Who is Elly Sienkiewicz?

Elly Sienkiewicz's path from career woman to stay-at-home mom of three, led her to become an early professional in the nascent quilt movement of the early 70s. Elly notes that her Wellesley College Class of 1964 is a "cusp generation" - women who as freshmen expected to live their mothers' 1950s societal ideal, but who were the object of radically different expectations by the time they graduated. Elly herself earned a Masters of Science degree and taught high school for seven years. A history major with a lifetime love of needleart, Elly's traditionalist desire to stay at home once her children arrived led to home-centered enterprises related to the burgeoning quilt world industry. Her experiences range from quilting teacher, to retail mail-order proprietress, to respected quiltmaker, to author, historian, and president of the Elly Sienkiewicz Applique Academy. Elly's devotion as a teacher, her concern for her students and her love for quiltmaking have made her a cherished mentor.

Elly is best known for her knowledge of Baltimore Album Quilts. In 1983 she published "Spoken without a Word" a simple book that explored the symbols used in the Baltimore Album quilts of the 1850's to the 1880's. Over the course of 18 books Elly explored all aspects of these amazing quilts; the fabrics, ribbons, inking and patterns. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband Stan, and, whenever they can be there too, their children and grandchildren.

Sadly, the Quilting World lost a gem in May 2026.