A not-quite-so-old-fashioned quilting bee was held at the Lansdowne Fairgrounds on September 12.

In attendance were eleven of the ladies from the Lansdowne Association for Revitalization (LAFR), the Lansdowne Agricultural Society (LAS), and their friends and neighbours.

The ladies were there, the tables were there and the air was filled with happy chatter as they worked diligently on their different projects. But instead of fabric and needles and thread, they were working with boards and paints and brushes to create masterpieces that would be hung throughout the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands (TLTI).

“The township had some funds and they decided to present the four villages in TLTI – Seeley’s Bay, Lyndhurst, Lansdowne and Rockport – with $1,000 each for beautification of our communities,” said Donna Dempsey, vice-president of LAFR. “So, we are pairing up with Lyndhurst – who have some barn quilts done already – and we are trying to catch up. They have 17 done, we’re working on our first eight.”

The project is a LAFR initiative, and their dream is to create a Barn Quilt Trail similar to those found in Prince Edward County and Bruce County.

Barn quilts are believed to have originated in Europe and were brought to North America by immigrants from Austria, Germany and the Netherlands. They may have evolved from the hex signs once associated with “Pennsylvania Dutch country” and added art and colour to the farming communities. There are several ideas as to their original purpose, varying from magical protection for the farm and its family to signs allowing passing travellers to know who owned each farm. They have been known in the US for about 300 years, and the first documented barn quilt trail was in Ohio in the early 2000s. Since then, the tradition has moved north and is gaining popularity in Canada.

“We have a group of people who are eager to help create these barn quilts with the intention of creating a township-wide barn quilt trail,” said Dempsey. “Hopefully we can get lots of them finished. We’re always looking for more places to install these barn quilts as time goes on.”

The group was led by Karyne Besso from the Kemptville area. She is instrumental in creating the barn quilt show for the International Ploughing Match and was ready to share her knowledge with the group.

There is a lot more that goes into creating a successful barn quilt than just slapping some paint on a board and hanging it up. Each quilt needs to be planned out, carefully designed and drawn onto aluminum composite sheets which have been primed for the purpose. These panels are very weather resistant and much lighter in weight to handle than the more traditional MDO signboard (medium-density overlay plywood). Colours need to be selected and weather-resistant paints obtained. Different grades of masking tape, from high and low tack, are needed to make sure that straight lines stay straight, and lessons may be needed in how to tape effectively so paint won’t bleed underneath.

Whether a traditional pattern or something new and different, each quilt stands out as a mark of its creator. And when they are finished and hung, a new gallery will be winding its way through TLTI – a gallery of bright outdoor art celebrating agriculture and drawing the entire township together in a new and creative way.

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