Baltimore Remembered

This quilt is 25 1/4" square and was based on the wonderful book, Miniature Baltimore Album Quilts, by Jenifer Buechel. With her permission, a group of my friends (who are non-quilters) and I prepared blocks, and I assembled them into a quilt which was given to our local hospital to be used as a fundraiser for the cardiac unit. We worked together weekly from May to October in 1999 to accomplish this goal and to make teddy bears for the pediatric unit.

Close-up of Clipper Ship

The Clipper Ship was a favorite type of block that appeared on historic Baltimore Album quilts.  Baltimore was a major seaport city in the mid-19th century when Baltimore Album quilts were first made.

Red Basket of Flowers

This is the second block I chose to make. I enjoyed the intricacies of "basket-making" by couching this specialty fiber.

Oak and Reel, traditional block with a twist

Variations of the Oak and Reel block were popular in the 19th century. Here the fused fabric pieces have protected edges with embroidery stitches. These blocks are all only 4" large.  The silk ribbon embroidery adds so much to each of them.

Bird and Album

This was a very fun block to make. I like its symmetry. The book in this block says "Album" on the cover. Some blocks featured the Holy Bible as these kinds of quilts were often given to ministers. Three loop bows are typical of one of the designers of these kinds of quilts. More often, they are seen in blue.

Spray of Autumn with Rose Embellishments

The lovely, antique-looking silk ribbon is a light brown had been saved in my "stash" for a long time until finding this block, the perfect place to use them. The silk ribbon roses are always fun and so rewarding and surprisingly easy to accomplish!  Again, we see the three loop bow as a feature of this block.