Baltimore Garden Quilts - Marian's Blocks

Today, I would like to share with you some beautiful blocks made by Marian in Texas. Her patterns are from my book Baltimore Garden Quilt but she has added broderie perse flowers, birds, butterflies, and fussy cut leaves specially chosen from her fabric collection. Watch for fabrics like these and use your imagination!

Thanks for sharing your blocks, Marian!

Woman's Day 1965 - The Met Quilt

October 1965 issue of Woman's Day magazine included an article about a beautiful "Baltimore Friendship Quilt." The article, by Roxa Wright, told how the quilt "was discovered in storage shelves of the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association of the Union, an organization which maintains George Washington's old home on the Potomac River." The quilt was "anonymous in every way."

"The Met Quilt," as we often refer to it today, was later donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. A nearly identical quilt resides in the Baltimore Museum of Art, often referred to as "The Sliver Quilt." Other quilts have since been discovered with similar patterns and some of the same fabrics, many with inscriptions and dates from the 1840-50 era. After much research by scholars and historians, the maker (or makers) remain unknown.

The quilt was reproduced and photographed for the article, and a pattern was offered by Woman's Day for $1.00. The pattern was printed half-size thus had to be enlarged 200% (by hand). Remember, that was 1965, long before enlarging photocopiers! When enlarged, the patterns are 32 inches square, 16x32, and 16 square.

In 2005, the Folsom Quilt Guild produced a raffle quilt from the same pattern, and sold copies for $50, but they do not offer it any more. It is obviously an ambitious quilt to make, but many quilts have since been created with the Woman's Day pattern.

I feel fortunate to have an original pattern from the Woman's Day offering - the poor thing is yellowed and falling apart at the folds - but well loved, and actually used to make quilts today.

In the News - Online Quilt Magazine

Free Online Quilt Magazine

A friend sent me a note about a nice review of Baltimore Garden Quilt in the Online Quilt Magazine. The Book Review was written by Annette Mira-Bateman in the November 2012 issue.
It's on page 18! There are also interesting articles written by quilters and quilting teachers around the world, plus free patterns, quilting tips and Readers' Show and Tell.
Here is the link for the November 2012 issue:
http://www.onlinequiltmagazine.com/downloads/oqm-std-2012-11.pdf

Anyone can sign up to receive the Online Quilt Magazine. every month, and it's FREE. To subscribe, you only have to provide your first name and email address to receive notice of each issue. They send you an email with the link to each issue and then you can download the magazine.

Precision Pieced Binding

Precision Pieced Binding

Binding is usually the final step to finishing your quilt. Make it special! Whether your quilt is pieced, appliqued, painted or crazy, you might want to try my binding technique. Made with multiple matching fabrics, you can choose exactly where binding seams meet, and sew the binding seam at any chosen angle. It could add a nice finishing touch on a landscape quilt, and carry the scene out to the edges of the quilt with matching fabrics. 

"Precision Pieced Binding" is now published in American Quilter, November 2012.  Editor-in-Chief, Christine Brown asked me if I could explain - and photograph - a technique for precision pieced binding on her quilt. Yikes! I had no idea how I would do that at the time. However, the deadline was generous, and I agreed to give it my best effort. The technique I've worked out can be used with bias binding or straight of grain, with single or double fold binding.

Bonus:  At the end of the article is a technique makes that last binding seam (which can be the most challenging) easier and more accurate than any other method. I have not seen anyone else join their seams in this way, but it is SO easy!

I hope you will try my Precision Pieced Binding technique on your next quilt. This issue is available now at news stands and bookstores. Support your local quilt shop or order at www.americanquilter.com.

Satin Rose with Trapunto and Broderie Perse Butterfly



Satin Rose Trapunto and Broderie Perse 

 Invitation to a Workshop with Barbara Burnham
Learn to hand applique and trapunto a dimensional single stemmed rose made with glossy satin fabric. Add a broderie perse butterfly and finishing touches with delicate inking or embroidery. Learn how to handle unusual (non-cotton) fabrics so you can add interest to your hand applique projects!
Join us at Seminole Sampler Quilt Shop, 71 Mellor Avenue, Catonsville, MD 21228
Saturday: October 20, 2012  10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Call 410-788-1720 or toll free at 866-407-2363 to register. Cost is $45 (plus $15 kit fee).
Kit includes the pattern, all the fabrics, butterfly, stuffing for the satin rose, freezer paper, and threads to match applique.

Baltimore Applique Society's Lady of Victory Quilt

My friend Taryn wrote recently about the unveiling of the Lady of Victory opportunity quilt on her blog "Reproduction and Antique Lover"  with photos of the lovely applique block she made. So, I thought I would share the story about this quilt, and photos of the block I made.

How the project came about: Mary Koval purchased a beautiful Baltimore Album quilt. The center block is Baltimore's "Battle Monument" and at the top of that monument stands the Lady of Victory -- thus the name "Lady of Victory Quilt." Mary has since donated the antique quilt to the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

The patterns: Mary graciously gave her permission to the Baltimore Applique Society to produce the Lady of Victory quilt pattern. The pattern set includes 25 - 18"x18" patterns, border patterns, information on the history of the quilt, and a CD-ROM with a high-resolution photo of each block. Proceeds from pattern sales will help the BAS further its goals to help museums preserve antique quilts and to promote the art of applique.

The opportunity quilt: Baltimore Applique Society then produced an opportunity quilt from the pattern set. BAS members volunteered to stitch the blocks, then all the embroidery details were added. Blocks were to be made as close to the antique quilt as possible. Volunteers were each given a kit with all the fabrics, a photo of the antique block and a pattern to work from.

     Here are some closeups of the block that I stitched. Lots of techniques on this block! The eagle's eye is an oval fussy-cut. I tried to keep the edges nice and smooth, but keep the little lines that look like eyelashes. It was a challenge to needleturn such a tiny piece by hand! But that beak was the most difficult challenge -- to get that red part flat underneath and then cover all the edges with the inner and outer points on the beak.

To make this flower, I sewed strips of red and pink together, then cut the petals out one at a time; the same way we often make split leaves from two green fabrics.

Berries were made the same way.

... and a little split bud. The little pointy red bud but was done with reverse applique. The eagle's yellow feathers could be done with reverse applique, or applique on top. I chose to stitch them on top -- I basted them on in a group as one piece, then cutaway excess a little at a time.

The flag is red stripes only, just like on the antique quilt. The star on the flag was MUCH easier to stitch by stacking two triangles crisscross.

I hope you enjoyed this little applique closeup tour. I can't wait to see the whole quilt in person, all quilted!

Keep Stitching!

~ Barbara

Annette of Alberta's Baltimore Garden Blocks

One of the first questions people ask when starting an applique project is, "How do I choose fabrics?"

You are only limited by your imagination and the fabrics available to you. However, it is always interesting to see what other stitchers have done. They may take your imagination to new places.

Annette J. of Alberta, Canada is stitching applique blocks from the book "Baltimore Garden Quilt." She has a company called Natures Colors, and she is using her own hand dyed fabrics in a rainbow of colors. So her take on this quilt is quite different from the antique red-and-green color scheme. With her permission, I can share her photos here. Thank you Annette!

Enjoy "nature's colours" stitched by Annette: