Resources!

Baltimore has a rich quilt tradition and plenty of resources for anyone interested in exploring it. From local guilds and quilting guides to shops and museum exhibitions, there are countless ways to learn and connect. We’ve also gathered books, histories, and videos that offer background, tips, and inspiration. Take a look and enjoy!

"YOU ARE NOT ALONE", Final Display on National Mall in DC, (2019), Photo by Nate Gregorio.

"YOU ARE NOT ALONE", Final Display on National Mall in DC, (2019), Photo by Nate Gregorio.

Bibliography

Arnett, William. 2006. Gee’s Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt. Tinwood Books.

Dietrich, Mimi. 2005. Easy Applique Samplers: 20 Designs To Mix And Match. Martingale & Co Inc.

Dietrich, Mimi. 2006. Baltimore Basics: Album Quilts from Start to Finish. Martingale.

Dietrich, Mimi. 2008. Quilter’s Diary, A: Written in Stitches. That Patchwork Place.

Freeman, Roland. 1981. Something to Keep You Warm: The Roland Freeman Collection of Black American Quilts from the Mississippi Heartland: An Exhibition at the Mississippi State Historical Museum, June 14-August 9, 1. First Edition. Mississippi Department of Archives and History).

Freeman, Roland L. 1996. A Communion of the Spirits: African-American Quilters, Preservers, and Their Stories. First Edition. Rutledge Hill Pr.

Lesso, Rosie. “A Celebration of History: The 1970s Quilting Revival.” The Thread. 

Roberg, Madeleine. 2011. Tucked In: American Quilts and the Beds They Cover, 1790-1939. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cehsdiss/123/

Sienkiewicz, Elly. 1992. Design a Baltimore Album Quilt!: A Teach-Yourself Course in Sets and Borders. UNKNO.

Tobin, Jacqueline L., and Raymond G. Dobard. 2011. Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

Audio/Videos

Stachura, Sea. 2024. “The Enduring Story for Underground Railroad Quilts.” History. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/03/03/1235158989/the-enduring-story-for-underground-railroad-quilts.

Baltimore Heritage, dir. 2025. Five Minute Histories: Baltimore Album Quilts. 08:25. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDUQj0rgBGE.

Baltimore Museum of Art, dir. 2024. No Stone Left Unturned: The Elizabeth Talford Scott Initiative. 39:02. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=notZ7WERv-8.

Maryland State Arts Council, dir. 2022a. African-American Community Quilting Folklife Apprenticeship. 04:33. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxWf6gApOJc.

Maryland State Arts Council, dir. 2022b. Sharecropper-Style Quilting Folklife Apprenticeship. 06:24. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mKYVr5Ua7w.

Maryland State Arts Council, dir. 2023. Heritage Award: Baltimore Album Quilts. 05:14. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAZp5T_OKt0.

New York Times Opinion, dir. 2018. How a Group of Women in This Small Alabama Town Perfected the Art of Quilting | Op-Docs. 14:26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHEqYVzSs7U.

Guilds and Organizations

The African American Quilters of Baltimore https://www.aaqb.org

Museum Exhibitions and Special Collections

“Monument Quilt Collection.” UMBC Special Collections. https://library.umbc.edu/speccoll/findingaids/coll328.php.

“Quilts – Digital Collections.” Maryland Center for History and Culture. https://www.mdhistory.org/digital-resource/genreform/quilts/.

“Quilts -- United States | Baltimore Museum of Art.” https://archives.artbma.org/subjects/2.