District hosting barn quilt class

With a spike in popularity in barn quilts over the last two decades, Whitehall art teacher Gayle Walter is trying to get the community inspired to create them locally.

The Whitehall School District will be hosting an adult education barn quilt class that will be held Tuesdays starting February 11th through March 10th from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Whitehall School art room. Walter will be facilitating the class.

According to Walter, there are now more than 7,000 barn quilts in the U.S. and Canada and the idea behind the local event originated from the opportunity to teach an adult education class.

"I thought a barn quilting class would be a fun thing to teach. I took a barn quilt class a few summers ago and loved the project. It is fun to pick out a pattern and paint the design. You want to use bright, harmonious colors for the barn quilts, and color is one of my favorite things to work with. The project is pretty fail-proof. It doesn't matter if you've never done one before, or for that matter, ever done an art project. Anyone can make one. Painting these barn quilts with quilt patterns is such a cool idea," she said. "There are so many interesting and beautiful patterns to choose from. Some people have family quilts that get passed down for generations. These special patterns can now be put on wood and hung for everyone to admire. Traditionally, these are hung on barns but not everyone has a barn so you might see them hanging on houses and out-building. Doing a project like this in a group setting is always so much fun. You get to meet new people, get inspiration from others and connect as a community with a like-minded interest."

As Walter began researching the origin of the barn quilting movement, she found out there is a barn quilt trail, adding she pulled up the national trail map and saw that the only county in Montana listed on the official barn quilt trail map was Missoula County.

"I started thinking; what would it take to get Jefferson County on the barn quilt trail map? Well, the answer is, we need to create a barn quilt movement - and that is the vision. We need barn quilts and barns. I believe Jefferson County has the ability to create beautiful barn quilts and I know we have many beautiful barns. Teaching the class is just the start and it will be a process to get on the map, but I know over time we could do it. By doing so, it not only pays homage to these beautiful historic barns, but it also gives admirers a purpose to drive around rural Montana and take in the countryside and find the barns with barn quilts. Maybe by doing so, it will be another unique thing on the list that attracts people to our area," she said.

With the initial class, Walter wants to establish an interest and teach people to make the barn quilts.

"Then we will take it to the next level," she said.

There is a $25 fee for materials. Barn quilts are yours to keep unless you want to donate it to the barn quilt trail. Please email gwalter@whitehallmt.org or call Whitehall High School at 287-3882 to reserve your spot in the class by Friday, January 31st. If you have a barn and are interested in being on the barn quilt trail, please email gwalter@whitehallmt.org for more information.

BARN QUILTS

How did the barn quilt trail begin?

The first quilt trail was created in Adams County, Ohio, in 2001. Donna Sue Groves wanted to honor her mother, Maxine, and her quilting art by painting a quilt block on their tobacco barn. In talking with friends and neighbors, Donna Sue realized that the project had wide appeal and also could be beneficial to the community as a means to bring tourism and economic development. Instead of a single personal tribute, she worked with the community to create a "clothesline of quilts," which began with an Ohio Star, dedicated in 2001. Though many believe that the first barn quilt was on the Groves barn, the Snail's Trail quilt block was not, in fact, added to Donna Sue and Maxine's barn until 2003.

Who paints barn quilts?

Usually, a quilt trail committee is formed to facilitate painting and mounting barn quilts. The committee may simply be made up of interested residents who want to bring a quilt trail to their area. Often the local arts council or tourism board participates, as well as the extension office. And in many communities, 4H, scouts, and schools have been active in the projects. There are even quilt trails that have been created by just one or two energetic painters. And some enlist the barn owners themselves to complete the task. Carrying the boards can require some muscle, but once the boards are in place, anyone from a child to a senior citizen can participate.

How are the patterns chosen?

Often a family quilt will serve as the model for a barn quilt, with a single block from the pattern used and often the same colors used. For those who don't have a family quilt, barn quilts are most often designed using traditional geometric blocks that can be found in quilting encylopedia or books. There are thousands of existing patterns, and of course the choices in colors create even more possibilities. A pattern may be chosen for the name: Corn and Beans to signify crops, or Jacob's ladder for the founder of the farm. Sometimes a quilt block will be a tribute to a lost loved one; a floral pattern might be chosen to honor a beloved gardener. Many barn owners choose a red, white, and blue motif so that their patriotism is on display, or green/yellow or red/black to match their favorite farm equipment. A set of school colors may be worked into the design, often with the image of a mascot inserted. Often an image or the family's intials are added to the center of a block to create a unique barn quilt. How are barn quilts made?

The very first barn quilts were painted directly on the surface of the barn. Local artists were employed in painting the blocks, but the process was time consuming. Soon the method was changed, and painters began creating quilt blocks on wood, which was then mounted on the barns. A full-sized barn quilt is eight-by-eight feet, which requires two full sheets of plywood, mounted side by side. Many barn quilts are simply painted on plywood, which is first sanded and primed. More recently, barn quilt painters have been using MDO sign board, which is a bit more expensive but easier to work with, as the surface is smooth. The paint used is exterior latex or acrylic, the same type of paint that is used for houses. Once the design is drawn onto the boards, each section is outlined with painters' tape and then painted with several coats.

What is a quilt trail?

A quilt trail is a collection of quilt blocks mounted on locations such that a driving or walking tour is possible. Usually a quilt trail will be confined to one county, but there are some exceptions. The quilt blocks do not have to be on barns; many are on buildings or mounted on posts in public places. A quilt trail will include a map--either printed or electronic--of the locations so that travelers can locate the quilts. Some are elaborate mult-page magazines, and some are a single sheet of plain paper. As long as there are some directions so that the quilt squares can be found, the group of quilt blocks is considered a quilt trail.

Information from http://www.barnquiltinfo.com