A drive through Shawano County, in Northern Wisconsin, is very colorful today because more than 325 brilliant "barn blocks," called barn quilts are displayed on barns and other structures throughout the rural area that surrounds the city of Shawano.The Shawano County Barn Quilt Project was started by writer/photographer Jim Leuenberger in 2010. In June 2010 Jim proposed the idea to local 4H clubs as possible club service projects. Since then clubs, individuals, families, organizations, and businesses have sponsored and painted barn blocks. Individual barn owners have supported the project by having quilt blocks mounted on barns and/or other farm structures. the barn quilt trend continues to grow today because of the interest and talents of Jim and his wife Irene.The Shawano Project hopes to...encourage the preservation of Shawano County's historic barns, promote tourism for Shawano County, and provide opportunities for groups and individuals to sponsor and paint barn quilts as a community service project.Barn quilt trails and projects help to promote and celebrate the unique agricultural heritage and history through the visual combination of rural barns and quilt patterns. Barns are vital to the economic well being of the rural community and surrounding area. Handmade Barn quilts provide warmth, beauty and an outlet for individual and group artistic expression.Making a barn quilt allows individuals and volunteer groups the opportunity to create and paint their own quilt squares. The design that is chosen may represent a family pattern from a loved quilt or perhaps a new pattern meaningful to the individual creator(s). This book will allow creative coloring of 50 barn quilts in the Shawano Project...Enjoy and be creative. To see the original color pattern for the barn quilts...go to the Shawano Chamber of Commerce website where you will find the location of each barn or structure and very interesting history of many of the barns.
