The Baltimore immersion began with a trip to the sixth annual Baltimore on the Prairie conference in Nebraska. I was very fortunate to have two classes with Sue Garman, an absolutely phenomenal teacher. She is my new quilting hero! She is so incredibly organized and productive. She shared a number of fantastic tips with us. After a number of years of taking applique classes it isn't often that you learn anything truly new, but that was not the case with Sue. I learned a number of great new tricks. Now that I am home I will have to work up the courage to applique without lines, one of Sue's time-saving tactics. I just couldn't let go of my lines while in the class....
Sue presented a fantastic program on her quilts at one of the evening gatherings. She is such a talented quilter and a very funny speaker! I was impressed by the broad range in her quilts - style, fabrics and level of difficulty. You would never guess that all of the quilts she shared were made by the same person. Here are just a few of the ones that we saw:
There were a lot of other incredible quilts shared by other BOTP participants during show and tell.
Following the BOTP conference, I headed to Baltimore, MD for a work-related conference. I allowed a little extra time in my travel plans to see a few quilt-related sites. It was a bit disappointing - you really can't see much unless there is an exhibition or event specifically related to quilts. The DAR Museum was a complete dud....nothing quilt-related at all in their regular exhibits, and of course I was too early for the quilt exhibit that begins there in October. The Maryland Historical Society Museum did have a few quilts on display, but photos are prohibited. I'm sure that there are many people who don't share my opinion, but I have no interest in museums that don't allow photos. It was nice to see the quilts, but in my opinion not worth the $9 admission.
My trip to Baltimore luckily coincided with the September meeting of the Baltimore Applique Society so I was able to attend my first meeting. I have been a member for several years and drool over the newsletter every month, wishing I could hear the fabulous programs in person. This month's program was presented by Sue Reich, an expert on World War II quilts. While the quilts for the most part were not beautiful, the program was excellent. Show and tell was fantastic also - there are some very talented quilters in that group!
My Baltimore adventure culminated with a trip to the St. Louis Art Museum with our TAS group for a private showing of the American Album quilt that is part of their collection. The quilt is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous and is in wonderful condition. It is a bit of a mix of Baltimore styles, but really appealed to me in that it has a wonderful balance between the simpler, Style 2 blocks and the more ornate (but not overly so) Style 1.
Seeing this quilt was the perfect end to my two week Baltimore adventure. I'm feeling very inspired....if only I had more time to stitch!
2 comments:
Your Lemoyne Star is drop-dead gorgeous!
Great photos in your post. I just happened upon it linking from Pinterest. I'm glad you got to the BAS meeting. Sue Reich's presentation was very good and very informative. I am also disappointed with the MdHS policy on photos. There is a quilt on display now that I really want a picture of. Glad, too, that you enjoy the BAS newsletter.
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