Resources

Books

Note: There are other BAQ books available, but I own all of the ones below (except for Spoken Without a Word) and have found them to be an invaluable help.

Books by Elly Sienkiewicz

Baltimore Elegance: A New Approach to Classic Album Quilts
The Best of Baltimore Beauties: 95 Patterns for Album Blocks and Borders
The Best of Baltimore Beauties Part II: More Patterns for Album Blocks
Baltimore Beauties and Beyond, Volume I, Studies in Classic Album Quilt Appliqué
Appliqué 12 Easy Ways! Charming Quilts, Giftable Projects, and Timeless Techniques
Spoken Without A Word, A Lexicon of Selected Symbols with 24 Patterns From Classic Baltimore Album Quilts (out of print)
Baltimore Album Quilts: A Pattern Companion to Baltimore Beauties and Beyond, Studies in Classic Album Quilt Appliqué, Volume I (out of print)
Baltimore Beauties and Beyond, Volume II: Studies in Classic Album Quilt Appliqué (out of print)
Design a Baltimore Album Quilt! A Teach-Yourself Course in Sets and Borders: A Design Companion to Baltimore Beauties and Beyond, Studies in Classic Album Quilt Appliqué, Volume II (out of print)
Dimensional Appliqué, Baskets, Blooms, and Baltimore Borders: A Pattern Companion to Baltimore Beauties and Beyond Studies in Classic Album Quilt Appliqué Volume II (out of print)
Papercuts and Plenty, Volume III of Baltimore Beauties and Beyond: Studies in Classic Album Quilt Appliqué (out of print)
Appliqué 12 Borders & Medallions; Patterns from Easy to Heirloom:
A Pattern Companion to Baltimore Beauties and Beyond, Studies in Classic Album Quilt Appliqué, Volume III (out of print)

Miscellaneous Books

Red and Green, the Appliqué Tradition by Jeana Kimball
Reflections of Baltimore by Jeana Kimball
The Making of a Baltimore Album Quilt by Frances Benton (a lovely book about another quilter's BAQ journey. Note, this book does not contain patterns.)

Note: For out-of-print books check the following online resources:

Also, check your local library. Libraries have inter-library loan, so you should be able to find most of the books that are out of print that way.

Web Sites

www.ellysienkiewicz.com – The best of the best.
www.mdhs.org/quiltprj/quilthom.html – The Baltimore Album Quilt Tradition, Maryland Historical Society

Fabric

equilter.com – eQuilter carries Elly's Baltimore Album Quilt line of fabrics. Type "Sienkiewicz" into the Web site search engine. eQuilter donates a percentage of each purchase to a charitable cause (you can select your preferred charity from among several choices).
fabric.com
keepsakequilting.com

Supplies

The fabric Web sites also sell some supplies and notions, but I found some hard-to-find supplies at the following site:

clotilde.com

My Tips

Here are my own suggestions.

Use only 100-percent natural fiber fabric. I prefer cotton, but a nice weight silk would work well for the appliqué pieces.
Use only 100-percent natural fiber fine thread. I prefer Gutterman silk or viscose (rayon).
Match your thread to your appliqué. Some historic blocks use white or off-white thread throughout, but matching thread looks nicer (in my opinion).
Purchase a pair of appliqué scissors. If you use regular scissors, you risk cutting through your bottom layer with the bottom blade's point.
Use the smallest appliqué needle possible. I prefer size 12, but 11 is fine too. (The larger the number, the smaller the needle.)
If you're not happy with your block, start over. Keep in mind that your quilt will be an heirloom, inspiring the generations that follow!
Make a little box to carry with you so you can work on a block wherever you go. Here's a picture of mine. Click to see a large picture and description of the "tools of the trade."