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Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Barn Quilt Project of Iredell County

I took this photo last August at a dairy farm in Sweetwater, Tennessee. Tennessee has a fabulous Quilt Barn Trail program. (A quilt barn is one that displays a quilt block, like the one above.) These programs are cropping up in states across the country. You can read more about them at American Quilt Barns or the Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail blog.

Last August, Johnny Elliott of Harmony, NC, mounted a beautiful replica of his great-grandmother’s quilt on the side of the barn he is renovating. He got help from Taproot Artisans, a marketplace for work by Piedmont-area artisans. You can read more in the Statesville Record and Landmark’s article from August 2010 here. His efforts led to the start of Barn Quilts of Iredell County.

The group was supposed to meet on Monday, but their meeting was canceled because of the snow and ice storm that hit here earlier this week. The new meeting date is Monday, Jan. 17 at 6 p.m. at the Harmony Community Center, 3286 Harmony Highway, Harmony NC 28634.

On Jan. 22 and 29, the group is holding a workshop to make barn quilt blocks. Here are the details:

BARN QUILT BLOCK WORKSHOP
Jan. 22 (starting at 9 a.m.) and Jan. 29 (wrap-up)
Participate in this hands-on workshop and take home a finished barn quilt block! You choose pattern (Basic!) and colors.
Materials furnished - everything you need to complete the project.
4' x 4' MDO 1/2" Plywood block with finish paint coat. Ready for pattern to be applied.
Paint for pattern, brushes, tape, scale sketch, layout instruction, painting assistance.
PVC Edge Capping
Cost - $225. Must be paid at registration.
Location: TBA, in the Harmony area
Instructor - Cora Ellen Stroud, Taproot Artisans (336) 492-2234
Pre-registration is required. 

I wish I had a barn so I could do this! Do you think my neighbors would object to a big quilt block mounted on my house?

6 comments:

  1. For Christmas this year, Steve built me a 4 foot square! I'm going to paint it with a quilt block and hang it on my house!

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  2. Really? How did he build it, DeLane? I can't wait to see it. What block are you going to paint?

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  3. I think you should do it! And your neighbors might fall in love with them too when they learn the history of the barn quilts and quilt barns.

    Also, that's a terrific photo of the horses and the barn. Great work.

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  4. ABout a year ago, we made 1-4x4 for our house/barn and 4 2x2 for our farm fence, applied white ocver coat and purchased spray paints for the designs, and then got stalled. I am thrilled to hear about Iredell County's project and maybe this will spur me to finish.

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  5. Steve used 1x6's to build the square frame. He braced the corners with metal brackets to keep it from warping.Finally he put a piece of 3/8 inch plywood over the top. He glued and screwed all the joints and the plywood to the frame.
    Then, he painted 2 coats of house paint over the whole thing inside and out to protect it from the weather.
    Not to the specs of the quilt trail guidelines - those are HEAVY to lift about 60 pounds. Mine will be easier to lift up and put on the house.
    Haven't decided on my block yet.

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  6. The photo of the horses is great. I enjoyed the barn quilts history and the new sketchbook posts.

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