Jeana’s Journal

Now that the holidays are sadly over, it is time to begin again with plans for the future. I have a few thoughts about self-improvement and it is nice to have a time once a year to resolve to become a better person. Our former neighbor makes the same resolution every year and always succeeds in keeping it—not to run a marathon in the coming year. Maybe he has the right idea.

In late November I learned about the lovely calendar pictured here. In February 2006 a new Baltimore Album quilt was discovered and auctioned in New Hampshire. It is not often that a new album quilt from Baltimore comes along and my friends in the Baltimore/Washington area were all a-buzz about being able to get a better picture of it than was shown on the auction website.

Their wish more than came true when the purchaser, Jan Whitlock, learned of the Baltimore Applique Society, met some of the guild members, and she brought the quilt to share with them at their November Guild meeting. During the summer months, Jan Whitlock, the quilt’s owner, coordinated with BAS members to compile a beautiful desk calendar and she allowed the quilters to trace the patterns from the quilt as a guild fund raiser. The all-color calendar generously features different Baltimore album quilts and/or several photos of album quilt blocks for all 52 weeks. Both the calendar and the published pattern for the quilt are available for purchase on the Baltimore Applique Society website. http://www.baltimoreapplique.com/ Just click on the “What’s New” button for ordering details. A quick call to the Guild President, Marylou McDonald, this afternoon confirmed that they still have 150 copies of the 2500 limited edition printing of the calendar. The quilt is scheduled to be auctioned in February and it will most likely disappear into a private collection, but the calendar and pattern will allow it to remain in public view for years to come.

The Baltimore Applique Society was founded in 1993 to preserve antique quilts and to promote the art of applique. In the years since its organization the guild’s efforts have funded the preservation of antique album quilts in several Baltimore area museums. Much good has been done by the volunteer efforts of this non-profit organization.