Kentucky residents have put together a consolidated effort, displaying a part of their state's heritage. Colorful quilting patterns, passed down from previous generations, have begun to brighten up the countryside. In a conscious effort to lure tourists away from interstate highways, quilt artwork has turned backcountry roads into an eye-catching gallery. Hundreds of unique eight by eight panels have cheered up roadside barns, creating a quilting trail.
Local students, lending a helping hand, applied their artistic skills to either plywood or longer lasting metal panels. Area electric companies have chipped in, lending bucket trucks and crew to hang the paintings. Governmental agencies and private donors have supplied materials for the movement and as many as 30 Kentucky counties have joined the quilt-barn rage. This Kentucky barn scene was found in the Red River Gorge, surrounded by the Daniel Boone National Forest.
Donna Sue Groves of Adams County, Ohio, has been credited for initial inspiration for the Clothesline of Quilts Trail. It began as a tribute to her mother, master quilter Nina Maxine Groves, and has now spread over a half-dozen states. Starting out in 2001 to honor her mom, a fifth generation quilter from Roane County, West Virginia, the first showcase of quilt-art has inspired hundreds of heart-warming community projects.