Molly Culp's Baltimore Garden Quilt

Featuring today: Molly Culp of Waco, TX and her Baltimore Garden Quilt

Molly Culp of Waco, Texas has been  winning big prizes at national shows with her Baltimore Garden Quilt! She has won several top ribbons; a 1st, 3rd and a “Past Show Chairman Award.” Her quilt also won a 3rd place at MQS in Iowa. In 2016, her quilt took 1st and Fat Quarter Awards (that is when the store comes to the show and chooses their favorite). There were 200 entries there at the Dimmitt, Texas Ogallala Quilt Festival. 

Molly has exquisitely quilted beautiful designs on her Baltimore Garden with her Gammill hand guided machine. She has had her machine for 20 years, and has taken lessons from Sharon Schamber on how to set the machine up with rice bags and that was how she learned to control the machine. Her experience and skill certainly shows in this closeup of her beautiful quilting designs. Molly is very proud of her Baltimore Garden Quilt. She has done a wonderful job.

Molly feels that “traditional quilts have a harder time for winning.” I have to agree. However, one judge commented that her crosshatching pattern was very straight. I think the red piping around the bound edge is a nice touch. And I love to see quilters using the Alternate Layout from the Baltimore Garden pattern book. 

Congratulations Molly!

The Baltimore Garden Quilt book with pattern CD or full-size printed patterns are available on my website at discounted prices.

Keep Stitching!
Barbara M. Burnham
www.barbaramburnham.com

(c)2018 Barbara M. Burnham. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any kind is expressly prohibited without prior written authorization.

Baltimore Garden Quilt Layered Flowers

On the original antique Baltimore Garden Quilt made in 1848, many of the flowers were created by arranging and sewing tiny fabric petals one at a time, building up layers to form the flower. 









While making my reproduction quilt, I devised a method to make these flowers easier to arrange and applique by sewing petals in layered groups which rotate and overlap. With this method, we can assemble these flowers in layers instead of sewing single petals one at a time.


This technique is shown In the book, Baltimore Garden Quilt, for a flower with pointed petals (the book is still available at  www.barbaramburnham.com). In workshops, I taught this technique on a flower with round petals, and with the luxury of more time and more detail, students received a detailed, illustrated, step-by-step handout to follow along. Now I invite you to give it a try! 

For those who could not attend my workshops, or want to begin their own Baltimore Garden quilt, I offer a FREE Layered Applique Flowers Tutorial (PDF).* The tutorial includes a pattern and templates you can print onto freezer paper with an inkjet printer. (My method of applique is "freezer paper on top," but you can use other applique methods.) There are also helpful references to the book, Baltimore Garden Quilt, so you will want to keep your book handy as well. My books and patterns are available at my website Store. 

*Adobe Acrobat Reader can be found here: https://get.adobe.com/reader/

Keep Stitching!
Barbara M. Burnham
www.barbaramburnham.com

(c)2018 Barbara M. Burnham. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any kind is expressly prohibited without prior written authorization.

Hand Quilting vs. Machine Quilting

Hand Quilting vs. Machine Quilting? This is not a competition! And this post is not a debate about which is better. They are just different -- very different. Each project will vary depending on fabrics and batting, density of stitching, methods and skills of the quilter. But the same designs can certainly be be used for hand quilting or machine quilting. Here is one comparison using the same designs, each done quite differently.

This is a section of the antique 1848 applique quilt that inspired my reproduction quilt and my book, Baltimore Garden Quilt.* On this antique quilt, the various floral quilted designs between the applique motifs are emphasized by very close, straight diagonal lines of background quilting. There was no trapunto or stuffing of the quilted designs on this quilt, and no quilting "around" the applique pieces as we often do today. The batting is cotton.

This is the same area on my reproduction quilt made in 2008. After scanning the drawings that I traced from the antique quilt, Marty Vint beautifully quilted all the floral designs, and closely around each applique motif, with her Gammill longarm. We could have added dense background quilting, but we agreed this was enough. Oh, and there was also that book deadline! The batting is "Matilda's Wool" (no longer available). The quilting thread is a shade or two darker than the background fabric to add emphasis.

How will you decide to quilt?

Hand Quilting - photo courtesy Carla Therrien

Machine Quilting - photo courtesy Marty Vint

In a future post, I plan to show how to adapt these floral quilting designs to other quilts for hand quilting.

*All of the original 1848 quilting designs are included on the patterns provided (on CD) in the book. A full size pattern set (on paper) is also available separately. Avoid outrageous prices on amazon from third-party sellers! Buy directly from my website for $15.00 +3.99 shipping.

Keep Stitching!

Barbara M. Burnham

www.barbaramburnham.com

(c) 2017 Barbara M. Burnham. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any kind is expressly prohibited without prior written authorization.

Baltimore on the Prairie 2017, Nebraska City, NE

Baltimore on the Prairie
*** Applique Conference ***
September 20-23, 2017
Lied Lodge and Conference Center
Nebraska City, NE

Once again, I am very excited to be teaching two workshops at Baltimore on the Prairie (September 20-23, 2017).

A well known teaching faculty has been assembled for 2017: Nancy Amidon, Barbara Burnham, Jeana Kimball, Lisa DeBee Schiller, and Cathy Van Bruggen. Classes cover all skill levels from the very beginning basics to advanced Baltimore techniqes.

For my workshops, we chose two applique blocks drawn directly from the antique quilt in Baltimore Garden Quilt, and updated them with new fabrics and  new techniques.
Here is a preview of some techniques I will offer:

Choose from layered or multilayered flowers with dimensional folded buds,

or try edge ruching method for dimensional flowers and buds.

Fussy cut fabrics or add broderie perse flowers. 

Sew perfectly round padded circles, French knots, fancy fringes, or criss-cross centers.

Choose from several methods to make stems and arrange them in graceful curves. Learn to applique bumpless curves, sharp points and V's, how to handle small appliqué pieces, and tips to make hand appliqué faster and neater. I use a video projection system so all students can watch techniques up close. I hope you can join us!

Keep Stitching!
Barbara M. Burnham
www.barbaramburnham.com
(c) 2017 Barbara M. Burnham. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any kind is expressly prohibited without prior written authorization.

Academy of Applique 2017 in Williamsburg, VA

Once again, I am very excited to be teaching a 3-day workshop at Academy of Applique in Williamsburg, VA 2017 (Feb. 27-March 1). 

Join us to applique this Baltimore Garden Woven Basket, and fill it with flowers inspired by antique applique quilts. Choose from a variety of applique techniques, including options for beginners and new techniques for advanced applique artists. Start with easy basket weavers to build your basket.

Learn to needleturn applique with freezer paper on top. Try my unique and sure-fire method for taming points, bumpless curves, and deep inner V’s without fray.

Sew Paisley Roses in hand on a foundation, and try your hand at “twisted” applique for added dimension.

Discover tricks to maneuver parts that overlap and underlap on a triple-loop bow. Add a bit of reverse applique and a perfect padded circle.

Sprinkle in a few edge-ruched flowers and embellish with fringe.

Design a multicolor spinning flower, or try your hand at inked embellishments on a simple one-piece white flower.

Students love my video projection system so everyone can watch closeups of my techniques right from their chair.  As of today 1/25/17, there are still 3 seats available, but it is only a month away, so don’t wait any longer to register! http://www.academyofapplique.com/




Keep Stitching!
Barbara M. Burnham
www.barbaramburnham.com
(c) 2017 Barbara M. Burnham. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any kind is expressly prohibited without prior written authorization.