Elly Sienkiewicz's Beloved Baltimore Album Quilts Class Plan

Class Description
Skill level: Confident Beginner to Advanced

Basic Skills/Techniques Learned

  1. Pattern Transfer by Cutaway Appliqué with a Drawn Turn Line (p 84); Patterns 1-14 all use this!
  2. Getting started: Needle/thread; basting/pinning, tack stitch (pp 28–29).
  3. Cutaway Appliqué: Points, curves, inside corners (pp 29–31).
  4. Separate unit Appliqué: Calyxes by Freezer Paper Inside (pages 30–31), glue-basted (pp 28–29).
  5. Dimensional Appliqué: Folding Fabric Rosebuds (p 77).
  6. Embellishment
    1. Embroidering Rose Moss by the Back to Back Blanket Stitch (p 59).
    2. Inscribing your quilt in Copperplate script (page 51) with banderole (pp 53–54).

Project you’ll take away: Roses for Hans Christian Andersen—well underway! Frame your project, or begin your heirloom Baltimore Album!

Why you’ll love this class? Cutaway Appliqué is so peaceful! Then dimensional rosebuds and embellishment are the frosting on appliqué’s cake!

Class Length

  • One day class (6 hours or 2 classes that are 3 hours).
  • See Courses (pp124–125) for a six-lesson sequence. Teach yourself, then others.

Class Supplies
Required Text: Elly Sienkiewicz’s Beloved Baltimore Album Quilts

Basic Supplies

  • Milliners #10-11needles for needleturning
  • Fine 50- to 100-weight silk or cotton thread to match appliqués
  • 5”–6” cut-to-the point scissors: one for paper/one cloth; 3”– 3 1/2” embroidery scissors
  • Straight pins for appliqué
  • Glue stick (fresh!)
  • Favorite dark fabric marker
  • Freezer paper 10” x 10” square, folded into clean fourths; 12” tear for calyx &  bud templates

Fabric for the 8” finished size block

  • Bring 2 cloth squares 10” x 10”, finger-pressed into quarters to mark the centers:
    1 square of background (white, off-white, or neutral print) folded into clean fourths
    1 square of a medium-size green print or batik for leaves. Fold it into clean fourths
  • Scraps of 2 to 3 smaller green prints for the calyxes
  • Scraps or fat quarter from which to cut 2” circles to be folded into 8 dimensional rosebuds

Student’s Pre- Class Preparation
Pattern Preparation:

  1. Leaf/stem foliage: Cutaway Appliqué with a Drawn Turn Line (pattern on p 86, follow preparation on p 84). Cut out the leaf/stem pattern (omitting  buds). Follow instructions. Layer the pattern-adhered green square atop the background square, both right sides up. Pin together in 5 places from the back: each corner and the center.
  2. Buds: Cut one Pattern C (2”) p 77 freezer paper. Use it to drawn 8 cloth bud circles.
  3. Calyxes: Trace the calyx pattern (base of a bud) 8 times, onto freezer paper. Cut out the calyxes – right on the print line. Pop in an envelope. Bring preparations # 1—3 to class, please.

Teacher’s Class Preparation
Seating: 1 @desk, or 2 @ long table; board or flip chart/marker and place to pin up models.

Class Outline

  1. Class prepares: • 8 folded buds; • one calyx over paper with glue. While they are doing this, have them introduce themselves (Name? Where from? What do you hope to get out of this class?)
  2. Pre-class pattern preparation reviewed (page 84) Any problems?
  3. Teach Folded Fabric Rosebuds (p 77). Make all 8 in class.
  4. Prepare the calyxes by Separate Unit Appliqué with Freezer Paper Inside (pages 29–31). Glue-baste (p 28–29) –not iron- in class. Just one prepared calyx is needed for class...
    1. Pin (twice) the paper calyx on the bias— to the wrong side of the green cloth.
    2. Cut the pinned calyx out, adding a full 1/4” seam allowance as you cut.
    3. Prepare the calyx, seams — edge-glue-basted (p 28 — over the template’s shiny side.
  5. Introduction to Cutaway by Needleturn (pages 32–39). Have students take out their pattern-ironed green square. Have them pin (5 pins – corners and center.) the green to the background (both right sides up) Then lecture and board-illustrate the fine art of Needleturn. Write book illustration page number for each technique on board. Have students place 3 pins right in the area where the appliqué starts: The right side, middle, of that top inside leaf where they will head directly for the point. Teach:
    1. Basics of needle, thread, knotting silk at eye of needle & end of thread...
    2. Tack Stitch (page 29) draw on board:  Beginning it; ending it.
    3. Review Cutaway preparation (done at home) & its rationale that uncut fabric keeps its place.
    4. Starting Cutaway Appliqué on Pattern 1: Start by cutting “past the point” (p 32) But do follow p 32’s heart point instructions on Pattern 1’s right-most of the left stem’s topping clump of 3 leaves. Start ½” below the Pattern Bridge’s left bottom side. Turn a smooth curve and clip the bridge off when you come to it. Left-handers start on the right hand leaf.
      • By starting here and proceeding right to left we stitch a normal corner, then a second inside corner (softened for speed):The result is a place to sit our first bud/calyx!
    5. How to needleturn outward curves (page 35).
    6. How to turn outside points (pages 33–35) Note: Teach this on the board, then seated, where folks can look over your shoulder. Use someone’s block, when she has taken her stitches close together as shown on page 33 and is stopped at a point.
    7. How to stitch an inside corner when someone raises her hand signaling that she is 1’’ away from the first inside corner (pages 36–37).
    8. How to stitch a soft curve inside corner (page 38) when someone is mid-outside curve on the top leaf.
  6. After Lunch: An hour of free stitching on morning’s lesson—work at your table one on one, but invite others to come look over your shoulder.
  7. Teach buds/calyx assembly:
    1. Appliqué the calyx top to the bud, making one oval bud/calyx unit.
      • Before you sew this seam, size the bud’s depth by checking against pattern.
      • After you sew this seam, crack the glue/paper seal. Run the back of a heavy needle under the seam to loosen its hold to the paper. Remove the paper with tweezers
    2. Refer to pattern for placement: Pin the bud/calyx unit in place over the top three leaves. Use two pins to avoid pivot.
    3. Righthanders, start at the bud’s top left of calyx. Appliqué from right to left til calyx and bud are attached to the wreath stem. Not necessary to stitch thru all layers.
    4. Demonstrate the moss stitch (page 59) with a very fine green thread on volunteer’s rose.
    5. Teach how to write on the block with copperplate calligraphy and/or teach iron-on ink engraving (pages 51, 53–54) on a volunteer’s block.
  8. A fine finish: Row by Row, have students hold up their buds so all can share the color schemes. This is a happy note on which to thank them and say goodbye. Or, if this is the first of the six-sesson course described on pages 124–125, give them the pattern name and number and the materials and pre-class preparation sheet for... the next class!

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