DECEMBER 2013
Centrally located:
A newly mounted set of three quilt squares rests high above the sign beckoning drivers on Berne-Altamont Road through the Knox hamlet to the Saddlemire Homestead housing artifacts of Knox history. Jane McLean and John Elberfeld, husband and wife and members of the Knox Historical Society, are organizing to create a trail of the squares, modeled after quilt patterns, mounted on structures throughout the Hilltowns. Such trails exist in 45 other states and Canada, according to barnquiltinfo.com, which attributes the origin of the barn quilt to one made in Adams County, Ohio in 2001. The Altamont Enterprise — Marcello Iaia Post date: December 26, 2013 |
Article in Rural Roots, 12/17/2013
QUILT BARN TRAILS
by Jane McLean
The family farm on a clear, cold December evening many years ago. My
brother and I have finished helping with the barn chores and are playing up in the hayloft. Down below, our grandfather hums tunelessly as he milks the Holsteins. It’s cold up in the loft, and we can see our breath as we smoke pretend cigarettes. The bales of hay make good forts, and we peer through the cracks in the frosty barn board siding to see pinpoints of starlight in the dark sky. The air is a wondrously aromatic mixture of hay, manure, and orange pulp mixed with grain.
QUILT BARN TRAILS
by Jane McLean
The family farm on a clear, cold December evening many years ago. My
brother and I have finished helping with the barn chores and are playing up in the hayloft. Down below, our grandfather hums tunelessly as he milks the Holsteins. It’s cold up in the loft, and we can see our breath as we smoke pretend cigarettes. The bales of hay make good forts, and we peer through the cracks in the frosty barn board siding to see pinpoints of starlight in the dark sky. The air is a wondrously aromatic mixture of hay, manure, and orange pulp mixed with grain.
Inside the farmhouse, our sister is helping get supper on the table . Our grandmother dishes up applesauce made with Baldwins from the tree down back. We’re happy to come in from our hay fort for roast pork and the promise of pie for dessert.
After supper we troop upstairs to say “good-night” to our great-grandmother who has just put out a pan full of “orts” for the half-wild barn cats. Back downstairs, we make our plans for the next day. After a breakfast of doughnuts, we’ll try to catch those elusive cats.
We’ll pull on our rubber boots and slide around on the field ice. Maybe elderly Mr. Hanchett will walk past on his way down to the village store. We’ll say “hello,” then duck behind the stone wall to giggle at his slightly obscene last name.
My sister and I stand over the floor furnace, our flannel nightgowns ballooning out to capture the heat before we dash into the unheated bedrooms. We all jump quickly into bed and burrow down under woolen blankets and handmade quilts. My grandmother’s quilts, made from scraps of fabric, keep us warm that cold winter night. The quilts also have stories to tell when we study the patterns: “Here’s your Easter dress.” “Oh, here’s the dress I was wearing when I fell off the swing in second grade.” “Didn’t you knock out a tooth?” “It was already loose.”
Many years have passed since those happy days on the farm, yet time has failed to dim my love of rural buildings and handmade quilts. The growing barn quilt movement tells me that I’m not alone in this fascination. Donna Sue Groves of Adams County, Ohio, wanted to honor her mother and her Appalachian heritage with a painted quilt motif on her barn. The idea was taken up by a committee in 2001, resulting in a series of barn quilts forming a trail for visitors to follow. The quilt barn trail idea spread to neighboring Brown County, then to Tennessee and Kentucky. Within a dozen years, trails have appeared in 45 states, making this the largest grassroots public arts movement in our nation’s history.
After supper we troop upstairs to say “good-night” to our great-grandmother who has just put out a pan full of “orts” for the half-wild barn cats. Back downstairs, we make our plans for the next day. After a breakfast of doughnuts, we’ll try to catch those elusive cats.
We’ll pull on our rubber boots and slide around on the field ice. Maybe elderly Mr. Hanchett will walk past on his way down to the village store. We’ll say “hello,” then duck behind the stone wall to giggle at his slightly obscene last name.
My sister and I stand over the floor furnace, our flannel nightgowns ballooning out to capture the heat before we dash into the unheated bedrooms. We all jump quickly into bed and burrow down under woolen blankets and handmade quilts. My grandmother’s quilts, made from scraps of fabric, keep us warm that cold winter night. The quilts also have stories to tell when we study the patterns: “Here’s your Easter dress.” “Oh, here’s the dress I was wearing when I fell off the swing in second grade.” “Didn’t you knock out a tooth?” “It was already loose.”
Many years have passed since those happy days on the farm, yet time has failed to dim my love of rural buildings and handmade quilts. The growing barn quilt movement tells me that I’m not alone in this fascination. Donna Sue Groves of Adams County, Ohio, wanted to honor her mother and her Appalachian heritage with a painted quilt motif on her barn. The idea was taken up by a committee in 2001, resulting in a series of barn quilts forming a trail for visitors to follow. The quilt barn trail idea spread to neighboring Brown County, then to Tennessee and Kentucky. Within a dozen years, trails have appeared in 45 states, making this the largest grassroots public arts movement in our nation’s history.
Here are some frequently asked
questions and answers about barn quilts and trails.
What is a barn quilt? Usually it’s a painted wooden square based on a quilt block design and installed as a decorative element on a barn or other building. Barn quilts generally range in size from 2’x2’ up to 8’x8’ and are made with exterior-grade plywood and exterior paint on a 2x4 frame. The design is often a traditional quilt block, such as Churn Dash or Ohio Star, although many variations and one-of-a-kind blocks are seen, too.
What is a quilt barn trail? When several barns with quilts (“quilt barns”) appear in an area, a steering committee organizes a self-driving tour where visitors can follow a map through the countryside to see the barn quilts. The committee may be from an ad hoc group, a municipality, or a formal community organization. Trails are generally tied into tourism of an area, with the hope of spurring economic development.
Who makes the barn quilts, and who owns them? For the most part, the owner makes or purchases a barn quilt and mounts it on a barn, shed, house, fence, place of business, or even a post by the side of the road. In some areas, artists and crafters make and sell finished squares to people who don’t have the time or space to create them.
How are barn quilts made? Experience has found that a special grade of exterior plywood used for signs, MDO (medium density overlay), has a very smooth surface and is easy to paint on. Other wood can be used but the painted design may not last as long. The plywood and 2x4s receive several coats of exterior primer, then the design is drawn on the plywood. Each color receives three coats of exterior paint. The plywood may be fastened to the frame before or after the painting is done. Some people use several coats of clear finish to protect the paint.
How are barn quilts installed? Very carefully. The barn or other structure must be sound enough to support the weight of the barn quilt. The barn quilt is screwed to a frame, which is attached to the building or to brackets mounted on the building. Large barn quilts may be hoisted in place with pulleys or a bucket loader. How can I learn more? Search the Internet for “barn quilts” and “barn quilt trails” for beautiful photographs and helpful tutorials. Go to www.barnquiltinfo.com for an interactive barn quilt map. Read Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement by Suzi Parron with Donna Sue Groves and An Age of Barns by Eric Sloane (if you can find it).
Do you have a barn quilt? Yes, I now live on Beebe Farm in Knox. Alas, the old farm buildings are gone, but we have two barn quilts on our garage, as well as a free-standing one in our yard. My husband, John Elberfeld, and I are spearheading the Helderberg Quilt Barn Trail in the four Hilltowns of Berne, Knox, Rensselaerville, and Westerlo. Our website www.HQBT.org has helpful information on constructing a barn quilt. We’re looking for people to serve on the steering committee. If you have an interest in quilts, rural buildings, folk art, carpentry, public relations, or the future of the Hilltowns, please contact me at [email protected] to learn how you can help.
What is a barn quilt? Usually it’s a painted wooden square based on a quilt block design and installed as a decorative element on a barn or other building. Barn quilts generally range in size from 2’x2’ up to 8’x8’ and are made with exterior-grade plywood and exterior paint on a 2x4 frame. The design is often a traditional quilt block, such as Churn Dash or Ohio Star, although many variations and one-of-a-kind blocks are seen, too.
What is a quilt barn trail? When several barns with quilts (“quilt barns”) appear in an area, a steering committee organizes a self-driving tour where visitors can follow a map through the countryside to see the barn quilts. The committee may be from an ad hoc group, a municipality, or a formal community organization. Trails are generally tied into tourism of an area, with the hope of spurring economic development.
Who makes the barn quilts, and who owns them? For the most part, the owner makes or purchases a barn quilt and mounts it on a barn, shed, house, fence, place of business, or even a post by the side of the road. In some areas, artists and crafters make and sell finished squares to people who don’t have the time or space to create them.
How are barn quilts made? Experience has found that a special grade of exterior plywood used for signs, MDO (medium density overlay), has a very smooth surface and is easy to paint on. Other wood can be used but the painted design may not last as long. The plywood and 2x4s receive several coats of exterior primer, then the design is drawn on the plywood. Each color receives three coats of exterior paint. The plywood may be fastened to the frame before or after the painting is done. Some people use several coats of clear finish to protect the paint.
How are barn quilts installed? Very carefully. The barn or other structure must be sound enough to support the weight of the barn quilt. The barn quilt is screwed to a frame, which is attached to the building or to brackets mounted on the building. Large barn quilts may be hoisted in place with pulleys or a bucket loader. How can I learn more? Search the Internet for “barn quilts” and “barn quilt trails” for beautiful photographs and helpful tutorials. Go to www.barnquiltinfo.com for an interactive barn quilt map. Read Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement by Suzi Parron with Donna Sue Groves and An Age of Barns by Eric Sloane (if you can find it).
Do you have a barn quilt? Yes, I now live on Beebe Farm in Knox. Alas, the old farm buildings are gone, but we have two barn quilts on our garage, as well as a free-standing one in our yard. My husband, John Elberfeld, and I are spearheading the Helderberg Quilt Barn Trail in the four Hilltowns of Berne, Knox, Rensselaerville, and Westerlo. Our website www.HQBT.org has helpful information on constructing a barn quilt. We’re looking for people to serve on the steering committee. If you have an interest in quilts, rural buildings, folk art, carpentry, public relations, or the future of the Hilltowns, please contact me at [email protected] to learn how you can help.
About the Author: Jane McLean is a semi-retired speech-language pathologist and co-author, with her husband, of Helderberg Hilltowns, part of Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series. They are owners of Beebe Farm IdeaWorks, and Jane also runs PinchPenny Threads, a home-based sewing business.
Rural Roots - Knox, New York December 17, 2013 - Issue 1 - Pam Fenoff, Editor