Past Perfect: Mimi Dietrich

Mimi Dietrich has been teaching people to applique in the Baltimore style

for decades.

Chesapeake Rose is her interpretation of a Smithsonian applique

Mimi's quilts are up the rest of this year at the Maryland Historical Society in her hometown Baltimore for the rest of this year.

 “Hometown Girl: Contemporary Quilts of Mimi Dietrich features one-of-a-kind applique quilts created by Baltimore-native Mimi Dietrich."

Mimi's quilts may be contemporary but many of them are based on traditional applique.

The quilt at the top of the page is drawn from one in the collection of the Smithsonian's

National Museum of American History.

The pattern is in her out-of-print book Quilts from the Smithsonian.

In the best sense of being inspired by an antique, she takes the

design ideas and changes things. Her design  is tighter and denser with

less white space. In the original all that white space was filled up

with stuffed work.

See the original here:

http://collections.si.edu/search/detail/edanmdm:nmah_556413?date.slider=&q=quilt&gfq=CSILP_1&dsort=&record=216&hlterm=quilt&inline=true

Mimi's Welcome Pineapple (right) and the original.

All American Eagle by Mimi Dietrich and Friends

She simplifies the shapes and makes it all more

appealing to contemporary tastes.

The original Maryland eagle from the Smithsonian

from the Dove/Cator families, 1800-1825.

Quilt Baltimore Circa 2008

See Teri & Kara's post on the opening: They cover things quite well at their blog Through the Needle's Eye.
http://needleseyestories.blogspot.com/2019/03/mimi-dietrich-honoring-baltimores.html

Barbara's graduate class quilt under Mimi's tutorage

See an interview with Mimi here:
http://thequiltershalloffame.blogspot.com/2015/06/mimi-dietrich-interveiw-2015-tqhf.html