Sarah Sobanski
There’s a project set to make history in our township and everyone is invited to participate.
The Cavan Monaghan Barn Quilt Trail is coming to a neighbourhood near you, but it’s not what you might think – there won’t be a stitch of material in sight.
Jeanne Moran loves everything quilting and paid homage to her quilting group the Barn Owls who has been donating quilts to Quilts for Cancer and meeting since 1996. Photo: Supplied.
Barn quilts are eight by eight foot boards of MDO wood, a paintable weather- resistant plywood popular for building outdoor signs, painted using quilting patterns to appear like quilts. Each pattern and block is chosen with care to represent a story of the community. Whether that story is as big as the history of the place where the quilt is hung, or as small as the story of the person who hung the quilt, depends on many different factors including the ambition of volunteers. The project is operated entirely by volunteers, and is open to anyone who wants to get involved. Once the quilts are painted, they’re hung in a trail-like fashion with links to the stories they tell, on site and on their website. It’s all about making and recording the history from every nook and cranny of our township.
Take Jeanne Moran, for example, who recently hung a smaller barn quilt with the pattern ’Hole in the Barn Door’ in preparation for the trail. After taking a quilting class between teaching folk art classes in the 1970s, Moran fell in love with quilting. She remembers the hobby as being less popular back then, and having to travel to find quality fabrics. Today, she quilts almost every day and sews bi-weekly with a group in her barn to donate to Quilts for Cancer – the group fondly calls themselves the Barn Owls. Moran is just one member of the ever-growing committee gathering support for a barn quilt trail.
Susan Rice says the rolling hills of our township inspired her to paint the bargello wave pattern – blue is for the sky, green is for the grass and pink is for the flowers. Photo: Supplied.
Lenka Petric of Ida first had the idea after visiting a small town in the USA. Petric then contacted Bonnie McQuarrie and together they started inviting all kinds of people to participate; because people from web designers, to writers, to space owners (not all of the quilts have to be hung on barns), to painters of all ages are needed. From quilting veterans like Quilter’s Bolt owner Kate DeKlerck, who plans to lend expertise and advice aspiring trail quilters, to Susan Rice, who recently tried her hand at her second quilt ever, and chose the ambitious bargello wave pattern for her barn quilt – it reminds her of the beautiful rolling hills of our landscape.
Committee members have also visited other trails like the one in Prince Edward County which just recently hung its hundredth quilt in Picton. They are making presentations around the township seeking community grants, sponsors, donations and volunteers to start hanging for next summer. There is even talk of a QR Code Tracker so quilts can be scanned at their sites to directly link to their stories on electronic devices. It’s an ambitious project that will need, every hand in the community to be achieved.
“The creativity is inspiring,” says Petric of what she’s seen from the community so far. “Highlighting that is leading to the discovery of the artists, crafts people and the beauty of our township.”
Those looking to lend a hand can get involved at the community Facebook page; Cavan Monaghan Barn Quilt Trail.
