As you approach Main Street from Catawba Avenue, at the railroad tracks, look straight ahead and you’ll see two colorful quilt blocks depicting a circular saw blade above the front door of the Old Fort Woodworking Shop that is part of the McDowell Quilt Trail.
The Historic Marion Tailgate Market’s shelter is sporting two new blocks: on the west end visible from Main Street is a block in vivid colors of mauve, violet, and blue, depicting a “Grape Basket” to represent the farmers. On the east is the specially designed block compatible with Marion’s slogan “Where Main Street Meets the Mountains,” representing the city’s location in the foothills of the Blue Ridge.
These brightly colored panels often resemble blocks of an old-time quilt, with each having a story to tell, which were donated to Marion arising out of a grassroots effort to help people understand the concept of a quilt trail, and to promote tourism and community pride.
The McDowell Quilt Trail Committee will quickly tell you that quilting is a part of our Appalachian Mountain Heritage. This committee was formed in June of this year by a group of dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers, under the umbrella of the McDowell Arts Council Association (MACA) desiring to extend the Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina into McDowell County.
The idea of a quilt block adorning an old barn originally began in Ohio in 2001 in an effort to bring beauty to a barn located on family property in honor of the mother of the family who had been a quilter. As the interest in the quilt trail has spread across the country, dilapidated old barns have been refurbished and saved, vacant buildings with some history have “come alive” and are being utilized by businesses and private property owners to draw attention to the building while showcasing a traditional quilt block art form.
More than 200 brightly painted quilt blocks are part of The Quilt Trails of Western North Carolina along the country roads of six counties including Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Madison, Yancey, Watauga, and now McDowell. It is reported that tourism has grown steadily each year. These quilt blocks remind us of our childhood when our mothers and grandmothers would sew quilts from scraps of cloth and feed sack material that we once wore as a garment, or material from curtains long forgotten. This flood of memories make people want to stop and inquire about the blocks, then remain to have lunch, and spend dollars in the local marketplace.
An individual wishing to host a block usually does so for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it is to honor a family member, who loved quilting, or to highlight your business or historical structure, or to tell a story about the building site and support community public art. These quilt block panels are built to specific guidelines, from using a specified exterior wood to the painting process using a high quality exterior paint. If you are interested in hosting a quilt block for your building, you can contact MACA for an application; members of the committee will work with you to choose the perfect block for your building, and the colors that will complement the block best suited for you. The application process is a way to reduce duplication of blocks and color, as well as recording other pertinent information.
The blocks range in size from 2 feet by 2 feet up to as large as 8 feet by 8 feet, with the cost beginning at $125.00, depending on the size you choose. The life of the block is approximately eight to ten years. The committee will supervise any refurbishing that may need to be done. As each panel is installed, it is added to the Quilt Trail pamphlet, showing a picture and title of the block, its location, and the story about why this specific block was chosen, thus preserving the history of someone or something that is important to you.
The McDowell Quilt Trail Committee is looking for volunteers to help with the building and painting of the quilt block panels, thus making this a community project and increasing awareness of the program. The committee already has interest in 12 new blocks in McDowell County. It is part of the county’s effort to bring tourists into the county.
