Barn quilts: two favorite things merged

Barn quilt beauty posted at the Barn Quilts of Sac County site

Is it Saturday already? I'm not at all sure how that happened. We have started the move into the new building, and things are beyond hectic. Hecticity? Hecticness? There has to be a word for it. Let's just say that you can have the irresistible force (a 3-ton hoist) meet the immovable object (a fossil block the size of a Harley, still in its plaster field jacket). Winner: neither. Draw. The hoist could lift the block, but could not move it forward. We moved over 60 field jackets into the new building in the past two days and seem to be on track to finish the project on Monday, with one notable exception: a fossil block the size of a Volkswagen Beetle, slightly flattened. Look for details from the survivors sometime next week, when we are out of traction.

It will be a long summer of moving, and I'll post highlights on the weekends.

In the meantime, how come no one ever told me about the Midwest gems known as barn quilts? Quilts painted on wood and attached to barns and other such structures! Now I have a new reason (as if I needed one) to stop without warning in the middle of rural roads, tick off farm equipment operators and scare the cattle. The Kansas City Star Quilts team has posted a tribute here. This sent me to an Internet search, in which I found out that many places, including the relatively close-by rivals Sac County, Washington County and Humboldt County, Iowa, have a major presence in this field. Architecture of the open places, meet painted quilts.

I think I'm in love. Now I have to find out if these cross the Missouri and make it to West River, South Dakota.

Barn quilt posted by Mary Howell of Lebanon, Tennessee, at the KC Star Pickledish site