When Donna Sue Groves decided to honor her Mother Maxine by painting a big quilt block on their Ohio tobacco barn, she did not realize she was starting a movement! Today barn quilt “trails” are found across all 50 states and Canada!
Barn quilt blocks are colorful quilt patterns painted on large wood panels. They may be based on a traditional quilt pattern like this double wedding ring.
Or something more modern like these cute cows.
A Barn Quilt “Trail” is a series of barn quilts in a community, with a map or directions to help people find them. A visit to a barn quilt trail is a perfect Sunday drive!
With our 350th anniversary coming up in 2020, this is the perfect time to create a barn quilt trail in Suffield and West Suffield!
Suffield artist Christine MacClintic, who created cows for the West Hartford Cow Parade and a horse for Giddy Up Granby, will be leading Suffield’s barn quilt trail project. She is writing a call to artists to get folks thinking about creating about 20 different quilts for our trail. Selected artists will be provided with a primed piece of weatherproof sign board to use as their canvas and a stipend to cover the cost of materials.
Do you want a barn quilt square for your house? We’ve asked Lynda Montefusco of A Stroke of Color Art Studio to organize some do-it-yourself (DIY) barn quilt workshops for kids and adults!
As more details on the barn quilt trail and DIY workshops become available we will be posting them online at www.tinyurl.com/BarnQuilt350, or you can send questions to Suffield350@gmail.com.