Barn Quilts

Traveling around the Mission has been an interesting experience for many reasons.   Both of us are still struggling with which direction is north, south, east and west as there are no natural landmarks to help you keep oriented.   Unless you are traveling next to a lake or river, it is mandatory that you watch for road signs or first thing you know, you have missed your turn and you're 20 cornfields past where you wanted to go and half way to Dubuque. (The voice of experience!)  And trust me, one cornfield looks pretty much like the next.

However one of the great things about Iowa are the Barn Quilts that pop up out of the corn  as we drive.   These are large "quilt blocks" painted on wood and mounted on the sides of barns.   They are colorful and fun to look for in the otherwise somewhat boring landscape.   (I apologize if that offends any native Iowans who may read this......but in all fairness, we have had several Iowans who agree with us on this fact.)

Barn Quilts were started in 2001 by Donna Sue Groves in Adams County Ohio, who wanted  to honor her mother by creating a group of 20 "quilts" that were installed on a "clothesline of barns" across the county.   She chose the number 20 because that is the number of quilt blocks her mother would put together in a typical bed quilt.  Since that time a "National Clothesline of Quilts" has developed all across the country which covers 45 states and extends into Canada. 

South of Iowa City is Washington County, an area which covers 571 square miles of Iowa farmland.  Barn Quilts began in Washington County in 2007 and there are more than 120 quilts scattered across this county.  They are hung on barns that are at least 50 years old and face paved roads.

We certainly haven't seen all 120 but we are looking and they certainly liven up a drive through the corn.   These are just a few and we hope you enjoy them too.