Much Ado in South Carolina

Last weekend, we had the pleasure of driving just across the South Carolina Border to McCormick, where a new quilt trail is underway. Most of there quilt blocks are in the downtown area, but once the town is "quilted," the group plans to move into the surrounding area.


Here is one of their wonderful creations.

We found Herman Keith hard at work outside painting a quilt block. He seemed to be excited about the project and was ready to tell us all about it. I should have just let him tell me, but I did want to invite him to my talk, so I had to let on that I already knew the story. 

I was told that my talk would be in an old cotton gin. We looked and looked and couldn't see it. Eventually we realized that we ought to look beyond the edge of town--after all, a factory wouldn't be located on the town square, would it? It's a really neat building, with a lot of the machinery still inside and those old brick walls that made me instantly think, "If this were in Atlanta, it would make a cool loft!"











My talk went really well, and afterwards, we had a real treat.  The logo for the Upstate Heritage Quilt Trail in South Carolina is taken from a quilt called Rocky Mountain Road, made by a local resident in the 1930s.  The quilt is normally high out of reach at the Oconee Heritage Center museum, but there it was--on a rack where I could actually see it! 

For more about the quilt trails of South Carolina, go to www.barnquiltinfo.com, click on the map and then on the state. They have made incredible progress in just four years!












  I am off to Paducah in the morning, as I will be a featured author at the National Quilt Museum Friday morning. I am so honored to have been invited--I hope to see some old friends and new!

Spring Comes to Kentucky!

Well, OK--so they are predicting several inches of snow later this weekend. It's still spring, and I am excited to be in Maysville, Kentucky, for my first book signing with Donna Sue Groves! It was a LONG drive--heavy traffic out of Atlanta, and then several hours headed north. It wasn't really that cold--low 40's--but these amazing icicles hung from the rocks along both sides of the highway--so beautiful! But not exactly harbingers of spring!

We stopped off in Madison County, Kentucky, to take a barn quilt detour. It really was a pretty day, but the camera and the sky were not playing nicely together!.

After a while back on the interstate, we set off on a side trip that I THOUGHT I had well-planned. Oops-even the most seasoned barn quilter gets lost occasionally, and this time. We ended up on such a narrow road where the truck barely fit! But we did find this Crazy Quilt and a couple of other gems.

We go there tonight just in time to make dinner, so we haven't seen Maysville except for our hotel. I look forward to seeing the Maysville Heritage Quilt Trail tomorrow.

Giveaway Results

Congratulations to Sandi Timmons of Sonora, CA! 

Sandi won a free copy of my book in last week's giveaway.  

 

Thanks to all of you who entered; I hope that you will get out and enjoy the quilt trail nearest you or seek one out in your travels.

If you didn't win--but would like a copy of the book--I am offering a "consolation prize" of a free 2013 barn quilts calendar with any book purchased through my website barnquiltinfo.com through the end of March.

Just put "free calendar" in your comments, and I will include a calendar with your order.

This week finds us heading to Kentucky, where I am told that it will probably be snowing. WHAT?  It was almost 80 degrees here yesterday; winter is over!

But it will be a very special occasion and one that I have been looking forward to for a long time.  If you happen to be in the area--we would love to see you.

Spring is Coming--Let's Celebrate!

It may not be warming up in your part of the world, but here in Georgia, we are enjoying sunshine and 70 degree temperatures!  The daffodils are telling us that it is time to celebrate the end of winter.

As part of the celebration, I am participating in a quilting blog giveaway.  Now, this isn't a traditional quilting blog, but quilters do love barn quilts, and many of my followers are quilters. In fact, I visited over thirty quilt guilds last year as a program speaker!

The giveaway is part of a quilt blogger's event--click on the image below to find out about all of the goodies up for grabs. 

SO--you may be asking--what I am giving away and how you can enter.

I am giving away an autographed copy of my book, Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement.  I am so pleased and proud of the reception that the book has received and am delighted to share a copy with a lucky quilter. I have visited with a lot of quilt groups lately and have found that quilters--even those who have never seen a barn quilt--LOVE barn quilts!.

How do you enter?  Go to the map at my website Barn Quilt Info and find the quilt trail closest to you.
Comment below with your location and the location where barn quilts can be found nearest to your home.

One week from today, March 15, I will randomly select a winner and will notify you via this site.

Good luck and happy spring!

Speaking of spring, I will be in Paducah for a book signing during quilt week this year!  Come by the museum between 10 AM and noon; I'd love to see you!

Suzi

Yes, Georgia, we do have quilt trails!

I have been spending a lot of time the past few months speaking to quilt guilds across Georgia. Along the way, I've had the chance to see quite a few quilt blocks that were new to me. 

 I had been to Powder Springs a while back when working on the book, but I missed this Basket on the side of one of the downtown buildings. 

This sampler is a new addition--I love the garden setting! 

Powder Springs began the first section of the Southern Quilt Trail, which has spread to several surrounding counties.

The town is also home to a terrific quilt shop--Kiwi Quilts. If you are in the area, stop by and see Tracey.

 

I got to Carrollton early for a speaking engagement and took a side trip down to Bowden.  This sweet Tulip quilt was a bit hard to find, as it hides behind a building.  But that was half the fun and worth the trouble.

When I got to Carrollton, I was treated to a visit to the new 

Quilt and Textile Museum.  They are off to a terrific start!

That's not exactly a quilt block; it is a wonderful metal pieced quilt, which I am still coveting. My sweetheart has just begun taking welding lessons--I am hoping he is inspired by this idea!

The following week, as we were passing through Adairsville in North Georgia, I found this block on the local antique mall. One of the vendors in the mall makes and sells barn quilts--painting quilt blocks has become quite the opportunity for entrepreneurs!

I traced my tracks back to West Georgia--this time to Ephesus.  We have few actual barn quilts in Georgia, and I was pleased to find this star on this little goat barn.

Most recently, Thanksgiving took us to a mountain cabin in Ellijay, where an in-town trail has begun, with hopes to spread to the surrounding area.  The Pineapple is the sign of welcome in this lovely town.

I have one more wonderful Georgia barn to show you, but it's a snowy scene.  Since it's 65 degrees here, I just couldn't bring myself to post it.  Since I hate cold weather, it wouldn't hurt my feelings a bit if it took until January for me to get inspired!

Be sure to visit barnquiltinfo.com for information and barn quilt maps--and to order calendars and autographed books for Holiday giving.  

Cheers!

Cyber Monday

I keep hearing about Cyber Monday this weekend.  I hate shopping--even for groceries--so online shopping is a big part of my life.  And of course, I have things to sell online--SO

I am jumping in with a Cyber Monday special:

FREE SHIPPING on any order of $20 or more.  Autographed books, 2013 calendars, and some pretty cool quilt trail stitchery kits are available on my website

barnquiltinfo.com

Aren't these wonderful?  The six counted cross-stitch squares are all taken from my photos in the book, so you can read about the meaning behind the pattern.

The red work kit includes 12 blocks, which can be put together a variety of ways.  Each is taken from a story in the book, and corresponding page numbers are provided.

Happy shopping!  I hope to do a lot of shipping on Tuesday.

Great Guns in Louisiana

Wow--I recall hearing from the folks in Louisiana early in 2012, stating that they had formed the Louisiana North Shore Quilt Trail Association.

We exchanged some friendly emails, and the group also contacted Donna Sue Groves to find out more about the quilt trails' origins and to seek her guidance as they embarked on their journey.

Here is one of the first photos I received. "Idaho Tribute" was chosen because the woman of the house is originally from Idaho.  The pattern is from a long-ago context for quilters to design a block to represent their state. Off to a good start!

 We were thrilled to add a new state to the map at barnquiltinfo.com and looked forward to watching the trail grow.

I got a message  a couple of weeks back from president Kim Zabbia, letting me know that they have a website now that we can link to.  I was so pleased.  Then WOW--I looked at what they have accomplished!

A well-organized committee, corporate support, widespread community participation and--dozens of barn quilts throughout several parishes.  This is one of the fastest success stories I have seen.  They even have a gift shop up and running.

Here are just a couple of examples.

How fabulous is this photo?  The name, "Calm at 211" refers to the state of mind that prevails at 211 North 7th street.  The custom design in includes the pastimes that keep things peaceful--the husband's tractor, the wife's pencil art, and the nautilus shell to represent trips to their favorite beach.  They sound like my kind of folks!

I love this square, which replicates a crocheted "quilt,"  One of my grandmothers made these, and I just loved them as a child!

Check it out for yourself at  http://www.louisianaquilttrail.com/  


You will find maps of each trail and information on each quilt to be found along that trail--it's really nicely done. 

They also have a really great page on their process of creating barn quilts that may be of use to some of you.

Don't forget to visit barnquiltinfo.com for signed books and 2013 calendars.  Calendars start with December of 2012, so it's almost that time! 

It's not all about Barns

Wow--there has been so much going on in Barn Quilt World, and I have once again fallen behind in my reporting!

After my visit to Ohio,  local resident Kim Jasko was inspired to create a barn quilt on her shed!  She tried to get her husband involved, but to no avail.  But being a quilter, Kim was determined to complete the project--how cute is this?

Lots of folks have been sending alone photos of their projects; I do think a barn quilt is born every day!  Here is one from Emily and Steve Vinson of Murfreesboro, NC

Georgia resident Sheila Goff reported in from Pender, Nebraska, with photos of some of the barn quilts she has seen in her travels.   As I said--it's not all about barns!

More to come in the next few days, including info on a new trail starting in Kansas!

Meanwhile I am working to get ready for Festival in Houston--I hope to see some of you there!

At the Summit

No, I didn't climb a mountain--I am in Summit County, Ohio to give a talk on barn quilts. The Hudson Museum and Historical Society and the North East Ohio Regional Quilt Council invited me to visit. So here I am, enjoying some wonderful fall weather this morning as I prepare for my talk. Yesterday, when I arrived, my hostess, Vivian Copley, took me to see the two barn quilts that we had located in the area. Vivian has spotted one that is visible from the interstate, and she tracked it down at Maple Crest farm. This is mostly a horse farm, but we also met some friendly goats and saw some very unusual chickens.

The farm boasts a quilt block designed for the town's bicentennial in 2011. The owners worked with Donna Sue Groves, my coauthor and founder of the quilt trail, to complete the project.

This barn quilt loves at a terrific location--the Crown Point Ecology Center. The inside of the barn was full of festive decorations, as the facility was hosting a fundraiser last night. It looked as if we were missing on on a great event, but with a big day today, we had to move on.

I so enjoy traveling to talk about barn quilts and my book! As soon as I get home, I will begin work on my 2013 calendar so that I can have them ready for my trip to Festival in Houston. I hope to see some of you there!

Where's Suzi?

OK, so it's not as much fun as tracking down Waldo, but we really have been traveling quite a bit, and I haven't told you much about it!

Our trip to Missouri was just incredible.  We started off at the home of Margot McMillen, who began the barn quilt project there and is hoping to gather some momentum.  Just over the doorway as we entered the house, we were able to reach up and grab a couple of grapes and pop them into our mouths.  It doesn't get much fresher than that!

We set out into the beautiful countryside to see a few of the barn quilts.  Farmer's Daughter is just gorgeous, especially with the blue roof!

The dinner that night was amazing--all locally produced food, including the beer!  Unfortunately, I was too busy meeting and greeting to get any photos, but Tammy Williams captured it all on her blog here:

http://flatcreekfarm.blogspot.com/2012/07/celebration-of-barn-quilts.html

On to Iowa; one thing that is great about the long flat stretches of highway is that barn quilts pop up along the roadside.  Sometimes it's hard to stop for a photo, but I liked this one a lot, so we made a U-turn and came back to get a shot.

In Independence, we had one of the most successful book signings yet!  Buchanan County is home to a terrific quilt trail and some very enthusiastic barn owners. 

We also got to meet the quilter who created the quilt after which one of my favorite barn quilts is patterned--what a pleasure!  It's one photo that is reserved for the book only; it is such a treasure and was so hard to find that I just can't bring myself to post it online.

Our stay in Green County, Wisconsin brought us to a tour that overflowed the bus! Once the second bus arrived, we were on our way.  This is barn quilt land extraordinaire!
Nancy Meyer drove over from Iowa to meet us; she later put together this really wonderful collage that captures the excitement of the day:

Italian Tile adorns the barn at the Devoe barn.  I just love the brilliant colors--another fave.
Speaking of bright colors, how about this one?  Love it!

Our hosts, Lynn and Jerry Lokken, treated us to a wonderful steak dinner, where we got to know Lynn's "partner in crime" Kris Winkler.  They sent us home with a treasure trove of Green County goodies--cheese, venison bologna, Spotted Cow beer (a fave of mine, which can only be bought in Wisconsin) and Lynn's award-winning maple syrup!  What fabulous hospitality!

On to Lodi, where I spoke at the Ag Fair.  It was hot--OH, it was hot!  But the crowd hung in there with us, and Trish Frankland made sure to point us towards the best goodies--brats and fried cheese curds.  Yumm!

Headed south at last--Georgetown, Kentucky, was one of the first quilt trails I visited and remains a favorite. After a sweet reunion with the folks who had helped me get my research started four years ago, we got back on the road.  A long day--seven hours on the road--to make our schedule!

This Log Cabin is a bit unusual, in that they recreated sixteen blocks so that we can see the pattern of light and dark. Log Cabin appears quite a bit along the quilt trail, but  I haven't seen another put together like this.

Finally, back to Georgia.  The Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild in Clarkesville was such a welcoming group.  Pat Jones was one of the first to book me for a speaking appearance, and she I am already booked there for a return engagement!

Wow--2200 miles in eight days. I am not sure we will take on a trip of this magnitude next year, but you never know!   Right now I am preparing to get back to work and making plans to attend Festival in Houston in November!

Next stop will be the Hudson, Ohio, Library and Historical Society on the 19th and the Pickens County, South Carolina, Museum of Art and History on the 25th. Whew!

As always, I appreciate everyone's emails and updates, and I encourage you to check barnquiltinfo.com for the latest happenings in barn quilt world.