Build A Barn Part Two: Bonnie's Barn (Very Long)

My friend Julie lives, quilts, and blogs in a state I've never visited: Tennessee. Oh, we've cut across a corner of the state on our way to Brevard a couple of times. But never visited. That just might change next year. But I'm getting way ahead of myself!

Here, to the left, is the cover of Build-A-Barn, Julie's book. The cover features 3/4 of her wonderful quilt, See Rock City. But the book does not teach you how to make that particular quilt. Rather, the author describes her lengthy process of creating the quilt and then teaches the reader/quilter to make four different free-pieced seasonal barns.

Along with the other charter members of the Secret Society of Barn Builders, I independently tested Julie's instructions for building a barn on my own. I found her directions to be not only clear, but numbered (always a plus IMNSHO). And there are about a bazillion illustrations (the third barn goes all the way up to Figure 44!). So you can't go wrong.

As the charter members built our barns, we shared progress notes with each other, we provided Julie with feedback about her instructions, we got to know each other a little more. It was a fun four-or-five months! Julie had asked us to provide just flimsies of our barns; she would take over from there. So we built our barns and, with a bit of apprehensive trust in the postal system, sent them to Tennessee where Julie raided her stash to choose backing and binding fabrics for each barn and then turned everything over to her gifted machinist, Chris.

Photos of our barns were shared with us and I was just itching for mine to come home as I've already designated a hanging spot for it in my dining room. But, no, Julie had a great surprise for us! Our barns are going to hang together in a special exhibit at the AQS quilt shows next autumn in Chattanooga and DesMoines, and then again one more time at a venue near Julie's home. While my calendar won't permit me to go to either of the AQS shows, I'm seriously thinking we just might try to get to the third showing in Memphis late in November.

Would you like to have a copy of Build-A-Barn? You can get an autographed book directly from Julie, you can purchase it from Amazon, or you just might win one! Julie has offered the SSOBB members the opportunity to give away a copy through our blogs. So, listen up, if you would like to build a barn (or two) (or four), leave a comment below. I want to make sure you're serious about building a barn, so please have your comment have something to do with barns and your connection with them. Winner will be announced on Friday.

And now for my own personal gallery!

The photo from Google images that inspired my barn. It reminded me of an October night my sister and I got lost in Lancaster. 

Bonnie's Barn, named to remember an evening with my sister in Lancaster County; Bonnie also generously shared her wheat-field color scraps. Photo of finished flimsy before quilting.

A close up of the field after Chris worked her magic.

A close up of the sky with the clouds and stars.

Bonnie's Barn by Nancy, Near Philadelphia, Winter, 2015.