![]() ![]() They are also often paid for as part of downtown revitalization and are seen as a reintroduction of our culture back into the modern cityscape in the towns of West Virginia. Most have come from the traditional images on Appalanchin quilts often the same as the Underground Rail Road Quilts. My Quilt Block Murals hang in more urban areas, not farms. The reason I do not call them Barn Quilts is they are rarely located on a barn. I am now in the process of painting my 17th Quilt Block Mural. Some are based on traditional patterns and others have included more contemporary images and designs. found on Wikipediaįrom their first Barn Quilt trail, regional trails have sprung up all over the eastern United States. Donna Sue Groves wanted to honor her mother, Maxine, a noted quilter, with a painted quilt square on the family’s barn in Manchester, Ohio”. “The first official quilt trail was begun in 2001 in Adams County, Ohio. ![]() ![]() The family that sparked the reintrodution of painting quilt blocks on barns is from Ohio. These important images passed from generation to generation.įrom those pattens came some of the first Barn Quilt Murals. The patterns that were used were often the same or like those from the first homesteaders. Although the quilt remained a warm and practical way to decorate and reuse materials. You see less and less folk art in homes and barns. As more people depended on the formal church for their spiritual beliefs and blessings. The formalizing of the local Christian Church system slowly changed worship in the rural mountains. The use of Barn Hex signs then fell out of favor in my region. The number of symbolic patterns was used widely and I have included some that we still see today. A house or cabin image could mean a safe place to stop. Often a star pattern would let an escaping slave know to keep traveling North, a boat or train track next on the quilt would be read to mean that a water crossing or train crossing was coming up next on the route. Often the individual blocks on the quilt would tell a story. Many Quaker and Dunkard families made Under Ground Rail Road Quilts helping direct slaves to homes or locations that were safe for them during their escape to the North. If a West Virginia family was sympathetic with the Union and freedom from slavery they could use quilts hung on porches, fences, and clotheslines as ways to lead escaping slaves across borders to freedom. With large bodies of evidence, It is amazing to see that the symbolic motifs of ( Hex Signs and folk art) quilts were again used as a device for communication and blessings during the Civil War ( 1861 -1865). It is not surprising to think that if you wanted to protect and bless your children a mother would create quilts with these motifs.Īs I researched more about the link between the motifs sewn into Southern and Appalachian quilts, the more I understood about the Quaker, Dunkard and the Pennsylvania Dutch communities in and North of West Virginia. Pottery, quilts, wall hangings were also covered with these images of blessings and protection. With women working with their hands inside the home many of the patterns also were incorporated into utilitarian objects they used every day. Using quilt squares to narrate history is almost like using a special code for an exclusive group of awesome crafters (like quilters!) It’s pretty cool to consider yourself part of the inner circle.Milnes states in his book,”Some of the first recorded Hex Signs motifs in West Virginia were the double eagle, star, moon, lilies, compass, hearts, and the tree of life”. Quilt trails around the country have chosen their own blocks to tell the story of the people and places surrounding the trail. Churn Dash: The Churn Dash quilt pattern is a reminder that quilts are both beautiful and practical.Rail Fence: This pattern is reminiscent of the fences that divided many of the fields in West Virginia… and still do!.Flying Geese: Also a signal for slaves intending to escape, this pattern was a reminder to follow the direction of the geese also headed North.Bow Tie: Though it may symbolize morning, midday, evening, and night, this pattern also reminds us of the bow ties that were given to many slaves running toward freedom as part of a disguise.Bear’s Paw: Early American Pioneers coming across a bear track would know that they needed to proceed cautiously, but that the bear’s tracks would lead to water and food. ![]()
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