Barn Charm

Last Monday my hubby stopped as far to the right of the road as he could for me take this pic. A couple pulled up beside us an asked if we needed any help. My husband said, "No, she's just taking pictures of barns." The woman smiled; the man said "oh" but he politely left off the "jeeze" and drove away. Hubby didn't rush me and pulled down a little further for this less obstructed view.Along the same road we were traveling was this beauty nestled back away from the road.Luckily I had my zoom lens so this is a closeup shot. Remember to click on any of the pictures and click through the slideshow of larger images. I like the two lightning rods on top.Hmmm....doesn't this pattern look familiar! It is why I was excited to find this particular barn quilt.   When I first walked into hubby's dorm room at college this quilt was on his bunk bed. It was made by his Mom . She didn't make quilts for show she made them to use. This one has been well used and well loved. We still have it. As an added note, on my own dorm room bed was the quilt my Grandmother had made me when I was very young. Seems like we both took a little love from home when we went to college.

Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm.

Barn Charm

I think this is a charming old red barn. Those of you who visit me often know I love these barns known as quilt barns for the painted wooden quilt blocks attached to the barn's siding. The name of the quilt pattern used here is Annie's Choice. It is one of several in a barn quilt trail in Roane County, West Virginia. The trail isn't far from my hometown of Spencer where I grew up.
Posted for Barn Charm.

Barn Charm

I posted this photo a couple of years ago on my photoblog long before Tricia's barn meme. I thought it was worthy of repeating here for those Barn Charm folks who appreciate these wonderful old relics of the American landscape. When it comes to charm this one fits the bill for me. It sits high atop a hill with wide open sky behind it with its bright red color contrasting beautifully with the green field of grass that surrounds it. The charming old fashioned lightning rods point to the wispy clouds overhead. The outline of three windows can barely be seen and my mind wistfully wonders what the rest of this little charmer looks like. The barn is adorned with a wooden quilt patch named Bold Star. Given the bold statement this little barn makes sitting high on the hill the owners couldn't have chosen a more appropriate pattern to adorn it with.

Posted for Barn Charm and Ruby Tuesday.

Ruby Tuesday with Barn Charm

I saw this little barn from the interstate the first year we moved back to West Virginia. It sits down in a little valley and unless you know it's there you don't see it. We've passed it many times but never remember exactly where it is in order to stop. A couple of weeks ago while driving the route that goes by it I grabbed my camera and told Hubs to slow down that I thought I knew where it was and I was right. He pulled to the side of the rode and I shot down the hillside with my zoom lens to capture this little beauty.
I'm not sure what it is used for but I suspect collectables going by the many signs I can see on the left wall. You can hardly see it but there's a rooster weathervane on top and the exhaust pipe of a stove. The fence you see in the back surrounds the yard of the nearby house.
I love it's charming whatever it is used for. Of course, the quilt block is a big bonus. What I like about this quilt block is that it is actually painted on the barn and not a piece of wood painted and tacked on.

Posted for Ruby Tuesday and Barn Charm.

Barn Charm on Ruby Tuesday

This is another of my found Quilt Barns. For new readers here it is a Quilt Barn because of the square quilt pattern painted and hung on the barn. They are all over our country. If you aren't familiar with the history click here for a link that explains their beginnings. The lady responsible was born here in West Virginia just a few miles from where I grew up. It was a rainy misty day last July when we passed by this barn and lighting wasn't very desirable; but I think you can still see the beauty it beholds.

This is a closeup of the quilt pattern. I tried finding a name for the pattern but haven't been successful so far. Hubs and I have a two story barn-like detached garage that I hope will have its own quilt pattern square sometime this summer.

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Ohio Quilt Barn In Sepia

A couple of weeks ago Hubs and I were returning home from a trip to nearby Ohio when I spotted this quilt barn (so-called for the quilt patch that decorates the side of the barn) across four lanes of traffic. When I shouted quilt barn he knew he needed to find a safe place to pull over and bless his heart he did. Since we were in the state of Ohio it was quite appropriate that the quilt block is called 'Ohio Star.'

I've included the original image as well so you can see the weathered patina and rusting tin roof.

(Don't forget you can enlarge to see greater detail.)

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Wagon Wheel

Last week I posted three 'quilt barns' on my photoblog (here). The above barn is the last of those barns I found while following this particular trail in West Virginia. The National Quilt Barn trail was began in 2001 by Donna Sue Groves. In 1989 she purchased an Adams County Ohio farm and promised her mother that she would one day paint a quilt square on it to honor her mother and their Appalachian heritage.

In Adams County there were many old barns and she began to think of painting not only her barn but others as well and develop a driving trail to entice tourists. What resulted was the nation’s first quilt barn trail; a collection of 20 wooden quilt squares leading visitors through scenic Adams County,Ohio. Today, the trail is scattered across the landscape of 19 Ohio counties, and throughout 27 states nationwide. Close to 2000 quilt squares adorn barns across the nation. Donna's mother is a master quilter and just so happens to be a native of West Virginia and lived in the county where I was born. Thus, the idea to develop a trail here.

This photo doesn't present the barn itself well; but it sits right beside a two lane road and no place to pull off completely. I took this photo shooting from the passenger seat out the driver's seat window. You can tell it's right there! The horse had been standing inside the door. When the Jeep came to a stop he walked out and whinnied for us. I think he was glad for a minute's worth of company.

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Sepia Scenes

I've posted about these quilt barns before. You can click here for the original color photo posted last August. For today's post I was just going to change the image to sepia and erase the quilt pattern but I played around with my software just a little more and this was the result.
Briefly I took the original color image, added a layer and changed it to sepia. I then erased the quilt pattern, added a 'time machine' effect and added edges. I'm liking this a lot. Hope you enjoy it as well.

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Wordless Wednesday:Quilt Barns

Colorado Pattern

Carpenter's Wheel Pattern

Goose Tracks Pattern

All of these were found on a recent drive along the Muskingum River in Ohio.

Priceless Community Art

Just recently I posted a photo of a Mail Pouch barn and had said I hoped to find more. Last week on a day trip I came across another of the historic structures. This one sits in Friendly, West Virginia. As I stopped to take a picture of the barn I noticed another small outbuilding beside the residence behind the barn. On the side of the building you will notice a quilt pattern. I’m not positively sure of the pattern’s name but suspect it is a variation of something called “girl’s choice.” On the other hand I could be completely wrong. My dear mother-in-law was the quilter in the family. I’m sure she’s shaking her head up there in quilter’s heaven and disowning me for my lack of knowledge!
Last year my mother had given me a magazine that ran a short article about these quilt patterns on barns in the state of Iowa. Barns play an important role in Iowan heritage. With quilting being another part of that heritage, quilt blocks on barns seem to go hand in hand. This link, http://www.barnquilts.com/2359.html, will take you on a virtual tour of actual photos of the displayed barn quilts in Sac County, Iowa.
Apparently this endeavor has begun in several communities across the nation. The original idea may have begun in the state of Ohio. In addition to Iowa and Ohio, parts of Kentucky and Tennessee have also jumped on the barn quilt wagon. On one of my first day trips after moving back here to West Virginia last summer I spotted my first quilt barn down the hillside from the interstate. At the time I didn’t carry my camera everywhere I went. Shame on me; and yes, I’ve learned my lesson! Knowing there are two here in West Virginia I’m certainly going to be on the lookout for more priceless community art ~ and with camera in hand!