Maryland was founded in 1634 by Lord Baltimore as a haven for English Catholics facing persecution. The Maryland Toleration Act of 1649 was one of the first laws in America mandating religious tolerance—though that tolerance was seriously limited.
Annapolis served as the U.S. capital for a brief period in 1783-1784, and it’s where George Washington resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in 1783. Washington could have seized power, but instead he voluntarily gave it up and went home. That peaceful transfer of power set the standard for American democracy.
Maryland was crucial during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, the battle that inspired the national anthem. Francis Scott Key had watch the battle, culminating in a 25-hour bombardment from the British. When he saw the flag (an enormous 30 x 42 feet) still waving over Fort McHenry, he was inspired to write “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Maryland was a slave state that stayed in the Union during the Civil War, so when Harriet Tubman was born there in 1822, she was already enslaved. She escaped to freedom, then returned to Maryland and other slave states at least 13 times to lead over 70 people to freedom via the Underground Railroad. (If you haven’t seen Harriet with Cynthia Erivo, I highly recommend it.)
Maryland is a tiny little state and its proximity to the nation’s capital mad it a fabulous stop on our travels. Silver Spring is the home of Gallaudet University, which gained national attention with their Deaf President Now protest. As someone involved in the Deaf community, I’ve wanted to visit for a long time. Unfortunately, the COVID restrictions were high when we visited and I wasn’t able to get on campus. We did spend several days visiting Washington, D.C. before returning to our campsite in Maryland. The close proximity of everything in that area of the country stood out to me; it’s nothing like the West Coast.
Quilt Block
Maryland is famous for the Chesapeake Bay with its blue crabs and tall ships, so it seemed like a natural fit to use a boat for the state block. The block is a traditional patchwork block and was what I used for my first patchwork quilt (way back in 1992 when my son was born).
In this block, I’ll show you how to make the half-square triangles (HSTs) at one time, but let me reiterate the importance of starching your fabric first to avoid the stretch of the bias. It makes all the difference.
Quilt Shops
The Quilting Parlor (Crofton, MD) formerly known as Tomorrow’s Treasures, was recently sold to a new owner. I’m sure they still have all the great fabrics and machines they had when I taught there.
Capital Quilt (Gaithersburg, MD) is a beautiful shop with a wide variety of fabrics, notions, and patterns, but truly excels in its education programs for handwork, longarming, and a complete course of quilting.
Patches Quilting (Mt. Airy, MD) takes notion walls to a new level. They are well-stocked with such variety and worth the visit just for that, but of course the shop is full of bright, beautiful fabrics ready for quilt making.
I can’t wait to see what you make with the Sailboat block! If you’ve been to or live in Maryland, tell me about your favorite quilt shops or places to visit there!
Happy sewing!
P.S. My favorite rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” was performed by Whitney Houston at the Super Bowl way back in ’91. It still get me.