Appliqué Books
Shop our APPLIQUÉ BOOKSTORE, powered by Amazon. Lots and lots of gorgeous books, all about appliqué!
Dec
1
Baltimore Basics
Filed Under Baltimore Album, Books, Borders, Designers, Hand appliqué, History, Needleturn, Patterns, Prizes | 46 Comments
Have I got a good one for you this time! December’s giveaway, sponsored by Martingale & Company / That Patchwork Place, is Mimi Dietrich’s classic, Baltimore Basics: Album Quilts from Start to Finish.
What a delight for the appliqué enthusiast! Mimi, a Baltimore native and lifelong resident, is an authority on this amazing quilt form that has hooked so many of us on appliqué.
Mimi begins by presenting food for thought in planning your quilt, considering options, making decisions, and getting organized. This is not your quick-and-easy type o’ deal. These are more like thoughtful, measured, long-range projects that you should enjoy all along the way.
Next comes a great idea — printed layout mockups! You can photocopy the block thumbnails, cut them apart, and try them out in several pre-printed arrangements to see what you like best. Very cool.
Then there’s a whole beautiful section giving fabric yardage and cutting instructions for a wide variety of sizes and settings. Mimi really helps you design your own quilt.
After giving information on fabrics and supplies, Mimi takes you step-by-step through several methods of preparation for hand appliqué. She encourages you to try them all to see which is your favorite. Then comes detailed information on hand stitching, plus sections on the stems, circles, baskets, and bows that we see so commonly in Baltimore Album. Since Mimi also knows dimensional appliqué, she throws in folded rosebuds and ruched flowers.
Then, of course, there are the 12 beautiful block patterns reminiscent of old, each one accompanied by a color photo of the stitched design.
The book ends with how to sew your blocks together, how to make appliquéd borders, and quilting and finishing your big or little masterpiece.
I get to play Santa! U.S. and Canada only, unless you’d be willing to pay the shipping. Leave a comment before 7:00 p.m. California time on Friday, December 4. The lucky winner will receive Baltimore Basics plus my book Easy Appliqué Blocks: 50 Designs in 5 Sizes.
Ho ho ho!
Kay
By Kay Mackenzie
Apr
16
Baltimore on the Prairie still open
Filed Under Baltimore Album, Designers | 2 Comments
Last summer I wrote about Baltimore on the Prairie.
This just in from appliqué designer and teacher Kathy Delaney. Registration is still open!
Kathy: Hey Applique Fans! Have you heard about the new conference to be held this fall in Nebraska, halfway between Omaha and Lincoln (centrally located for all!) called Baltimore on the Prairie? This is a conference for appliqué lovers everywhere (we even have someone coming from Australia!) and centers on the Baltimore style of appliqué from the 1840s and 50s. (Have you ever wished for a Baltimore style appliqué conference closer to you than the East Coast? This is IT!)
Are you fairly new to appliqué or intimidated by what the “big girls” are doing? You don’t have to be! The Baltimore on the Prairie conference has something for all levels of applique enthusiast — from the beginner to the most accomplished. AND the price is extremely right! What better way to learn a new technique or practice what you already know than to spend from Thursday evening to Sunday afternoon with a knowledgeable and talented teacher!
This year there are only openings for 100 students and spaces are filling quickly. Check out the Baltimore on the Prairie website for information, registration forms, and class samples.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Feb
19
The Baltimore Appliqué Society
Filed Under Baltimore Album | Leave a Comment
If you’re interested in Baltimore Album type appliqué, then you should visit the website of The Baltimore Appliqué Society. Check out each of the links on the left-hand side of their home page… they’ll take you to photos of exquisite quilts that have great historical significance, and patterns that members of the Society have made for them. Enjoy!
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Feb
15
The Quilt Show posts Elly Sienkiewicz slides
Filed Under Baltimore Album, Designers, Embellishment, Hand appliqué | Leave a Comment
I’m a member of The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims, described by them as “The World’s First Interactive Video / Web Magazine and Worldwide Online Community for Quilters.” They send me email updates a couple time a week. Their latest one announces an upcoming program with venerated appliqué artist Elly Sienkiewicz.
Even if you’re not a member, you can click on the “Slideshows” tab at the top of the home page and view behind-the-scenes photos taken during taping by Photo Man Gregory Case. And you’ll enjoy some gorgeous Elly appliqué eye candy!
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Jan
16
Appliqué and juried shows
Filed Under Articles, Baltimore Album, Broderie perse, Designers, Embellishment, Fabrics, Hand appliqué, History, Quilt shows | Leave a Comment
One of my appliqué idols, Jeana Kimball, has written a very thoughtful piece on traditional hand appliqué in today’s quilt-show climate. Jeana’s website is Jeana Kimball’s Foxglove Cottage (be sure to check out her books and patterns) and here’s the link to the article on her Sewing Room blog.
Nov
21
The most intriguing part of quilting
Filed Under Baltimore Album, Designers, Hand appliqué, Quilt shows | 3 Comments
My booth at the Tokay Stitch ‘n Quilt Guild’s show the first weekend in November was situated so that I had a lovely view of a Baltimore Album quilt, just down the aisle a bit. Of course I was drawn to it with strong magnetic force. I was so tickled and touched when I read Thelma Welch’s description:
“To me appliqué has always been the most intriguing part of the quilting craft. When a Baltimore Album class was offered in 1992 I signed on. All 20 blocks were completed years ago and put together with sashing from Smithsonian Baltimore Album 1850 reproduction fabric. Due to indecision about what border to use, as well as some burnout and a desire to do other projects, it was put away for many years. Finally, at the urging of my daughter, I designed a border and began hand quilting in January, finishing in July 2008.”
I’ll let you look at the quilt now and then tell you the final sentence. 
“Since reaching the age of 83 I like to say it was on my Bucket List.”
OMG! The woman was 67 when she signed up for a BA class and 83 when she designed the beautiful border and hand quilted the whole thing! You go girl!
I flagged down the president of the Tokay guild and asked her to send Thelma my way if she was at the show that day. A little while later, Thelma showed up, dressed in a fetching black and white outfit with pearls (as all the guild members in honor of their 25th anniversary) and some really cool tennies, proud as punch of her quilt, and when I made my request she seemed very pleased at the prospect of having her quilt up on a blog, especially since now her friends and relatives back east would be able to see it.
The blocks are “mostly Elly” with a few Thelma touches thrown in. For instance, a cow in one of the blocks was swapped out for a cat. She changed flowers here and added a bird there. The cutest thing Thelma pointed out was the variation in the peacock’s tail… “It was before we had the shaded fabric,” she told me with a chuckle, “so that’s the Clorox.”
Here are a couple of the gorgeous blocks. Whew, I sure hope I’m as spry, gracious, and productive as Thelma when I’m 83!
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Nov
12
Off the Bed — On the Back
Filed Under Baltimore Album, Blanket stitch, Designers, Embellishment, Fusible web, Improvisational appliqué, Machine appliqué, Patterns, Raw edge | 4 Comments
Before Elly’s lecture began (see the November 6 post), I was looking around the shop when I heard my name called. I turned around and, happy day! it was the podcaster extraordinaire Annie Smith, whom I hardly ever get to see due to her incredibly active traveling, teaching, and speaking schedule.
Annie was teaching a class next door to our lecture and had just a minute before her class was going to start. “Did you see my coat at PIQF?” she asked me with excitement. I had to confess that although I had admired the garments, I missed entirely the fact that one of them was hers and also that the special exhibit “Off the Bed — On the Back” had been curated by one of my own guild members, Rachel Clark.
Annie sent me pictures of the coat and the accompanying quilt, along with the story of how they were made (which reads a little like The Perils of Pauline). Here’s the sometimes harrowing account:
“Rachel asked me to be a part of the exhibit when she saw my West of Baltimore quilt.
Each of the pieces in the exhibit was to be a specific technique of quilt making, (i.e.: log cabin, paper piecing, Hawaiian quilting, Baltimore appliqué — which was mine).
My quilter, Melodee Wade, quilted each of the coat pieces first, then the appliqué was designed and stitched to the coat. The hard part was that I was working like crazy to get the coat finished and Rachel asked me what the name of my quilt was.
Quilt?!
Oh yeah, I remember now… after a conversation LAST October…. little quilts, the quilt design is put on the coat… yeah, right. So I stopped working on the coat design — I was having quilter’s block anyway after being seized with ultimate stress of doing a quilt too — and began the quilt. The vase in the center of the quilt is on the back of the coat, and then I wanted to do some simple vines for the border. Or at least, what I thought was simple. I have to remember that the quilt will always tell you what it wants, and the quilt just grew on my design wall. I knew when to stop and that it was perfect — when I added all of the little yellow dots as detail.
My friend Aneda Phillips, who made the West of Baltimore pattern cover quilt, stitched all of the appliqué while I went back to finishing the coat. When she returned the pieces of the quilt so I could assemble it, I mis-cut the center [Ed. note: GASP] and had to make another one from scratch and do all of the stitching on it, as Aneda was finishing up her quilts for her Market booth.
Then back to the coat. It had to be done in panels, appliqué then sew the seams together, then connect the design. The hardest part was the two flowers that are on the side seams of the coat. At that point, the coat was wearing me while I stitched them down! I do fusible, fine machine appliqué where I use a tiny blanket stitch and match all of the threads to the appliqué fabrics. There is some hand embroidery on the quilt and coat. I even made covered buttons with little appliqué flowers on them.
The name of the quilt is “Midnight in the Garden” and the coat is “A Rose Tree in a Baltimore Garden”. A Rose Tree is a traditional Baltimore appliqué pattern which I used for the shawl collar of the coat.
The appliqué fabrics and coat lining were generously donated by Robert Kaufman Fabrics. I used Peggy Toole’s “Florentine II” fabric as the lining and focus fabric for all of the appliqué. You can a little bit of the gorgeous lining fabric in the front collar picture. The fabric is amazing.
All in all, I worked on the quilt and coat for three weeks, 12 to 18 hours a day to get it done in time for PIQF. And then, I didn’t even get to attend the show, as I was teaching in Canada!
Melodee is an incredible quilter. I just gave her the pieces and let her do her thing. She did some neat swirled feathers in places that aren’t covered by appliqué — and that’s the thing, she had no idea where the appliqué was going. She just quilted as if they were separate whole cloth quilts. I was amazed when I sewed the panels together — the quilting from one dovetailed into the other and in some places it’s hard to see the seam line. I know that it was totally random, but I love when magic happens like that.
I use Melodee exclusively to do the quilting for me. She always enhances everything I do, making my pieces better. Mel does it all free-motion on a non-computerized Gammill.”
Kay here… I’ll add that in addition to her quilting talents, Melodee is one of the nicest, most gracious people you could ever hope to meet. Her contact is melodeewade@aol.com if you’re interested in contacting her for your longarm quilting needs.
On her latest podcast,(11/10/08), Annie tells more about the creation of the coat and jacket, describing how they grew on her design wall and what a wonderful experience it was for her to let go and let that happen. Go give a listen, and you’ll also hear a hilarious story of how dedicated a quilter can be when it comes to acquiring an industrial Bernina for $100.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Nov
6
Starstruck!
Filed Under Baltimore Album, Designers, Hand appliqué, History | 2 Comments
I met Elly!
Last night, fellow appliqué fan Brenda and I drove ‘over the hill’ to Sunnyvale to Eddie’s Quilting Bee for a slide lecture by Elly Sienkiewicz. The title was “What’s This Fascination with Baltimore Album Quilts?”
We got there a mite early, with just enough time to do a little shopping at Eddie’s, then it was upstairs to the meeting room to sup on a tasty light dinner and sip some wine. At 7:15, Eddie introduced Elly, who turned on the slide projector, and POP! the bulb broke. The replacement bulb didn’t fit, so…. no slides. Elly didn’t miss a beat, and just started talking to us about the BA era, about 1843 to 1856, and her research into the many symbols that recur both in the blocks and, curiously, on gravestones. She told us that the women of the time were fluent in the language of symbols, something that has slipped away from us in present times. There were many associations with Methodism, the Masons, and the Oddfellows.
Though we missed seeing her slides, the subject was fascinating and it was just so cool to finally meet this grande dame of appliqué.
She is one of the nicest ladies you could hope to meet, and has done so much for us quilters in the realm of qppliqué.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Sep
26
American Quilter celebrates appliqué
Filed Under Articles, Baltimore Album, Designers, Hand appliqué, Machine appliqué, Needleturn | Leave a Comment
The November 2008 issue of American Quilter magazine, put out by the American Quilters Society, features “Appliqué Your Way” … yay!
Faye Labanaris contributes an article with photo tutorials for four different kinds of needleturn hand appliqué. Suzanne Marshall shares her method for creating bias stems. And Ann Holmes shows how she constructs her pieces for machine appliqué, in which “there’s no sewing until you quilt it.”
Not only is this issue full of great appliqué information, there’s a bagful of eye candy in the form of the winners of the recent Nashville show. Best of Show and Best Hand Workmanship Award both went to Baltimore Album-style quilts .
The celebration continues in the next issue with Jeana Kimball’s back-basting technique. Jeana is one of my all-time favorite appliqué idols and I can’t wait to see this article.
Until next time,
Kay
Quilt Puppy Publications & Designs
Jul
17
Baltimore on the Prairie
Filed Under Baltimore Album, Designers, Hand appliqué, History | 4 Comments
Tresa Jones of Prairie Garden Designs has organized what I call “heaven on the prairie for appliqué fans.” Here’s her announcement:
A new appliqué conference is being held next year in the Midwest — Baltimore on the Prairie, September 10-13, 2009.
This conference will focus on techniques and projects in the Baltimore Album style of the 1800s. Three tremendous quilt artists and teachers, Nancy Kerns, Kathy Delaney, and Nadine Thompson, will offer classes in a relaxed, comfortable setting accompanied by good food and long lasting friendships.
Baltimore on the Prairie will be held at the Peter Kiewit Lodge at Mahoney State Park, located midway between Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska. The lodge sits on a bluff overlooking the scenic Platt River Valley. The classes will cover all skill levels, from the basics of hand appliqué to advanced techniques.
The registration fee is all-inclusive and includes 2 full and 2 partial days of classes, 3 nights lodging, 9 meals, 3 evening events, and surprises along the way.
Priority registration is open now and lasts until September 5, 2008. Priority registration assures you of being in the first group of registrants to choose your class when general registration begins March 1, 2009.
For more information, a tentative schedule, and a priority registration form, go to www.tresajones.com and click on Baltimore on the Prairie.
Tresa Jones
Baltimore on the Prairie Administrator
Subscribe
Subscribe in a reader 
Subscribe by email
All About Appliqué Flickr Group
Visit 10 fabulous quilting blogs!