The Not from Baltimore Album Quilts was an exhibit of appliqué quilts made by members of the Denton Quilt Guild. It was held in the Meadows Gallery of the Patterson-Appleton Arts Center at 400 E. Hickory Street in Denton. The quilts were on display from June 17 through July 29. Viewing times were Tuesday through Friday 11 AM to 5 PM and Saturday 1 to 5 PM. Admission was free.

Baltimore Album Quilts

Baltimore Album quilts originated in and around Baltimore, Maryland, mainly between 1840 and 1860. These exquisite pieces are made up of a number of appliquéd blocks, each with a different design and motif. Typical motifs include floral designs, such as flowers, leaves, trees, fruit (especially the pineapple, a universal symbol of welcome), and vegetables, as well as fauna, especially birds and butterflies, but sometimes other mammals and insects. A favorite of Baltimore Album quiltmakers are baskets of flowers, so intricate that most are designed to test the maker's skill to the utmost. This exhibition features Baltimore Album quilts made by members of the Denton Quilt Guild mostly designed by the makers, although antique quilts and patterns from the past and present also served as inspiration. The complexity of the designs in the quilts demonstrates the skill and taste of the maker. Many hours were devoted to the creation of each of them as they are all destined to become treasured family heirlooms.

More About Appliqué

The word appliqué comes to English via the French and was adopted whole-cloth, as it were, even to the accent mark on the "e". Taken from the Latin word applicare meaning "attach to", "join", or "connect" and the derivation of such modern words as apply and application. Broken down, the ap from applicare means to "give attention to" and the plicare portion means "fold" (see more at ply), so even more applicable to its modern usage in quilting! Although appliqué can refer to applying any material onto any other material in any manner, it has come to mean, especially to quiltmakers, stitching one fabric piece with edges folded under onto the surface of another fabric piece; in earlier times, this technique was called "laid-on" work or "patchwork". Most modern quiltmakers use the needle-turning method along with freezer paper to transform ordinary pieces of fabric into gorgeous works of art.

Sources:

1. Campbell, Patricia B. and Ayars, Mimi, PhD. (1993), Jacobean Appliqué: Book I - "Exotica", American Quilter's Society, Paducah, KY, p. 9.
2. McCormick Gordon, Maggi (2004), The Quilter's Resource Book: The Definitive Book on Quiltingmaking Traditions from Around the World, Chrysalis Books Group, London, p. 338.
3. Online Etymology Dictionary, Derivation of the Word Apply, available at: www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=apply (accessed 10 June 2016).

Click to go to the slideshow of the exhibit quilts.