I think I mentioned earlier that there were a number of samplers at the Vermont Quilt Festival in what I would call the Baltimore Album style. In other words, a whole lotta appliqué going on.

One of these days, I want to tackle a quilt like these but with my own twist, just like the makers of these incredible pieces.

The one at the top, Kamon Garden by Janice Cunningham of Bennington, Vermont uses traditional Japanese motifs in each block, not the folk symbols from Western Europe common in the Baltimore album quilts here in the states.

I love the soft but striking color palette in this piece, and the precision just takes your breath away.

The second quilt uses more familiar motifs but just look at the fabric choices that maker Leslie Justice Cook made here. These are not your traditional solids but the rich tones of Kaffe Fassett fabrics.

The overall impact is so different from the tradition handed down to us from the 19th century needlewomen in the mid-Atlantic region of this country.

Just for comparison, here’s a Pinterest page of Baltimore album quilt images. Some of these are historical, some are reproductions. Compare the color and motif choices to the ones pictured here.

Just one more piece of evidence that the quilting universe has no bounds.