When Indian born, Canadian writer, Rohinton Mistry, said, 'The whole quilt is more important than any single square', he obviously wasn't familiar with the Quilt Barn Trails. If he were, he'd surely know the opposite is true. Every single square is beautiful, unique and significant when it's proudly displayed on a barn or building along one of the many quilt trails in the United States. We found that to be especially true when we explored a piece of the Fulton Montgomery Barn Quilt Trail a couple weeks ago.
Much like the Schoharie Quilt Barn Trail, the Fulton-Montgomery trail is comprised of a mixture of rural roads, villages, and cities throughout Fulton and Montgomery County and features over 155 quilt squares. These painted squares range from 4' x 4', and 8' x 8' and a few 2' x 2'. We stopped at the Fulton Tourist Center and picked up a brochure which pictures most squares (up till the last printing) and their corresponding address (on the reverse side of the map below).
The Fulton Montgomery Quilt Barn Trail was founded in 2014 by Liz Argotsinger. Most of the quilt block designs are suitable for replicating on the sewing machine. I asked Liz this evening if she had an exact number of quilts currently but keeping the number current is next to impossible. People sometimes move and take their quilt blocks, others add them without registering them with the group. Best she could say was around 158.
We began our day of quilt detective work in Perth, traveled to Broadalbin, then Gloversville, and Peck Lake and found about 28 quilts. We figured out along the way that the most efficient way to find the quilts is to plug a block's address into your GPS, one block at a time. I would then look at the map, find the next closest block on the map and punch its address into the GPS. Our plan of attack on our next ride might be to plot out our route ahead of time, making a list of block addresses and then just plug one into the GPS after another, without having to keep reading the map in between each block. I also brought a highlighter so I could mark off the blocks we found.
The quilt above was a combined effort of the School District, the Mayfield Fire Department and the Fulton Montgomery Quilt Trail. Isn't it amazing?
 |
| Carpenters Wheel |
This is the perfect time of year to explore this beautiful exhibit, when the leaves are putting on a show in what is already a beautiful countryside. I really hope that in sharing just a small portion of these gorgeous blocks you will be inspired to get out there and discover some too.
 |
| Stepping Stones |
If you missed my earlier post about the Schoharie County Quilt Barn Trail, check it out now: https://www.lifeasiseeitphotography.net/2021/09/enjoying-afternoon-exploring-schoharie.html. Maybe you'll be inspired to make your own quilt block or start a trail where you live. Here's more of the quilt blocks we found.........
 |
| Basket of Blessing |
 |
| Seasons |
 |
| One Room Schoolhouse |
 |
| Craftsman |
 |
| Pinwheel Surprise and Tipsy Star |
 |
| Tulip #4 |
 |
| Ocean Waves |
 |
| Flower Pot |
 |
| Stepping Stones |
 |
| Flying Geese |
 |
| Sonia's Sunflower |
 |
| Peace Around the World |
 |
| Honey Bee |
 |
| Morning Star |
 |
| Crown of Thorns |
 |
| Star of the West |
 |
| Welcome Pineapple |
 |
| Mariners Compass |
 |
| Camp Smore Than Enuf |
As you can see.....there's no end to the beauty and imagination displayed on over 150 barns, houses, sheds and businesses throughout these picturesque counties. Photos were taken from a distance away, from our car, alongside the roadway. Suzi Parron started the idea of barn quilts when she was looking for a way to honor her mom, an accomplished quilter. Her idea took off and today there are barn quilt trails all over the United States and Canada. Check out Suzi's website:
For more information about the Fulton Montgomery Quilt Barn Trail, check out their Facebook page:
Also check out their video onYouTube:
Happy exploring! Don't forget to stop at the Fulton County Visitor Center in Vail Mills to pick up your brochure and then plot out your trip before you go and don't forget to share this with all the quilters you know!
No comments
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.