My visit to Kankakee, IL last fall was in part inspired by a promise of pie at Blue's Cafe--a good old fashioned diner that purportedly serves pies that are well worth the journey. I wasn't disappointed; my slice of butterscotch pie was one of many highlights of the trip!I was by no means surprised when Clayton and Carolyn Pratt, the members of the the barn quilt committee in Kankakee who lured me with pastry, sent me this photo of the quilt that kicked off their 2010 season--Rhubarb Pie!
This square was mounted on an early 1900s limestone building at the Kankakee County Museum during the annual Rhubarb Festival. Prior to the official ribbon cutting, a family who were looking for the perfect spot for a portrait asked photographer Janet McDowell to use the rhubarb quilt square as the backdrop for their photo--what a great shot!
For more on the Rhubarb Pie quilt: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VU3qXExs9Y
The folks in Kankakee have been busy; three more quilt blocks went up last week:
I have been told that 6 to 10 quilts are planned for this year, but since it's not quite June, I have a feeling that Holly Froning and the other dedicated members of the Kankakee committee will exceed that goal.
To see the rest of the Kankakee project, check out http://web.extension.illinois.edu/kankakee/barn/index.html
Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAre you planning to come to Wardsville. 30 quilts in the works and a huge celebration June 18-20, 2010. The barn quilt community is invited for this special barn quilt weekend. Come across the border to Canada for a special barn quilt weekend.
http://wordpress.wardsville.com
I just found your blog from a comment you left on someone else's quilt barn photo. I have been fascinated by these for a couple years now and have taken photos of some in Ohio and Kentucky. I hope to add more to my collection of photos this year. They are such fun! I don't know why we have so few in Indiana and they are hard to find, but I did see a couple recently and didn't take photos of them for some reason. Two were on quilt stores.
ReplyDeleteMary S.--I am defintely coming to Wardsville; I'm just not sure whether I will make it for the celebration. My first revision for the book is due this week, and if that goes OK, I might just make it!
ReplyDeleteMary--The only trail I know of in Indiana is Marshall County; sometimes it takes a while, but they will catch on!
ReplyDeleteIf you would like to send me a photo to post on my blog, I would love to do so. I have been to most of the trails, but there are so many quilts that are sprinkled here and there that I don't know about!
My email is americanquilttrail@yahoo.com
Suzi