Kentucky by Heart: Woodford Quilt Trail allows community to give tribute to their heritage

By Steve Flairty
NKyTribune columnist

When Debbie Tichenor was growing up on a farm in Owen County, she spent a lot of quality time with her dear Granny Smith while her parents worked their jobs in Frankfort.

“Granny was a quilter, she sewed, and she was a crafty person. She could do about everything,” noted Debbie. “She always had something for me to do and she loved my art and kept it displayed all over her house.”

Good and early influences often last, and to see proof, one might take a drive around Debbie’s home territory today, in Woodford County, and see a beautiful array of painted quilts presented on barns, fences, houses and such.

The journey is about 70 miles long and takes at least three hours for the informal trip, called, simply, The Woodford County Quilt Trail. With the early help of her friend Mary DeBold, Debbie is greatly responsible for both painting the quilts and leading in the logistical plan to place them all around the area.

Woodford County Quilt Trail site at Millville (Photo by Sally Horowitz)

Woodford County is one of about 60 counties in Kentucky that have embraced the quilt painting artwork, according to the artscouncil.ky.gov web site. The site also explains that Donna Sue Groves, a woman in Adams County, Ohio, is credited with implementing the idea of showcasing barn quilts.

At first the Ohio woman simply wanted to give tribute to her mother, who was a lifelong quilter. After sharing her idea, it caught on strongly and soon there were 20 similar ones in the community and a driving tour was organized. Today, painting quilts on the sides of buildings is an activity that sees some 30 states across America and two Canadian provinces participating. It adds beauty and allows community members to give tribute to their individuality and often their heritage.

Kentucky’s first was exhibited in the eastern Kentucky area, in Carter County. Since then, noted the Arts Council site: “The project has spread as a grassroots movement with each community introducing its own twist, painting quilt squares not only on barns, but also on floodwalls, craft shops and restaurants. Volunteer leaders and painters include extension agents, teachers, school children, senior citizens, homemaking clubs and tourism committees. The local utility company often provides a bucket truck and workers, who hang the quilts on barns, delighted to be part of this heartwarming community project.”

On the 34-site tour in Woodford County, guided by a detailed brochure created by Debbie Tichenor, some amazing narratives are given on the meanings of individual quilt art. Owner Dana Lane, at her place on Tyrone Pike, shows “8 Hands Around” on her barn. The hands represent her four children, whom, she says, “are always here for me and always helping with whatever needs to be done…(and) I chose the colors red and white for my late husband, Wayne, of 53 years, because his favorite color was red.”

At Quality Feed, a pet food store at 104 Green Street, Versailles, canine quilting is the celebratory thing. The owners of the store, Randy and Margie Cotton, display their two “Scottie Dog” paintings above the large door opening.

The traditional quilt pattern of the dog was inspired by Lincoln, Margie’s Scottish Terrier. “The Star of Hope” adorns the Woodford County Food Pantry at 20 Field of Dreams Road. It symbolizes the mission of the outreach: “to offer hope in perilous and difficult times for the hungry of our community whether it be an immediate emergency or an economic necessity.”