Saturday, July 31, 2010

Barn Quilts

I've been off work since 7/28, recooperating from an arm surgery.  I'll be in a cast for the next 2 months healing...more of a nuisance than anything.  Not much fun since the heat index in GA has been a constant 100 + degrees!!!
There's been time to catch up on blogs, emails, & other computer stuff.  One of the blogs I normally read had a snippet of another blog on their sidelines.
It was about "Barn Quilts". 
I love quilts & barns so I naturally clicked on the site. 
What a wonderful surprise!!!!
I found a blog that is solely about barns & the "quilts" that are painted on them!
The name of the blog is:
BARN QUILTS & THE AMERICAN QUILT TRAIL & can be found at
http://americanquilttrail.blogspot.com/
Suzi Parron writes this blog & is also writing a book that will be published in 2011.

Here is an excerpt from her blog:
Donna Sue Groves' Vision 
The concept of barn quilts began with Donna Sue and her wish to honor her mother, Maxine, and her Appalachian heritage by having a painted quilt hung on her barn. With the help of friends and community members, Donna's vision grew to a trail of 20 quilt barns in Adams County, Ohio, which began in 2001.
This simple idea has spread to 27 states and to Canada, and the trail continues to grow. Over 2000 quilts are part of organized trails; dozens more are scattered through the countryside waiting to be discovered.

There are beautiful photos of quilt squares that have been painted on barns across the country, even maps of the "trails" to visit them.  The quilt squares are an attractive addition to the barns &, they often tell historical stories of folks that live there.
We saw some barn quilts when we passed through Grundy County in Iowa a few weeks ago, purely by accident.  Wish I would have known about them before & we would have made time to follow that trail & see more!!



A couple of Barn Quilts we saw in Iowa

I started thinking...I could do this
(on a smaller scale of course)!!
This is a picture of my 'barn'.  


I know...I know...it's just a yard shed but it's the closest thing I have at the moment!! 
The front door needs repainting anyway...we got the round hex sign when we were in Intercourse, PA several years ago.  The Dekalb seed corn sign came from my Uncle Frank in IA
 (one of my favorite possessions!).
What if I repainted the door & painted a quilt square on it? 
And, on the right side, maybe another..or a big  American flag??? 
I've got the next 2 months, while my arm heals, to plan this out...the weather should be cooler by then too! 
 Sounds like fun to me!!

SKW


11 comments:

  1. Hope you're healing -- I grew up in GA and still remember the heat & humidity -- can't imagine wearing a cast during the summer. Take care! -amy

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  2. I love your new blog header! and I have been thinking of painting our yard shed too! Only I want to paint it with the adverising logo Mail Pouch as in barns seen in some of my posts.
    Margaret

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  3. Hello, I do hope your arm is healing! Thanks for sharing these beautiful photos for the Barn Chicks party! Love old quilts, barns, outbuildings, everything country and vintage... Your little shed is adorable! xoxo Julie Marie

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  4. love the barn with the quilt and love the shed!
    can you put a link to my blog.
    Karen

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  5. I love your header with the Barns and the horses, it's beautiful. Love the barn quilts!!! Blessings~~~ Daphne

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  6. I love barn quilts, too! Great pics! I linked a post on the party about them, too, under Itsy Bits And Pieces. Hope your arm is better soon!

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  7. I like your little barn shed~ I want one of those my own self...Love the pics and cant wait to take a look at the American Quilt Trail link-thanks for sharing!!

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  8. Wonderful barn quilts -thanks for sharing! I'm a barn chick too!

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  9. I have seen the Hex paintings and Tole painting on barns but will now have to keep a watchful eye for quilts.

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  10. Thanks for stopping by the cottage to say hi! I'm just now getting around to visiting. The Yankee and I have been on the road a lot over the past month, and I haven't had access to a computer very often.

    I love the barn and horse pic you used for your blog header. Old barns speak to me so much more than newer ones. And I love, love, love horses!

    I was going to join you as a follower but couldn't find the "follow" link. Where ya hidin' it? ;)

    Blessings,
    Liz @ the Brambleberry Cottage
    http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

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  11. Great blog you've created! I too have enjoyed the barn quilt blog and am planning on one as a project for our big naked barn front. Love your cute shed! Will have fun looking around here more now. Thanks for all you share and wishes for a speedy healing!
    Blessings,
    Leslie

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