Quilts on Barns is back, with three installations

Kathi Wilson with her brothers Peter and David, giving quilt a final touch-up

It was perfect "quilt" weather Saturday for Kathi Wilson. She was standing outside, wrapped in one quilt -- the warm cloth variety, trying to keep warm -- while another -- this one painted on plywood -- was hung on the side of a barn in Caledonia. Quilts on Barns is back.

Ah, bliss!

Wilson, you'll remember, is the woman who came up with the idea of hanging 4-ft. by 8-ft. painted "quilts" on barns last summer, and oversaw the hanging of 15 of them. Well, she and the Racine Arts Council, are back, with another six this year, and the first three of these were hung Saturday morning. The next three will be put up in July. That's both good news and bad news in one: the good news is that more quilts are being hung; the bad news is that it's only six and the project will now end earlier than once planned, victim of the difficulty in finding sponsors in this economic climate.

The first quilt was hung this morning on a barn owned by Bill and Sue Arostegui at 29614 Mt. Tom Rd., Burlington. It's the Vine of Friendship pattern, and was painted by Girl Scouts. Sponsors were JM Electric and Pat & Mark Levine. (The pattern is sometimes called Drunkard's Path; and the backstory of this particular barn quilt is here.)

The second quilt was hung on a lovely, well known barn adorned with large painted letters at one end proclaiming Rose Hill, 1918, owned by Harry and Sherry Gruhn, located at 17201 Old Yorkville Rd., Yorkville. You can see it from Route 20 a little west of Ives Grove. It now sports a Swing on a Star quilt, painted by the Gruhn Family, sponsored by Stericycle.

Rose Hill was the family's farm from great-grampa's day; the barn actually dates long before 1918 -- that's merely the date it was rebuilt after a fire. Sherry Gruhn is one of nine siblings who inherited homesteads when their parents died and the 82-acre farmstead was broken up; five of them live within sight of the barn, and this morning's quilt hanging was an occasion for a family reunion of sorts with a groaning table of breakfast party food. Many friends and family members signed the back of the quilt (as above) before it was hung. The messages probably won't be seen again for another 100 years or so.

Sherry Gruhn, who painted most of the quilt herself, in the barn's basement with help from two of her sisters, said she's been waiting for this day for more than a year; from the time she first heard of Wilson's project she wanted her barn included.

Said Wilson, as the quilt was hung, "The most fun is to turn around and see everybody's face as it goes up...to see all the smiles."


The third quilt went on a barn owned by Chuck and Kari Lee, at 1509 51st St., Caledonia. It's called Mosaic and was painted by employees of Educators Credit Union, and was sponsored by ECU.

Chuck Lee remembers how his barn was chosen: Al Barry, right, head of the Quilts on Barns installation crew was driving around the county, looking for attractive barns visible from well-travelled roads. He knocked on the Lees' door one morning last December -- but Chuck, who had not heard of the project, was cautious. "You never know what people who knock on your door are pushing. I said, 'I'll have to ask my wife,' " Chuck told him ... but when they went to church and mentioned the encounter, many people told them what a good project it is -- not a scam at all -- and the Lees quickly signed on.

They have a 21-acre farm -- on which Chuck, a metalworker, raises beef cattle and outbuildings on which he manages to erect a collection of antique weather vanes. He temporarily took down a beauty -- a copper rooster -- to protect it from possible injury from the bucket lift used to reach the upper reaches of the barn front.

In October, the project will come to an end with a reception at the Racine County Convention and Visitors Bureau. For Kathi Wilson it will be bittersweet; she's disappointed that funding dried up earlier this year than expected ... but eager to get on with some new projects.

Our stories and pictures 0f 2008's Quilts on Barns are HERE.

County's 15th barn quilt is hung

Ohio Star Variation on Nicholson Road

And then there were fifteen.

The 15th and final "quilt" to be hung on a Racine County barn this year was put up Monday morning, successfully completing the hard work of the first year of Racine County's exciting Quilts on Barns project. All that's left to do now is party, on Oct. 11 at the Racine County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Details of the celebration are HERE, along with links to pictures and stories of the other 14 barn quilts.

The final quilt was hung on the Jim and Laurel Helding barn at 4638 Nicholson Road. The 8'x8' quilt square in the Ohio Star Variation pattern was painted by the Quilts on Barns Committee, and sponsored by Design Quilting.

There's an amusing backstory to this final quilt -- amusing now that it's over and there's been a happy ending. See, the red, green and cream star quilt above is actually the second one to be hung on the Heldings' barn. The first one hung there, on Sept. 9, is shown at right. Depending on who you ask, this blue and yellow pattern is called either the Drunkard's Path or the Vine of Friendship. They really are similar designs, but since this one was painted by Girl Scouts we'll say it's Vine of Friendship, OK? Regardless, there had been a mix-up; Quilts on Barns organizer Kathi Wilson agrees she gave the Heldings a drawing of the quilt their barn was getting beforehand -- but it didn't turn out to be the quilt that was actually installed.

Maybe it was the colors that didn't agree with the barn owners, or that name, Drunkard's Path. Regardless, the quilt went up on Sept. 9 -- and it immediately came down. And then the fun began, as Donna Newgord of the Quilts on Barns Committee was given a quick assignment: paint a new quilt in the Ohio Star Variation pattern for the Heldings' barn. The two 4'x8' panels were delivered, along with cans of paint and a hurry-up order. Donna got it done in a week: the priming, taping and multiple coats, completed in odd moments night and day.

If you're a quilter, then you know the first rule of quilting: nothing gets wasted. The Drunkard's Path ... er, Vine of Friendship barn quilt will be used for the ribbon-cutting celebrating completion of the project's first year on Oct. 11, and then will be hung on a barn next year. All's well that ends well. And if anybody asks, don't forget: It's the Vine of Friendship pattern, not that other name...

Quilts on Barns project near first-year conclusion

Quilt pieces readied for a Burlington Township barn

Criss-crossing the county -- from Haban Park in Racine to Waterford -- Quilts on Barns volunteers hung "quilts" on five barns Sunday.

The marathon began at 8 a.m. and wasn't finished until after 3 p.m., thanks to various challenges -- like soft dirt into which its borrowed bucket truck started sinking. But they persevered, and completed the task. There are now 14 barns with 8' x 8' painted quilts, one short of this year's goal. The final barn quilt will be hung Monday, and the official ribbon-cutting ceremony, party and quilt raffle will take place on Oct. 11.

Kathi Wilson interviewed by WGTD as barn quilt is hung at Haban Park

Sunday began with the relatively simple hanging of a quilt at Haban Park, on a storage barn overlooking the ballfields where scores of youngsters were playing (and supervised by the caretaker's rooster, who walked around imperiously). The quilt square is Lady of the Lake in blue and white. It was painted by the Monument Square Art Fair board of directors, and sponsored by the Racine County Public Works Department.

54-40 or Fight as seen from the highway

Then it was off to Bill and Betty Weis' barn, the heart of a 283-acre dairy operation with 125 head in Burlington Township. Hard to say how old the barn is; their farmhouse dates from 1906, but it replaced an earlier home constructed when the barn was built. Betty jokes that if it weren't for the hay and corn stuffing the barn it would fall over; Bill was hoping the plywood "quilt" helps hold the barn up. In any case, the long red barn received a colorful green, white and black square in the 54-40 or Fight pattern, painted by Main Gallery and sponsored by Johnson Bank.

What did they think of the barn after the quilt was hung? "It's finer than frog's hair," said Bill.

Ed Stone gives Amigo a treat as their barn is quilted

Next was Bonnie and Ed Stone's barn on Maple Road in Rochester. Their 199-acre farm was once home to 100 steers and the same number of pigs -- while Ed was also juggling a career as a CPA. Ed is now retired and the land is rented to hay, corn and soybean production. The barn is a spacious home for Amigo, a very smart donkey -- "he can open a rope knot with his teeth," says Ed, who adds that Amigo likes to eat apples and Oreo cookies. In this election season, I had to ask whether the donkey represented a political preference, but Ed recoiled in horror. "God no," he said. "I should have an elephant!" Turns out he's owned Amigo for about 10 years, after the animal repeatedly wandered over from his former owner's farm across the highway, and was finally formally adopted by the Stones.

Amigo's barn is now graced with a colorful Log Cabin quilt, painted by the Boy Scouts and sponsored by Accounting and Business Services.

Indian Trails pattern on a Norway sheep barn

From there, the volunteers drove to Tom and Diane Oberhart's 68-acre farm on Big Bend Road in Norway. Their home dates from 1878 and their barn is now home to six Suffolk sheep, who munched contentedly in the adjoining pasture as the barn quilt was hung. Their white barn received a dramatic blue and black pinwheel square in the Indian Trails pattern, painted by the Rainbow Quilt Guild and sponsored by the Racine County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Wild Goose Chase at 22020 West Seven Mile Road

Sunday's final quilt was affixed to an old barn next to a new house belonging to Adrienne and Richard Kessler, set back from West 7 Mile Road. It proved the most difficult to hang, as the truck with the bucket that lifts volunteers and the quilt to the top to the barn kept sinking into soft sand. Its outriggers were finally braced with four-by-fours -- they quickly cracked -- and cement slabs and the job was completed with trepidation but without further incident. The grey barn now sports a red, white, green and black Wild Goose Chase square, painted by AOA Employees, sponsored by O & H Bakery.

The complete Quilts on Barns project will be officially unveiled on Oct. 11 with a 9 a.m. ribbon-cutting by County Executive Bill McReynolds at the Racine County Convention and Visitors' Bureau on Hwy 20 by I-94. (The ribbon will be around one of next year's barn quilts.) Maps with the locations of all 15 barn quilts will be available, and there will be a party from 4 to 6 p.m., with food, and the band Rusty Horses. Raffle tickets will be sold all day -- the prize is a quilt, of course: The Best of Rural Art, done by The Friends of Ozella. The raffle drawing will be held at 5:30 p.m.

Also, Racine artist Bob Anderson has created a pencil drawing collage of all 15 of this year's barn quilts; prints will be available.

Capping the event will be the hanging of a specially designed 4'x4' quilt pattern on the RCCVB building itself, a square combining the look of a Frank Lloyd Wright window with a Flying Geese pattern.

Another 30 barns will receive quilts over the next two years, as the project conceived by Kathi Wilson transforms the rural landscape.

Stories and pictures of the rest of this year's Quilts on Barns are HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

A new look for a 132-year-old barn

Jim Limburg's finishing touch

Gary and Sally Nelson's big, faded red barn on Airline Road has served three generations of farmers in his family, and survived a lot of history. It was built in 1876, the year Samuel Tilden was elected president according to the popular vote. (How Rutherford B. Hayes then snatched the White House from him is a story for another day, and perhaps a lesson for this year's voters.)

The barn was bought by Gary's great-grandfather back in 1915 (Woodrow Wilson was president, if you need another touchstone), and was used as a dairy barn by Gary's father until 1984.

Now, although he works as a mechanic for Racine Unified, he and Sally raise sheep -- they have 15 ewes and about twice as many lambs most years -- and the barn anchors a hobby farm, more or less, whose 112 acres are rented out.

Still, it sits by the side of the road, unaware of the goings-on that will affect its future.

Earlier this year, highway engineers came through, and stuck two stakes in the ground. One, was placed right at the south corner of the barn; the other, across the narrow road, would have bisected the barn had it been on the other side. The stakes represent the northern limit of an upcoming intersection project; at one point, there were plans for a roundabout at the nearby corner of Airline Road and Spring Street but now it will just be a traffic light. The barn has been spared although a shed will be taken down.

This morning came the second change, one the barn would no doubt smile about, if 132-year-old barns allowed themselves to show emotion. The crew from Racine County's Quilts on Barns project arrived before 8 a.m. (What is it with these artists? Can't they ever sleep in?) and installed a red, white and blue barn "quilt" on the face of the Nelsons' barn. The quilt square is in the Indian Paintbrush pattern, and was painted by staff members of the SC Johnson Office Support Network. It was sponsored by Sew 'n Save Fabric Gallery.

Some time before 8:30 a.m., quilt hanger Jim Limburg could be seen climbing a ladder with a paintbrush in his mouth, to paint the heads of the screws holding up the 8-ft. by 8-ft. quilt panels. This was a level of obsessiveness I hadn't seen in his other quilt installations, but Limburg explained, "The others weren't as close to the road."

This is the ninth barn quilted so far this summer. Go here for pictures of the Aug. 24 marathon when five received quilts in one day, and links to previous quiltings. Later this month, another five, as far west as Rochester and Wind Lake, will be done in a single day.

And on Oct. 11, the entire project will be celebrated with, among other events, a "Quilt Hang," in which it is hoped that everyone who has a quilt will hang it outside for the day -- even if no barn is involved.

Two joggers were the first 'tourists' to see the Nelsons' barn quilt

Painters, sponsor and owners pose for the obligatory photo

There's always another quilt worth examining...

Five more county barns get quilted

The first half of a barn quilt goes up

Under the bluest of skies Sunday, Racine County's Quilts on Barns project took a colorful leap forward.

Five more barns were hung with "quilts," bringing the total now completed to eight -- more than half of this year's projected total.

The 100-year-old red barns -- some of them still home to livestock -- received makeovers Sunday in a five-hour marathon made possible by the loan of an hydraulic lift by JM Electrical and teamwork by Jim Limburg and Jan Rowland from Johnson and Son Roofing, assisted by Al Barry and a crew pulled together by Kathi Wilson's project.

Kathi Wilson gives ownership certificate to Mike Straszewski
for Square in a Square, painted by Cops 'n Kids;
sponsored by Giving withJoy!

The first barn to receive a quilt Sunday morning belongs to Mike and Julie Straszewski. Located at 5915 Seven Mile Road, it is exactly 100 years old this year, and was originally a dairy barn, with 20 stanchions, serving a 250-acre farm. It soaked up 80 gallons of red paint just a year ago, but the 8-ft. by 8-ft. Square on Square "quilt" it received Sunday brightened it considerably.

Photographer Nicholas Ravnikar documents Churndash,
painted by the Lighthouse Quilt Guild;
sponsored by Klema Feeds

The second barn, built in the 1920s and only a mile and a half down the road, belongs to Roger and Sue Hays, at 8140 Foley Road. Horses still reside there, oblivious to the Churndash quilt visible from the road.

5-year-old Annie Comeau looks on as Dad Steve
stands under Corn and Beans, painted by the
Racine Arts Council; sponsored by Rustoleum

Sunday's third barn is another working barn, housing eight horses belonging to Sue Jensen, located at 6123 Highway 38 in Franksville. It received a Corn and Beans quilt, although there was nothing corns or beans-ish about the quilt's red, blue and black colors. "Most quilters who do it, use yellow and green," Wilson said, "but we preferred other colors."

Kathi Wilson and Jim Rowland take high view of Black-Eyed Susan,
painted by Monument Square Art Fair Board;
sponsored by Johnson and Son Roofing

The fourth barn hung on Sunday was the most difficult, because of the decision to place the quilt at its highest point, near the top of what essentially is a three-story building. The barn, belonging to Sara Neubauer and her family (which includes son Jeff and his wife, Judge Lisa), is located at 5553 Short Road. It, too, is a working horse barn, with six currently in residence, according to Erin Hopkins, farm manager. "It's a beautiful farm, and it would be a shame not to have horses here," she says. Well, now it's more beautiful, boasting a Black-Eyed Susan quilt facing the highway; the quilt covering what used to be the upper hayloft's door.

Depending on how one looks at the facts, this was either the oldest barn hung with a quilt Sunday, or the youngest. The barn was originally built in 1862 -- but it burned down to the foundation in 1991, and was meticulously rebuilt to the same specifications on the same site. So take your pick: it's either 146 years old or 17 years young.

Jim Limburg attaches Mariner's Compass,
painted by the Prairie School;
sponsored by Lighthouse Quilt Guild

The last barn Sunday was of indeterminate age. Owner Jerry Wishau admitted to being in his 70s, and knows his barn was built before he was born. Beyond that -- who knows? Call it 100, more or less. Now used just for storage, it received a colorful Mariner's Compass quilt, appropriate to the barn's location at 4164 Lighthouse Drive, right across the street from Lake Michigan -- probably the easternmost barn in Racine County.

Wishau was the first barn owner approached by Wilson and Levine -- "on a grey, grey February day," Levine recalls. "He said he always wanted to do something to dress up his barn. And now, here it is."

Each of the barn owners received a certificate of ownership of the "quilt," signed by Lorna Henning of the Racine Arts Council and Bill McReynolds, Racine County Executive. The presentations were made by Wilson and Lavine.

Six of the next seven quilts are painted, and will go up as crew and equipment are available.

Earlier barn quiltings are HERE and HERE.

Quilts on Barns (cont.)

Racine County's Quilts on Barns project continues, with another barn quilt installed, and more ready to hang. Above is the Bear Paw hung on the barn of Sherri Shaver at 12305 Braun Rd. It was painted by the First Friday Quilt club.

Black-Eyed Susan painted by Potpourri Garden Club will go up on Sara Neubauer's barn, 5553 Short Rd., probably on Aug. 24 when five are scheduled to be hung. Johnson & Son Roofing and JM Electrical are donating time and a lift to put them up.

Above are Pot Pourri club members who participated in the quilt painting. From left are Susan Ermert, Sue Hammel, Carol Uebe, Joyce Waldoch and Sharon Andersen.

Here's our story and photos of the first two barn quilts hung, on July 25.

Quilts on Barns: First two will be hung shortly

Jim Limburg, left, and Al Barry, with 'Wild Goose Chase' quilt panel

that will go on Adrian and Richard Kessler's barn on 7-Mile Road.

Anyone who's visited Lancaster County, PA, will remember the country barns, decorated with colorful, round hex signs, a good luck symbol for the Pennsylvania Dutch.

Well, in a few years, travelers around Racine County will have a similar experience -- except our rural barns will be decorated with colorful "quilts."

The first two of 15 barns to be "quilted" this summer will receive their decoration in two weeks. By October, all 15 should be completed ... and project organizers project a similar schedule for the next two years as well.

This project, taking shape as quickly as it has since January, had its beginning when local quilter Kathi Wilson saw an article in a magazine about Grundy County, Iowa, where the idea began.

"I just had to go see it," Kathi says, and so she drove to Iowa. "You're driving along a country road and all of a sudden there's this beautiful quilt pattern on a barn. They're just stunning. I thought, 'this will be awesome in Racine County.' "

She knew she had a great idea, but held back, for two years, also knowing how much work would be involved. (Although she's been a quilter since 2001, Kathi says her real passion is "bringing people together.") Finally, Kathi contacted Lorna Henning of the Racine Arts Council. "She thought it was a great idea, and suggested I talk to Dave Blank of the Racine County Convention and Visitors Bureau. He loved it, asking me, 'Why did you wait so long? We've been trying to attract people out into the county." Right away, he was on board."

And so, work began on what is called the Quilts on Barn project. Starting last October, Wilson, Henning and others came up with the criteria -- mainly an active, wooden barn visible from the road -- and in January they put out a press release, seeking ten barn owners willing to participate.

"It's just been wild, the response was unbelievable," Kathi said. Before they knew it, they signed up the first 15 barns that were offered, and started a waiting list "that will cover next year."

Now comes the fun part, painting the "quilts." Traditional quilt patterns are transferred to a grid so the design will fit on the two 4' x 8'' plywood panels, and various groups have each agreed to paint one, more than 200 volunteers in all. Some of those organizations are Cops 'n Kids, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the Norway Garden Club, the Potpourri Garden Club, Racine Montessori School, Allese Orthodontics Appliances. And my three favorites -- how appropriate! -- local quilters from the Lighthouse Quilt Guild, the Rainbow quilt Guild and the First Friday Quilt Guild will each paint a "quilt."

Al Barry is the project's manager, in charge of bringing carefully primed panels to the painters, and then storing the completed panels in a pole barn out in the county. And finally, hanging them on each barn. Right now, he and his crew have seven completed panels ready to be hung, and they're out auditing the barns, to see what kind of ladders or cherry pickers will be needed to hang the "quilts."

The first barn to be decorated belongs to Jean Jacobson, former Racine County executive, whose Norway barn quilt was painted by the Norway Garden Club. It will be hung on July 25. The following morning, Saturday, July 26, the public can watch the second quilt being hung, at Bill and Sandra Swantz' barn at 4603 108th Street, Franksville, starting at 8:30 a.m. At noon there will be a reception at Jacobson's.

By Oct.11, all 15 quilts will be hung around the county, and there a plans for a road rally, a quilt raffle and a reception.

Meanwhile, the already multi-media project has yet another media dimension: Nicholas Ravnikar, Pat Levine and Kathi are making a documentary about the project , having spent March, April and May interviewing each of the barn owners on film. And, of course, taking "before" pictures of each barn, to go along with the quilted barn picture to come.