Crazy for Quilts Part Three

Continuing from my post yesterday,  here are the rest of the barn quilts that are displayed in the main street store windows where we are currently staying. Under each photo is the pattern name of the quilt, then a brief description (taken directly from here), along with the artist(s) name.

MONKEY WRENCH

On the Underground Railroad, the Monkey Wrench was a signal to gather all tools required for the fleeing slave’s journey—physical, mental, and spiritual.

As for how it got its name, that’s pretty self-explanatory, isn’t it? This is a good example of a block that forms many fascinating patterns when made into a quilt. Artist: Ellen Brunschon

NAPA BURST

From “Crazy Quilts” back in the 1800s, to the striking art being produced by contemporary quilters, designs based on nothing but the quilter’s imagination are everywhere.

This original design is based on the logo for the national Napa Art Parts Company, founded in 1925. Artist: Woody & Pam Woodruff and Harmony Corvettes

BEAR PAW

On the Underground Railroad, the Bear Paw was a visual reference telling the fugitives to follow the actual trail of a bear’s footprints.

The footprints would indicate the best path to food & water. Artist: Hollie DeRose

SOUTHERN STAR

For some Native American tribes, the Milky Way is known as the "Pathway of Departed Souls." They believe that the spirit of the deceased follows this pathway to the Southern Star, the abiding place of the dead.

In their beliefs, the Great Spirit gave stars the power to watch over us here on earth. The Star Quilt is given today as a reminder of this belief. Southwest tribes call this pattern "God's Eye.” Artist: Sarah Janes

NORTH STAR

On the Underground Railroad, everyone knew that North meant freedom. Some believe the design originated during the days of the Railroad. This pattern is very popular for Barn Quilts, and lends itself well to being made in bright colors. Artist: Eve Shunick

PINWHEEL

Pinwheel, a very popular design for baby quilts, must be based on the toy of the same name. It’s considered a type of whirligig, which was what passed for an action toy back in the days before wind-up coin banks, foot-powered fire engines, and of course, plastic dolls that are supposed to look like movie stars.

This block makes a fun quilt, and if the right colors are chosen, it will appear to spin right there on the on the bed. Artist: The TSC Design Team 

ROSES RED AND BLUE

An original design by the artist. Artist: Brett Batchelder

SNOWFLAKE

What better way to pass the frigid days of winter (in a log cabin with little heat) than tucked under a cheerful quilt pieced in this beautiful pattern? Artist: Glenn Ritchey

STAR BLOCKS

This “Folk Art Sampler” is a collection of stars from the German-Bavarian, Norwegian, Swedish, American, French, and French Rococo traditions. Artist: Rebecca Cleghorn 

TWISTING STAR

A popular design for Barn Quilts, the Twisting Star is a neat optical design, creating an almost-3D effect. It is a pinwheel-type block, often compared to a spinning fan. Artist: Woody & Pam Woodruff and Harmony Corvettes  

WAGON WHEEL

On the Underground Railroad, this was a signal to a slave to pack the items needed to travel by wagon or that could be used while travelling. It could also mean to pack the provisions necessary for survival, as if packing a wagon for a long journey, or to actually load the wagon in preparation for an escape.

Some records indicate this symbol meant a wagon with hidden compartments in which slaves could conceal themselves, would soon be embarking on the trip to freedom.  Artist: Carrie Risse

WHEEL OF VALOR

This patriotic design was a summer project for the kids at Zion Summer Daze Camp. Artist: Zion Summer Daze Campers & Staff


 THAT'S ALL I have on the barn quilts. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did!

Crazy for Quilts Part Two

I first introduced you to barn quilts in a previous post here. Coincidentally, the small town that we are currently staying in will be auctioning off barn quilts at their annual Settler Days in October. The 8 x 8 wooden barn quilts are on display in the local store windows down the main street in town. One day I walked down the street and took pictures of each quilt. Although I had a polarizer lens on my camera, I still was fighting the reflections from the street. I ended up having to come back at dusk and use my flash. The photos came out MUCH better, although there are still one or two reflections that you can see. I had to stand to the side to take the photo so that the flash wouldn't show up on the board. Under each photo is the pattern name of the quilt, then a brief description (taken directly from here), along with the artist(s) name.

BEAR CLAW

In the middle of the country this block may be called “Bear’s Paw,” but where waterfowl outnumber bears on the East Coast, it’s known as “Duck’s Foot in the Mud.” There is also a story that in Quaker Territory (a.k.a. Pennsylvania), it goes by the name “Hand of Friendship.” Artist: Rebecca Brosch

BROKEN DISHES

This is a popular traditional pattern much-loved by beginners, as it is made of just one piece: a triangle. Depending on how you combine the blocks, it can create other patterns, such as the Ohio Star.

It doesn’t take much imagination to guess how this block got its name. What quilter hasn’t dropped a dish and watched it shatter into pointy shards? Artist: Ellen Brunschon 

CALMING THE SEAS

An original design by the members of Zion Lutheran Church. Artist: Zion members

CHAINED STAR

According to Unraveling the History of Quilts and Slavery, this historic pattern was designed as a reminder of what it was like when slaves were originally captured by traders in Africa. They would use bright red cloth as bait to attract young women. Artists: Woody & Pam Woodruff  and  Harmony Corvettes 

CORNER NINE PATCH

The Nine Patch is an old and simple pattern that was often the first one learned by little girls at their mothers’ knees. This variation creates lovely patterns when assembled into a finished quilt. Artist: Lt. Noel Gaines

CROSSROADS

In Underground Railroad lore, “Crossroads” was a symbol referring to Cleveland, Ohio, which was the main crossroads with several routes to freedom. On a less literal level, the term “crossroads” also means reaching a turning point in one’s life, where a choice must be made and then carry on. Artist: Ellen Brunschon

DRUNKARD'S PATH

This is a copy of a quilt made by the artist’s grandmother, Nellie Cloninger, in the late 1950’s. A lifelong resident of Hydro, Oklahoma (including those Dust Bowl years when everyone else left), Nellie made dozens of quilts in her lifetime. The original is still in the possession of her daughter, Katheryn Arminta. Artist: Pam Gitta

FLOWER PATCH

Cheerful flowers keep you smiling in the cold, dark days of winter. Artist: Jen Cowan 

GARDENING

Inspired by diary entries made in 1861, as recorded in The Civil War Diary Quilt. Artist: Debbie Carr

HUNTER'S STAR

The Hunter’s Star is probably a variation on the pattern Indian Arrowhead. This deceptively complicated pattern is actually pretty easy to piece.

The star is similar to those often found inlaid in rifle stocks and may refer to the North Star, popularly used for navigation. Artist: Eve Shunick 

LUCK OF THE IRISH

Shamrocks are often used in conjunction with the popular traditional pattern, “Irish Chain.” Done up in (what else?) green and white, they make a striking addition to any bedroom.

Four-leafed clovers are lucky because they’re rare. The more typical three-leaf variety is popularly said to represent the Holy Trinity. The word “shamrock” comes from the Gaelic word for clover, seamróg. Artist: Danielle Tegtman

MARINER'S COMPASS

It doesn’t take much imagination to figure out how this block got its name: it looks exactly like the star on the compasses used by sailors as they plied the seven seas. Artist: Woody & Pam Woodruff and Harmony Corvettes

MARINER'S COMPASS

One of the most difficult quilt blocks, Mariner’s Compass makes a knockout quilt, especially worked in bright colors that would have been hard to come by in the 19th century.

It is one of the oldest named patterns in American quilting. Artist: Allison Schirmer
 
The second half will follow soon. Also on display were REAL quilts dating back from the late 1800's and early 1900's. I have photos of those and will post those, too. I hope you won't get "quilted" out!

Crazy for Quilts

Remember that I told you I had gone to the annual family camping trip last weekend?

Do you also remember that I told you that it was HOT and HUMID?

Yeah.

This didn't seem to bother some relatives. In fact, they seemed to THRIVE in the heat.

They went on long bike rides (17-25 miles!) I would have loved to have gone, too, but the thought of getting even more sweaty then what I was from just sitting there?

Uh, no.

Now if it were a cooler, less humid day? Maybe I would have given it a try.

So we talked about things we could do from our air-conditioned car.

I know, pathetic, right?

We talked about taking an Amish tour. You could purchase a $28 CD, and take the self tour. (I'm not sure why we didn't do this......I would have loved to do that!)

We, (Jim, oldest son Jeff, granddaughter Lauren, and me) decided to drive into the next town to the pie shop for lunch and pie.

Jim and I shared a chicken salad sandwich on homemade bread....delish! And we both had a cup of wild rice soup. I have to admit, my SIL Karen's soup is better.

But the pies....OH MY!!

So many pies, so little time.

I don't know why I didn't take pictures.

Maybe I was drooling too much.

While we were munching our lunch, I kept my eyes peeled to the people walking by with their pieces of pie.

Which should I pick? Hmmm......

Jim got pecan ala mode, I got strawberry rhubarb with whip cream, Lauren got Elvis peanut butter pie, and Jeff got raspberry creme.

I didn't taste Jeff's, but I can vouch for the other three pies.

TO.DIE.FOR.

In fact, Lauren said hers was "too peanut buttery".

Is there even such a thing?

So I thought it was a SIN - a SIN I TELL YA - to let that piece of pie go to waste.

So I ate it up. Every last morsel. And then when I was finished, I curled my lip and did my best Elvis imitation and said, "Thank you. Thank you very much!"

Gosh! I just crack myself up!

We piled back in the car and Jeff said, "Now what?"

"Well, we COULD go see the quilted barns," I piped up from the back seat.

I had perused the tour book of the county earlier that morning and found that the town of Caledonia (about 28 miles away) had over three dozen barns that displayed quilts.

If you are not familiar with quilted barns, they are 8 foot by 8 foot pieces of plywood that are painted with a quilted pattern. You can read about the history here and here. It is a very interesting read. In fact, if you just Google "barn quilts" you'll be amazed at what information will come up. Try it.

So we drove to Caledonia and picked up a map of where the barns were located. We actually only drove to about 10 of them; but we stumbled across some along the way before the town, AND there were a few in IL/WI along the way to Minnesota to the camping trip.

Remember, some of these are located down a LONG driveway. I didn't have my long lens, so I cropped the photos the best I could. Click to enlarge any photo.

IL or WI barn

A COW! IL/WI barn

Another side of the "cow" barn, IL/WI barn

IL/WI barn

IL/WI barn (I like how this one is tilted)

The following barns are all from the Caledonia, MN area.

To see all the barns on the Caledonia tour, click here.

What was cool, besides driving on the country roads and finding the quilt barns, was the beautiful scenery and coming across surprising things like bison:

or long-horn cattle

Yeah that cow is peeing-seems like every photo I took some animal was peeing or poohing.I must bring out the best in them!

Driving back we saw an Amish buggy approaching us. I quickly took a photo.

and right after I snapped the picture, the man saw my camera and bent way low so I couldn't get his face. (I didn't know this...Jeff told me.) I felt bad, but not bad enough to delete the photo! Besides, he's wearing a hat and sunglasses so he's pretty incognito!

There was a blurb in the tour book about the "Million Dollar Bridge". It was on our way home if we took a different route, and I'm always looking for photo ops of bridges to contribute to Sunday Bridges so Jim navigated us to the site.

Jeff knew I was excited so he played along. "Okay," he said as we headed down a sharp decline," it's just around this curve!"

We drove past rocks embedded in the earth, as if the road had been cut out of the dirt.

We came upon another curve and we were still heading down.

"It should be close!" Jeff said again.

"I hope there's room to pull off so I can get a photo!" I said.

And then,

and then,

there was the bridge.

It was like any other concrete bridge. NOTHING spectacular.

What the???

Jim and Jeff just laughed and laughed.

I pouted.

Why make such a big deal in the tour book about a regular bridge?

I don't get it.

So I didn't get a photo of it.

But don't worry.

You didn't miss anything.