Patriotic Theme

My wife and her friend Sue have been quilting buddies for about 5 years.  We met Sue and her husband, Joe, about 6 years ago at a country dance bar, Cadillac Ranch, in Southington, CT.  Yes, the four of us have been country line dancing for that period of time and love it!  I've got the cowboy boots to prove it......and I'm not bad on the dance floor!!!!

Well, my wife and Sue usually quilt on Saturday's together, switching back and forth from each other's houses.  Two weeks ago Sue was at our house and was working on a quilt using a pattern that she loves called Hunter Star.  She mentioned to me that she would like a door quilt for the summer, honoring Memorial Day and Fouth of July.  So, being a good listener (of course, my wife will disagree!) I put two and two together and came up with the Hunter Star pattern in red, white and blue.
 

I had thought about doing a few imbellishments within the pattern, but, I like the clean look and lines on it, so I'm leaving it alone.

My first 'Themed' barn quilt

You're probably wondering why I'm calling my latest barn quilt a 'Themed' one.   My brother in law Gary, who lives about 2 miles from me, started making maple syrup several years ago in a small building that was used for storage on his property.  At first, he started boiling the sap in a small pan on his kitchen stove!  Then he progressed to a bigger unit that was designed just for boiling sap.  When he started tapping more trees, 14 in all, he naturally collected more sap.  So, it was the logical thing to do to move the operation to the storage building. 
While reading Suzi Parron's book, Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement, which I blogged on recently, I saw a photo of a barn with the maple leaf quilt block pattern hanging on the side.  I had an idea!!  I made a 2' x 2' version of that maple leaf pattern for Gary's sugar house.

When I brought my sap over (I have 2 maple trees tapped) I also brought over the barn quilt, which Gary had no idea that I made, and proceeded to hang it over the entrance to the 'sugar house'.  Now, I'm not bragging, but it looks pretty darn nice on the building!!!

What's nice about the location, is that the building faces the main road, so it should be visible by people driving by.  If anyone is interested in seeing the barn quilt, it's located at 100 South End Rd, Southington, CT.

I wonder now...........Could this be the starting point for a barn quilt trail in Connecticut?!  Or could it be my sister in law, Jean, who is Gary's sister and lives in Brookfield, CT, who has had one of my barn quilts, Log Cabin, hanging on the front of her house for over a year!!!

I would hate to get her mad at me, so I will say that she is the start of the barn quilt trail in Connecticut!!  The location of this barn quilt is 226 Whisconier Rd (Rte 25), Brookfield, CT and it can be seen from the road.

BARN QUILTS and the American Quilt Trail Movement

I have been constantly searching for a book on the subject of barn quilts and the history behing them.  For Christmas in 2010, I received a book by a well known quilting celebrity that had photo's of some barn quilts, but then devoted the remainder of the book to making the barn quilt block from fabric.  Not what I was looking for.  This past Christmas I received another book about barn quilts.  This one had several photo's of barn quilts.  It also had instructions on how to make an 8' x 8' barn quilt, which was OK, but, the book also had, of all things, recipes!!!  Again, not what I was looking for.
My prayer's were answered this past week when I received my copy of Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement, written by Suzi Parron from Stone Mountain, Georgia.  I've never met Suzi but have exchanged emails and blog posts with her for the past year or so.    

Suzi dedicated a tremendous amount of time traveling through out the midwest researching, photographing and writing about the many barn quilts and barn quilt trails that had been organized over the years.  What makes this book stand out is the family history behind each of the barn quilts featured.  History that goes back generations!  I am about half way through the book at the moment and find it very hard to put it down.   The stories are very touching and heart warming.  
If you are interested in obtaining a copy of this book, go to www.barnquiltsinfo.com and order a copy directly from Suzi Parron.  You won't regret it!