Sunflower Barn Quilt


This particular crafty idea began over a year ago when I was invited to attend a Women's Retreat near Wichita, Kansas.



Fredonia, Kansas happens to be about halfway between my house and Wichita.  We stopped at a lovely locally owned cafe.  The food was great, and these small barn quilts were for sale throughout the building.


Aren't they gorgeous?!

Mentioning how much we liked them, our sweet waitress let us know what a big deal barn quilts are in this community.  Here's their website:  Barn Quilts of Wilson County, Kansas.  Taking a break from driving, we explored Fredonia's darling downtown and visited a few shops.  


This spectacular collage is on the side of a two-story building.   I've wanted to create a barn quilt ever since we visited Fredonia!

The supplies were purchased in 2023, but I was too intimidated to begin.  Recently, I admitted my fears to a longtime friend who laughed and told me she was pretty sure I could paint squares and triangles.  It was the boost I needed.  My inspiration pieces were both from Barn Quilts of Wilson County, Kansas



I love this pattern but wanted the center to be slightly different.



The pinwheel on the left feels perfect for my idea.


My base is a 24 x 24" frame.  Measuring and drawing the lines felt very daunting.  I started painting, working from the center out.


All those straight lines took more patience than I actually have.  Many breaks were needed!


Once the yellow was added, it felt like my barn quilt was coming together!


My Sunflower Barn Quilt makes me happy!

I definitely learned a lot and want to paint more!  Here are things I'll do differently.

1.  Tape off the frame.  There were several smudges that had to be cleaned with acetone.
2.  Apply a base coat.  On this project, each color took three coats of paint!  Eesh!

Have you ever felt intimidated by a new project?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Doodle Hearts Collage

Image
Have you ever been enjoying a nice, quiet day of crafting, then BAM your jar of ModPodge falls off the table, splatters across the floor, and onto one of your favorite toss blankets?  Well, that happened to me right in the middle of this project.  Talk about a big, sticky mess!  Not to worry, though.  We have hardwood floors.  First, a dish towel was used to mop up most of the glops.  I had the thought to use rug cleaner on the afghan and also sprayed foam across the glue swirls on my floor.  The toss blanket made a round in my washing machine and came out unscathed.  A quick wet mop restored my hardwood floors.  Now, back to my nice quiet day of crafting.
Read more

Cultivating Autumn Arrangements

Image
This project has already failed twice.  TWICE!   Originally, I wanted to create a sustainable gazing ball that could be used for many seasons.  A beautiful glass gazing ball has been purchased for my garden every year and every year something happens to break it.  There has to be a better way!  
Read more

Friendsmas Fizzy Soaking Salts

Image
Friendsmas celebrations are such a wonderful way to spend an evening with girlfriends!  The plan for this year's party, besides snacks, is for each person to bring a $10 gift and we will swap.  It's nice to have a small something for everyone, though, so this is what I'm adding to the mix. Fizzy Soaking Salts!
Read more