New Quilt Trail Debuts in Nelson County Posted on 9/27/2012
The Nelson County Quilt Trail will feature 14 painted quilt blocks ready to be hung on barns and buildings in northeastern Nelson County. These eight-foot square blocks will debut on the weekend of Oct. 26-28.
The trail of quilts will be along Highway 35, north and south of Michigan, N.D.
The purpose of the quilt trail is to showcase rural areas of the county and highlight the farms, crops and livestock while educating the public of the importance of agriculture economically and historically in the area. It provides the participant the opportunity to see an area of the county they might not normally visit.
"While there are other individual barns with quilt blocks throughout North Dakota, we believe this to be the first-organized quilt trail in the state of North Dakota," said Maria Vasichek, a coordinator of the event. "Many other states in the nation have very successful trails, some with hundreds of barn quilts, and we hope that North Dakota will soon have additional counties develop trails as well."
Every barn or building on the trail has a different quilt block, and the patterns and colors were chosen by the owners for a variety of reasons: • The Swiss Star block to be hung on a farm shop at 44th Street Northeast was chosen to honor the owners' long-lasting Swiss friendships. • The Star of the East quilt block on Highway 35 North was inspired by the painter's sister. The quilt block is in honor of a dear friend, who passed away from cancer. The colors used in the quilt block were her favorite.
A free map for the self-guided driving tour will be available starting Oct. 26 at Michigan businesses. An explanation of all the blocks, information about the barns, buildings and businesses, as well as locations and directions for the self-guided tour, will all be included with the map.
The event will be held the same weekend as "Treasures on Highway 2" sponsored by Nettiques (Petersburg), Heritage Arts Gallery & Gifts (Michigan) and Elaine's House of Dreams (Lakota). Visit each location to enter a drawing for a gift basket with items from all three businesses. Lunch will be available at the Wagon Wheel Bar and Grill in Michigan Oct. 26 and 27.
For more information about the Nelson County Quilt Trail, visit www.michigannd.com and click on "news."
