My Reward

You may recall I decided to reward myself by working on the Friends of Baltimore quilt.  Here is block #2 almost ready to be stitched down.  I still need to make a few circles and add a white strip to the boat but it's close enough to be shared with you.

Baltimore Album quilts were made from 1846 to 1854.  Many feel the trend ended with quiltmakers turning their attention to the Civil War.  Dr William Dunton, a psychiatrist, began collecting Baltimore Album quilts in the 1920s.  He became so interested in them that he self published a book of album quilts in 1946.  Only 2000 copies were printed so finding one in any condition is rare.  Here's my copy. 

I am a book-a-holic so knew I had to have a copy.  Dr Dunton alludes to quiltmaking as a therapeutic occupation.  He says "In making a quilt top the worker has the stimulation of color and she also has to concentrate upon her task of sewing the pieces together...."  He goes on to say "It is easily understood that a nervous lady who is concentrating on making a quilt block has no time to worry over her fancied physical ill health or even worse over wrongs or slights which may be real, so she is cultivating a more healthy mental attitude and habit."  

......and I thought quiltmaking was just fun.  Didn't know I was contributing to my mental well being. 

This week I also started creating a new block of the month for Sew Graceful Quilting.  After working on the album quilt, these pieces seem SO large.

I'm going to the spring quilt market in Salt Lake City next week so will have some things to share with you from SLC.  Mom has chemo #6 tomorrow and I have a quilt to bind to keep my hands busy. 

Hope you have a great weekend!