Barn Quilt Trail

Hey friends, In my last post I mentioned The Barn Quilt Trail and I know that some of you might not know what that is, so I thought I would give you a little tutorial on it. Marshall County alone has more than 60 barns on the local trail, but they are gaining popularity all across the country. Determined to save not only wonderful old barns but also to celebrate the deep quilting heritage some talented folks got together and married the two to create these wonderful old barn quilts. Quilt patterns are painted on sheets of wood ranging in sizes from 4 x 4 foot to 8 x 8 foot. Time honored patterns are then painted and mounted on these massive old country barns. Many of the quilt patterns reflect the history of family honored quilts and their history. No two barn quilts are quite the same. The barn quilt trail travels over 150 miles of roadway, meandering through back roads and gentle landscape. So stop by the Marshall County Visitors Center and pick up a barn quilt map to keep in your car and enjoy a leisurely weekend searching out these wonderful quilts. Or download from their website www.VisitMarshallCounty.org. You can also pick up a map when you visit local shops (mine for example) who are fortunate enough to be a member of the trail. Our own quilt pattern is the eight sided star and sits outside of our little red cabin here at The Briar Patch. Come on by and pick one up.

Spring Plans!

Hey friends, we are making plans for spring of 2015. We will we be opening our new shop, The Old Homeplace, which is just filled to the brim with farmhouse finds. Old fireplace mantles, benches, a little bit of everything from primitives to shabby chic. I hope you will stop by and see what we have. We also would like to invite you to join us at our 7th Annual Folk Art Gathering on June 27th, here on the grounds. We will have vendors, music, food and all kind of fun things. Come on by and wander the gardens, visit with our vendors and just spend the afternoon. Someone will be here from the Marshall County Visitors center to speak to you about the Barn Quilt trail. If you haven't heard of this before, you are in for a real treat, come and learn about the trail and maybe even get a quilt for your barn. We will have free copies of the Art and Earth Trail magazine for everyone. This magazine is just full of wonderful places to visit from all of the surrounding counties, you won't want to miss it. Stephanie from La'Dezert will be here , serving lunch and offering you her tempting deserts, Mmm you must have one. So save the date: June 27th from 9-3, admission is free so come and spend the day with us. One mile west of 6 & 31 in Lapaz (exit 233), then one mile North on Oak.