It's a Barn Raising

I’m almost finished with the Mayeux Barn Quilt that I’ve been working on.  It’s a mixed media piece based on a photo of a barn somewhere near where my grandparents lived.  I haven’t driven there to see the barn, although Rich and I think we’ve seen it in the past while driving around the parish.  

The structure is unusual for barns in our area.  It’s basically a straight-side, two-story structure with wings on all four sides. Also unusual is that it’s built off the ground like a house would be.

Making it was lots of fun, but I think my favorite part happened tonight while I was adding the paint.  I like to paint in the grass and soil.  

In this case the soil is reddish brown because the barn is on the banks of Bayou des Glaises.  As the bayou overflowed its banks, it left red sandy silt in the region. 

That red soil is rich for farming, but I know it from playing in the fields around my grandparents’ home.  In my memory the soil was always freshly plowed which made it cool and soft.  I’m pretty sure that our 100 degree days made it hard and hot for my bare feet, but I choose to remember the good memories.

Happy Quilting,

Mary