Farmer's Daughter

No, I am not a farmer's daughter, though I have to say that my grandmother--who inspired me to take up quilting--was one heck of a farmer.

She could make a quilt out of most anything--remember those polyester leisure suits--oh, yeah! I chuckled at the time; what I wouldn't give for one of those now! In her later years, "Ms. Nellie," as she was known, grew hundreds of daylilies in coffee cans behind her humble home and was known to landscapers around central Florida--a sharp businesswoman who might slip a jar of pickles to a truck driver if he seemed nice. Nellie always had a greenhouse, so when I saw this photo of Lora Partyka's greenhouse in Orleans County, New York, I loved it right away. Lora is a Farmer's Daughter, and no other block would be appropriate for the quilt trail that she started. I love her bold colors that draw attention to the greenhouse, and the pumpkins for sale in the background are perfect for the season!

Black Friday Giveaway!

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I hate the mall like a child hates Brussels sprouts. I am one of those folks who either picks up the perfect gift for a friend in June (and maybe remembers where I stashed it) or shops online after Thanksgiving. No standing in line--I don't care if it's free!

Speaking of free, this book is free--or will be to one of you. The book is put together by Kansas City Quilts; they did an amazing job gathering info on barn quilts (I'm in it!) and creating a sampler that includes patterns from nine different barns. They happened to choose one or two of my faves--what good taste!

I have a couple of these--and I actually know where they are--so I am going to include one at no charge along with one calendar order between now and Thanksgiving!

Now you can get a couple of gifts without leaving the house--how cool is that? Or treat yourself.

All orders through 10 PM eastern time Thanksgiving will be entered. That way, I can let you know before the BIG SHOPPING day if you have won--so that you will have one less line to stand in!

If you have already ordered, just post a comment here, and I will include you in the drawing.

I am so ready to get the holidays started!!

Suzi

Ohio Star-ry Night

I love this pattern--Starry Night.

It is one of a small quilt trail in Nebraska created by a group of high school students as part of a service learning project.

This is a great addition to the quilt trail, since the Stars in Starry Night are Ohio Stars. And of course, Ohio is the home of very first quilt trail, in Adams County.

On another note, the barn quilt project in Wardsville, Ontario, Canada is going to be part of the Canadian Quilter's Association Quilt Canada 2011 in London, Ontario. I plan to be there in May when the tour from London heads over to Wardsville to see this great project!

.Barn quilt calendar 2011barn quilts quilt trail

Colorado Classic

This quilt square sure looked great high on this barn against a beautiful Colorado sky. The blue in the quilt is a pretty close match!

Of course, I also liked this one a lot because it is one of the few quilt squares I have seen lately that contain orange and blue.

I am an Atlanta gal but will always be a Florida Gator, you know..Barn quilt calendar 2011barn quilts quilt trail

Another one Bites the Dust

Oh, how I love this photo. I saw a portrait-sized enlargement of it in the home of Mrs. Juanita Porter, in Kentucky.

Her husband's family has been prominent in the area for generations; when the one-room school across from their house was replaced, they had the little building moved to the property near their barn--hence the Schoolhouse quilt block.

When I saw this photo, I immediately contacted the photographer, who was gracious enough to grant the rights to it. OH, how I hated to lose this one. But there wasn't much more to the story than what I have written here, so despite the beauty of the photo, it didn't make the cut. I did manage to go from 156 photos down to 86, which was mighty painful!

This was the first time I saw tobacco hanging in a barn with a quilt block on it. It's hard to think of tobacco as beautiful, but at least as part of a barn quilt photo it is!

.Barn quilt calendar 2011barn quilts quilt trail

An Adams County Original

This barn quilt is one of the original 20 painted in Adams County, Ohio--the first quilt trail. The Sawtooth Star is at Mary Hughes' barn and was painted by artist Charlie Reed.

This was before quilt blocks were painted on plywood and then hung--imagine spending a couple of days up on scaffolding painting this huge work of art!

When I visited with Mary she talked about having the barn repainted. She said, "The wind was blowing and they fastened a covering so that they wouldn’t get any paint on the quilt, but they got one little tiny dribble on one corner." If you look closely, you can see their little "oops," but from the road, the quilt square still looks perfect..Barn quilt calendar 2011barn quilts quilt trail

Tenacious in Tennessee

Another favorite stop along the quilt trail in Tennessee--yes, there are a lot of incredible stories there--is St. John's Mill, in Watauga County.

If you want to hear a great tale and are ready to "set a spell," this is the place to go--the owner, Ron Dawson, is like a storyteller from bygone days. I spent over an hour there and would have spent more had I not been on a schedule.

This is the oldest continuously operating business in Tennessee and dates back to before the Revolutionary War. Just a fascinating spot. And of course, the Dutch Boys and Dutch Girls on the quilt block make it even more so.

It has held up remarkably well--just last week, raging winds tore one end of the mill off and sent boards flying in all directions. Ron shook his head and just said, "We'll get it all put back together in no time."

A Determined Barn Quilter

I'm not going to claim that this is the most spectacular barn quilt ever, but I love the story. The quilt trail was originally conceived by Donna Sue Groves to honor her mother, Maxine, who is from Roane County, West Virginia.

Eighty-eight year old Roane County resident Reva Snodgrass read an article about the quilt trail and knew Maxine from long ago. So she painted this quilt--by herself, in a tent next to her house. I thought the shape a bit odd, but I then realized that a whole cloth quilt actually would be rectangular.

It was, as the song goes, a rainy night in Georgia, and it's been followed by a very rainy day. I needed a feel good story to break through the clouds.

A Thing of Beauty

Really, isn't that a beautiful pup? Gracie--my travel companion when I go by car--does love a barn quilt. Yeah, I know that it's mostly the open field, but humor me.

I have headed for the hills to get this final revision done. Of course, I knew I would be only a short hop away from some of my favorite barn quilts, so we took the afternoon off. I thought it might do me some good to be "out in the field," and it did!

I got lucky with this photo today--an old favorite, Tennessee Tulip, in Blaine, TN. The barn has a tin roof, and the glare off of it has thwarted two previous attempts to get a decent shot. Good timing today!

Of course, I had to make up for some lapses in other areas. I left my GPS in Atlanta, then unpacked the car and put everything in the cabin--drove off with my quilt trail map but no map of the surrounding area!

I was shocked at my sexist behavior. I stopped at an auto parts shop to ask directions--figured some burly man would know how best to get to Highway 11W. Asked one guy behind the counter--Not sure. The other one--Nope. I sighed. Then the woman who was standing next to me asked, "Do you want me to tell you?" Shame on me!

Here's a quilt that I had not seen before--enhanced by a bit of fall foliage. Feathered Star, in Thorn Hill, TN. There is nothing like the first time I see a quilt square--it still energizes me, even after so many hundreds.

On the way back, I was kind of proud of myself--still had no clue how to get back to the highway, but I did know that it was west.

The sun was beginning to lower in the sky, and just as we passed a couple of really excited-looking groups headed out for hayrides, I figured out which way to go. I guess we did find our way around before GPS, didn't we?

I didn't get a photo of it, but you know I love a good public typo. Passed a church marquee that read, "It doesn't matter who you are; it matters who's you are." My ninth graders are going to enjoy that one when I return.

Hazel's Memory Quilt

Driving through Roane County, West Virginia, at anything above 35 miles per hour is treacherous--miles of hills and steep curves and winding roads with little respite. As I was concentrating on navigating safely, this barn was hardly a blur as we whizzed by. The barn itself isn't much of an attention grabber, but something made me turn back.



How sweet is this? An old time quilting tradition, recreated with paint. What a great family tribute.