Three years ago I had the great good fortune of participating in the first Baltimore on the Prairie appliqué conference, coordinated by Tresa Jones. http://baltimoreontheprairie.tresajones.com. God willing, I will attend a one-day session in 2012. (If I win the lottery so I can quit my day job, I'll attend all four days!) The conference is held at Mahoney State Park, only 32 miles from my home.
Baltimore Album quilts are intricately hand appliquéd quilts, usually consisting of 25 or more large blocks, often surrounded by beautiful appliquéd borders. Most of the original quilts were made between 1846 and 1853.
One of the teachers at Baltimore on the Prairie is Nancy Kerns. Nancy's Mary Simon Rediscovered quilt was the winner of the Founder's Award prize at the prestigious International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX, in November of 2010. The quilt also won the Best Hand Workmanship Award at the American Quilter's Society show in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The "original" Mary Simon quilt which was the inspiration for Nancy's quilt is located at The DAR Museum in Washington, DC. http://www.baltimoreapplique.com/marysimon.html
If you or someone you know would like to make your own Mary Simon reproduction Baltimore Album Quilt, patterns are available from the NSDAR Museum Store for $25.00, plus shipping. Visit the NSDAR Museum Store at 1776 D St. NW, Washington, DC 20006-5303, or call the NSDAR Museum Store (202)879-3208, 9:30-4:00 weekdays and 9:00-5:00 Saturdays. But keep in mind that Nancy Kerns is a pro, and it took her over six years to complete her prize winning quilt!!
I was able to see Nancy's awesome quilt up close and personal at a recent lecture at the International Quilt Study Center & Museum (IQSC) here in Lincoln, Nebraska. http://www.quiltstudy.org. Nancy also displayed smaller quilts and works in process, photographed by Sheila Green, past president of the Lincoln Quilters Guild and a volunteer at IQSC, and posted on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.214238118636324.53206.100001504133185. The IQSC has ten Baltimore Album quilts in its permanent collection. To view images online visit: http://www.quiltstudy.org/collections/search.html.
TTFN
LeAnn aka pasqueflower
The patterns are absolutely gorgeous!!
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