sub-cut and arrange your units to create a four patch block.
As you can see there are so many ways to quilt with Bari J’s Anthology collection but I haven’t even made a dent into all that you can do with this collection. I hope this is a great starting point for you and I can’t wait for you to get your hands on this collection and have a well needed weekend cutting into the beautiful works of art Bari J created for us! You know the question: “If you ever get stranded on a desert island and you can only bring one thing, what would it be?” Well, if I had to choose one fabric collection to sew with for my entire life I would hands down never get tired of sewing with Anthology Fabrics! Make sure to tag us using the hashtag #AGFAnthology with all your creations!
Until Next,
Happy Sewing!