"Log Cabin" quilt block or "Courthouse Steps" image from Flickr
Anthony and I have made lists upon lists since we've moved to the farm. To Do lists, Questions To Ask lists (What is this pipe for? Can we put our garden here? How do you repair cracks in plaster?) and the never-ending page turner also known as our Projects List. I won't bore you with all of the details, but one of the more exciting projects we intend to work on is to create a barn quilt for the side of one of our barns. While driving around when we first closed on the house in October, I noticed a few different giant quilts on the sides of barns in the area. Adorable, what were they? I did some research and here's what I found out (according to the University of Wisconsin Extension office). From their website, about our county: "The idea of barn quilts began in Adams County, Ohio in 2001. It was conceived as a way to draw traffic off a busy four-lane highway as it wound through the economically depressed area of southern Ohio. Local artists painted traditional quilt blocks on weathered tobacco barns, and the project began to attract travelers to the area, increasing business for local establishments. In 2003, Grundy County, Iowa started a similar barn quilt project to draw traffic back to rural areas bypassed when a major highway was rerouted. Their Barn Quilt Loop is designed to highlight the agricultural heritage of the county, as well as the folk art of quilting.The project began in Walworth County in 2009 and has continued to grow.The Barn Quilt Project promotes the rural heritage of the county by highlighting the architecture and history of barns and by encouraging the preservation of these structures for future generations. In turn, the project encourages economic development by promoting ag-tourism and other local businesses." I began following a barn quilt Facebook page, because I'm all in. (see my Pinterest board here) I think we might be able to make it ourselves, at around 8' x 8', though we really need to figure out the ladder situation prior to hanging it - see here. I love the idea, however it might take a bit of time for Anthony and I to agree on one we both like. Here are some of my favs, all images from Pinterest:
Grandmother's Flower Garden
Tulips
Circle of Fish
Farm Friendship
It definitely needs to mean something to us - 3 of our grandmothers had lovely flower gardens, my Mom's favorite flowers are tulips and one of the reasons we moved here was for Anthony's fishing. I love the Farm Friendship quilt block, it's my favorite. But we're still not there. Anthony also said he would like it to have something to do with Law Enforcement, even if it just has a thin blue line framing it. What do you think? Suggestions? Thoughts on this?
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