This remarkable woman is a quilt scholar and author. She has significantly contributed to our American history by researching, cataloging and writing about the quilts of our past. Barbara Brackman has served as a consultant on many major state-wide research projects. She has brought us so much insight into the roles of women in history and it's connection to quiltmaking. Barbara focuses on the knowledge and precise dating of antique quilts. She emphasizes educating others about the accurate history of quilts in association with the Civil War and the Underground Railroad. It is no wonder that she is a member of the Quilter's Hall of Fame.

She has a wonderful website dedicated to her findings in quilt history, patchwork history and her contributions in identifying and reproducing antique fabric. This website also features free patterns, clues to help you date quilts, links to many museums that feature historical quilts, current exhibits and events, and of course the many books she has written. She has also started a blog entitled, Barbara Brackman's Material Culture. This blog focuses mainly on fabric of the past and present.

Barbara's most well-known contribution to the quilt world is her Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns. This book, still considered the "bible" of quilt blocks, features over 4,000 block patterns taken from printed resources published between 1830 and 1970. The numbers she assigned to each block, known as the Brackman numbers, are used by scholars and appraisers alike. This book serves as a great source of inspiration to quilters, but there are no patterns, templates or sewing directions.

Recently, this book was made into a CD-ROM version compatible with the Electric Quilt software. The quilt blocks are even easier to navigate on the computer with ready to print templates using rotary cutting and paper piecing guidelines. The software version of the encyclopedia is called BlockBase and is available from The Electric Quilt Company.

Other significant books she has written include: Facts & Fabrications: Unraveling the Story of Quilts and Slavery (dispels myths about slave-made quilts), Civil War Women, The Lincoln Museum Quilt: A Reproduction for Abe's Frontier Family, Quilts From the Civil War, Clues in the Calico: A Guide to Identifying and Dating Antique Quilts, and her latest book, Encyclopedia of Applique.

Barbara is not only knowledgeable in in quilt history, she is also an expert in fabric history. Her book America's Printed Fabrics 1770-1890 is a great tool for quilters and appraisers who are interested in trying to identify when a quilt was made. Due to her experience as a quilt and fabric historian, she has created many reproduction fabrics to reflect what past quilters may have used. You can find many of her fabrics available for purchase in quilt shops around the United States.

In order to have more time to write books and publish more of her insights into the history of quilting, Barbara is currently retired from traveling, teaching and lecturing. Don't worry though, because she does continue to teach online through an E-club that is easily accessible to anyone from the comfort of her home in Lawrence, Kansas. The E-club is a monthly downloadable series of chapters taken from one of her books. It features patterns and a wealth of information on her latest research in quilt history.

I encourage you to take a look at the phenominal contributions Barbara Brackman has made. Ask any serious quilter or quilt shop owner and they will tell you that she's someone worth knowing.