Elly Sienkiewicz

Recognized as a leading authority on the art of appliqué, Elly Sienkiewicz has written 19 books and sold close to half a million copies.

One of her books (which is both a story to read and a quilt to sew) celebrates being a grandmother: Sweet Dreams, Moon Baby — A Quilt to Make, A Story to Read. Elly's 19th book, Baltimore Elegance — A New Approach to Classic Albums, promises to be a best-seller with its extraordinarily thorough appliqué instructions, dozens of patterns, and a sure-fire formula for setting charming smaller 8" blocks into dramatic, finished albums!

Elly is also an historian and respected scholar on the topic of antebellum Baltimore Album quilts. Thirteen of her books deal with the topic, and eleven comprise the series The Baltimore Beauties and Beyond, beginning with Volume I in 1989 (C & T Publishing). Spoken Without a Word, her first book on the albums, was self-published.

Elly explores the complex history of the Baltimore Album quilts and places it within the grasp of every contemporary quilt maker. She does this through the use of clear patterns and techniques which demystify the construction process. Her leadership sustains the Baltimore Album revival, in progress for more than two decades. Needle workers who love this classic style have taken it further in their work, to the point where much of it is still closely related to, but now clearly "beyond Baltimore."

Her love for rich traditional styles, vivaciously interpreted, was reflected in her output during a 10 year stint with a signed designer line, Baltimore Beauties®. Her work for Robert Kaufman Fabrics remains rooted in mid-19th century Baltimore, but reaches beautifully "Beyond Baltimore."

Elly's path from historian and teacher to stay-at-home mother of three led her to become one of the first professionals in the nascent quilt movement of the early 1970s. She notes that her Wellesley College class of 1964 is a "cusp generation" — women who as freshmen expected to live their mothers' 1950's societal ideal, but who were radically different by the time they graduated.

Equipped with a Masters of Science from the University of Pennsylvania, Elly taught history for seven years. When her children came, her traditionalist desire to stay home with them allowed her lifelong love of needlework to come to the fore. She was led to home-centered enterprises and finally to the burgeoning quilt industry.

Elly's experience ranges from quilting teacher/lecturer to retail mail-order proprietor and respected quilt maker, author and historian. For more than a dozen years she has presided over The Elly Sienkiewicz Appliqué Academy, an annual teaching conference in historic Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. This uniquely enjoyable educational seminar draws hundreds of attendees from across the industrialized world.

In 2003 the Quilt Industry awarded her the Silver Star, their lifetime achievement award for outstanding contributions to the contemporary quilt world, as demonstrated by a body of work.

Other Elly Sienkiewicz Links

Elly Sienkiewicz Applique Academy Group Seminars at Sea