A Baltimore Album

Book excerpt: When Marsha D. Radtke discovered a tattered quilt in her rural Maryland parsonage attic, she found local history as well as an old textile. The red and green Baltimore Album quilt not only had an inked date of 1850, it also had inked signatures of women with well-known area family names. It was the superb workmanship that inspired Marsha to re-create the quilt s 24 hand appliqué patterns (one of them repeated in different fabrics) and share this historic treasure with others. These patterns sewn with expert skill before the Civil War have been redrafted for today's quilter with precision, clarity, and easy-to-follow instructions. In addition to being a Baltimore Album pattern teaching guide and resource, the book includes Martha s quilt-as-you-go technique and fail-safe binding method. Marsha began quilting in the 1990s and has won numerous ribbons and awards. Appliqué is her first love, which she enjoys teaching to others. She lives in Crossville, Tennessee, with her husband, Jim.