Easton, Md

January 28 at 1:30 p.m. at TCVAC (storm date Feb 4)

!!!! Art Talk !!!!

'The Barn Quilts of Western Maryland'

It's not what you think!

Dolores Andrew will talk about how gloriously innovative Western Maryland artists are and what they are doing to save the local culture in the most creative of ways. Barn Quilt Art is now found in 23 states and in Maryland in Garret County, which even has a Barn Quilt Art Trail.

"Barn Quilts are public art that celebrates the place people call home. They make people feel good about themselves and where they live."- Donna Sue Groves, visionary of some of the first Barn Quilt Art in Maryland.

Random happenings...

I want to share with you all, several items of note. I will be out of town for a few days which often means out of web-sight.

When you have time, visit Jen Buettner's blog: http://www.cre8tivequilter.blogspot.com/. Jen has this wonderful Barn Quilt Block of the Week going. She is a talented quilter (& EQ artist), photographer and blogger.

Watch the Barn Quilt Trail video from The Old Mission Peninsula at: http://www.mefeedia.com/watch/27868944. Enjoy the stories that go with the barns...

I was fascinated when I stumbled across the following: CSA (community supported agriculture) farm - Crown Point Ecology Center - in Bath, Ohio (between Akron and Medina). They are celebrating the 100th anniversary of their barn with a quilt block contest. The winning block will be painted on their barn. You can read about it at http://www.crownpt.org/. You can even enter, if you wish The center donated over 30,000 pounds of organic food to the local food bank last year. Amazing!

Kentucky Quilt Trails

Here are some new (new for me) Quilt Trails from Kentucky. I am sure there are more, and I will be glad to add them to the side-bar as I find them (or you send me the link :-). In no particular order...

Madison County
http://ces3.ca.uky.edu/madisonquilttrail/trail.html

Henry County
http://www.henrycountyky.com/extension/barnquilts.htm

Georgetown County
http://www.georgetownky.com/barnquilt_web_pg/indexquilt2.html

Hart County
http://ces.ca.uky.edu/hart/node/69

Breckinridge County
http://www.visitbreckinridgecountyky.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=7&cntnt01origid=15&cntnt01returnid=63

Washington County
http://ces.ca.uky.edu/washington-files/WASHINGTONCOUNTY_BARN_QUILT_TRAIL.pdf

Harrison County
http://www.harrisoncountybarnquilts.com/

Grayson County
http://www.graysoncountytourism.com/quilts.htm
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Illinois

If anyone has ever asked you what a "Barn Quilt" is... ask them if they have about 5 minutes to look at the following You Tube video from Kankakee County, Illinois. Supported by the University of Illinois Extension and the Kankakee County Convention and Visitors Bureau, this short piece of cinematography says a lot.

(click here)

And...

In Illinois there is one other county that has Barn Quilts (or Quilted Barns), and that is McHenry. Also, the pictures at http://www.mchsonline.org/ will remind you that there are warmer days to come. Meanwhile, McHenry County Historical Society’s Executive Director Nancy Fike will hold a brainstorming session at 10 a.m. Jan. 14 at the historical society’s museum, 6422 Main St., Union. This is about the creation of a would-be quilt trail in McHenry County. For more information, call 815-923-2267 or e-mail info@mchsonline.org.

BTW

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There is news from the South. The Southern Quilt Trail which had its start in Powder Springs, Georgia, has now partnered with the Rolling Hills RC & D (Resource Conversation and Development) Council. I am told that there are now 22 Quilt Blocks in Cobb County and 5 surrounding counties (Carol, Haralson, Paulding, West Cobb, Heard) with 4 other counties (Coweta, Douglas, Floyd & Polk), ready to get started.


BTW

I questioned the size of the Amish Postage Stamp Quilt Blocks on John's Butcher Shop in Nappanee, Indiana. There has been a note added explaining that each of these are actually 8' x 8' and painted by the local artist Jeff Stillson. Thanks Sonya. Please visit: http://www.quiltgardenstour.com/

The answer is Nappanee

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Nappanee, Indiana

The good folk of Nappanee (Elkhart County), don't have a Barn Quilt Trail (yet), but what they do have is a Quilt Garden Tour... that includes more than few large painted quilt blocks. I think that to enjoy the Quilt Gardens of Elkart county, you need to time your visit to the season and the community volunteers. These painted Quilt Blocks can be enjoyed year-round. See more at http://www.amishcountry.org/QuiltGardensTour2010

The picture above was taken from http://www.amishcountry.org/ . The blocks are on the side of John's Butcher Shop in downtown Nappanee and I do not know the actual size of them. One of the interesting things about the Elkhart / Nappanee Quilt Blocks are that they have been painted onto lumber rather than plywood. Look closely at the photos on their website.

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Where have you seen these ?

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Where can you find 4' x 4' (quilt block) copies of these four USPS Postage Stamps that were released in 2001? Clue: It's not Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

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Congratulations Donna Sue Groves

I picked up the following story from Adams County, Ohio newspaper: the People's Defender. Reported December 30, 2009, "Donna Sue Groves' idea of a quilt barn trail took root and has since blossomed across the state of Ohio and into at least 26 states. In April, Groves will be awarded the Governor's Award for the Arts, not just for her quilt barn idea, but for community development and participation, especially in the Appalachian region."

The biography for Ms Groves on the Ohio Arts Council web site (http://www.oac.state.oh.us/) states in part: "Groves irrepressible spirit demonstrates each day that one person can make a difference sharing by her knowledge, vision, and love for the arts. She has built deep trust and collaboration in communities across the state and nation by living her motto of "giving people a hand up, not a hand out." Her ongoing collaborative work to celebrate and raise awareness of the unique gifts, talents and cultural traditions of Appalachian Ohio embody the very spirit of participation and community development. "

Morgan County, Co

Currently the Morgan County Barn Quilt Project lists the addresses of over 40 Quilt Blocks.


The story and picture below was printed by the Brush News-Tribune and Fort Morgan Times, and reminds us of warmer times in Morgan County, Colorado. It also makes me think about how nice it would be to have this quilt on my bed. Look closely at the picture and you will see 16 quilt blocks on the quilt... and the same 16 on the barn.

Project would create cozy barn quilt replicas
By JESSE CHANEY,
Posted: 10/13/2009 01:05:49 PM MDT

A fabric quilt displayed by Nancy Lauck, coordinator of the Morgan County Barn Quilt Project, illustrates the designs on all 16 barn quilts mounted on the barn behind her. (Special to The Times)

Though their bright colors and geometric shapes are characteristic of traditional fabric quilts, the painted-plywood barn quilts found throughout Morgan County aren’t exactly soft and snuggly. But Morgan County Barn Quilt Project Coordinator Nancy Lauck hopes to soon complement many area barn quilts with comfy, cozy replicas. “It’s just a branch off our barn quilts,” she said.

Lauck recently created a fabric quilt that illustrates the designs on all 16 barn quilts displayed on her property north of Highway 34 between Fort Morgan and Brush. Lauck hopes hers will be the first in a collection of fabric quilts that replicate the designs on all barn quilts mounted on Morgan County barns. She would like to eventually display the whole set of fabric quilts at special events throughout Morgan County.

The displays would not only attract more people to local events, she said, but they would generate more interest in the artworks mounted on Morgan County barns. Some people display the barn quilts on business buildings and other structures, but Lauck said she is only interested in creating fabric replicas of those that hang on barns. “We can draw more people to the barns,” she said. “We need to bring more attention to the barns that we have left in Morgan County.”

Lauck said she is not yet sure how the fabric quilt project would play out. “I really am open to suggestions because I’ve got the idea of doing it, I just need more bodies to help,” she said. Lauck said any effort to replicate Morgan County’s barn quilts in fabric would not be a moneymaking venture. Like the barn quilt project, she said, the fabric quilt project would probably be successful only through utilizing donated time and supplies.

She has considered asking members of local quilting groups if they would help make the fabric quilts. Additionally, some barn owners may want to quilt their own replicas to add to the collection, she said. “I could even teach them,” she said. Anyone who has ideas or is willing to help may contact Lauck at 867-2047.

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From Pocahontas, Arkansas

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Only a couple of months ago, I added Randolph County, Arkansas to the sidebar of Barn Quilt websites. I hope that you have found time to visit their site sponsored by Five Rivers Historic Preservation, Inc. (http://www.5rhp.org/) There is a nice tri-fold brochure with a map that you can download. I am even more impressed by the 20 page PDF file showing the 37 different quilts that are being recognized, along with the history and a story for each of them. These are real quilts, owned and sewn by real folks... with lots of love.

World Contest...

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On the Social Networking Site: barnquilting.ning.com , I have created a challenge for all Barn Quilt Trail Organizations, Art Associations, and individual Artists that have created a Barn Quilt (Quilt Barn). This is being called the 2010 Best of the Best, and submissions must be posted to the 2010 Best of the Best photo album on the barnquilting.ning.com web site.

Right now I do not see a reason to the restrict the choices to just those Quilt Blocks that have been created or hung this year (or last), but in order to have a manageable number of entries, I would like to ask that each organization, association or individual limit their entries to just one. The contest will evolve, and rules and restrictions may be suggested. I will not personally be eligible to participate in the contest.

I would like to promote the contest, and I will be soliciting ideas for prizes and recognition from all members of the Barn Quilting network on Ning.

I would love to hear all of your ideas and input (i.e.: different categories ?).

2010

I want to wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year, filled with the warm love of family and friends. There is wisdom in the old Irish blessing... May you have the hindsight to know where you've been, the foresight to know where you're going, and the insight to know when you're going too far.

Many of us await the release of Suzi Parron's book Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail that will be released in 2010. She has created a new Barn Quilt calendar that is available at: cafepress.com/quilttrails. You can find out more about Ms Parron's book and her travels at: americanquilttrail.blogspot.com

I would very much like to thank all those that have become members of (or visited), the social networking site: barnquilting.ning.com. I hope that this year we can attract and encourage barn quilters (and fans), from every corner of the country... and beyond.