MAPLE LEAF

This 4 footer was ordered by a local couple who gave it to the husbands parents as a Christmas gift. It will be hung locally and, hopefully, be seen from a major roadway in our area. I love it when some of our barn quilts stay in the area!

CATS

This one was made for my parents for Christmas. I called it "Cats" but later thought "Cats in the Window" could have worked too. It's on a 2 x 2 board.

TOY SOLDIER

This is one I made just for fun. I found the design in my pattern book by Maggie Malone. I made it on a 1 foot by 2 foot board. It's for sale for $50. Thanks for looking.

DIRECTOR'S DREAM

This is called "Director's Dream" and I made it for my wife Pat for Christmas. The colors should go with the siding on our house. We'll see how it looks on the front porch once the temps warm up.

DOUBLE ASTER

Just finished this barn quilt and I thank "Barn Quilts by Kate" for the inspiration of the colors. This is for sale and is a 2 footer.

Thanks for looking.

CONTRARY WIFE

This 4 footer was just done not long ago and is going to Salina Kansas as a Christmas gift. It's a red, white and blue version of "Contrary Wife".

PLAY BALL!

This is a 3 foot barn quilt our friends asked us to make so they could give as a Christmas gift. I had never did any free hand painting before so was a little bit apprehensive about doing it. But, it turned out pretty good I think.

BUCK & JO'S TOO

Our friends that own a local restaurant here in Winchester allowed us to display a couple barn quilts inside. We put up the 3 foot "Christmas Star" and the 2 foot "Illinois". We hope to swap out the 2 footer every month if possible with something new. Stop by and enjoy a great meal and enjoy viewing our barn quilts.

FRIENDSHIP STAR

Just finished this 2 x 2 barn quilt called "Friendship Star". It is for sale and on display at Tipsord's Turf and Landscape in Winchester, IL. for a short time. Stop by and see it and all their wonderful gift ideas.

GOTTA KEEP THE OUTHOUSE WARM!

I (Mark) made my mom a 2 ft. barn quilt to put on their outhouse not long ago and I saw today dad got it mounted. It's the "Christmas Star" I posted earlier. Looks pretty good I think.

WESTFAIR FUNDRAISER

On Nov. 23rd we set up our table at Westfair Christian Academy's musical department fundraiser. There were only about eleven vendors and the weather was not that great so the turn out was small. But, we did sell a couple barn quilts and had a good time.

CHRIST'S PASSION

Here's one I did that I found on line but I don't know the name of it. So, I'm calling it "Christ's Passion". I'll be giving it to a friend as a Christmas gift. Sorry for the lighting but the colors are dark green border, brown cross, beige face and plum robe.

RAILROAD CROSSING & DOLLY MADISON STAR

So many of the barn quilts we're making now are for Christmas gifts so we're not allowed to post pictures of some of them til after Christmas. But, here are a couple that a nice lady from Macomb Illinois had us make so she could give them for gifts. She'll send us pictures of them mounted later and we'll say more then. For now, here they are made on 2 x 2 MDO boards.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

Bentley Barn Quilts

EASY WAYS

Here's a 12" x 12" that I just complete in our schools colors; white, green and yellow accent. It's called "Easy Ways" and for sale for $30. Thanks for looking.

AMERICAN PRIDE

This is a 12" x 12" barn quilt I recently did that's for sale for $30. I haven't posted very many BQ's lately but that doesn't mean I've not been busy on them. I have quite a few orders to be completed before Christmas, so some of them will not be posted until after Christmas. I don't want someone seeing their Christmas present early! Plus, a number of them I'm doing are designs I've already posted before.

But, I am always happy when people order designs that I've never did before.

Thanks for looking and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Mark

IOWA BARNS

We traveled to Marion Iowa this past Saturday for my wife's family annual Fall get together. The route we take has a number of barn quilts and we counted ten with possibly a few more that were to far away to confirm. Here is a sampling of what we saw. Sorry for the poor images. It's all my camera could do.

I think it would be neat if someone would put flood lights to highlight barn quilts at night. I've never seen that done.

A TREASURE TROVE OF PATTERNS!

This is the book I turn to to get most my patterns. It's by Maggie Malone and no longer in print but it's great for finding new ideas for barn quilt designs.

TIPSORD'S TURF & LANDSCAPE

Our thanks to Tipsord's Turf & Landscape for letting us display one of our barn quilts in their Florist & Gift Shop. We'll try and rotate designs as often as possible.

Stop by and see all the nice home and garden items they have in their store located on Old Rt. 36 on the West edge of Winchester.

TWO MORE BARN QUILTS FINISHED!

Here are a pair of BQ's I finished for a coworker of my youngest daughter. The "Father's Choice" (which I posted about earlier) was done on a 2 foot board and the "Stars and Squares" on a 1 foot board. I didn't know exactly how hard it would be doing all the stars for that size but they came out pretty well I think. These two designs seem to be quite popular.

RALLY AROUND CARROLLTON

Participated at "Rally Around Carrollton" today. Even though I did not sell any of our inventory or get any orders I really enjoyed talking with a lot of people. Some said they would contact me to possible order a barn quilt in the future.

When I arrived it was about 41 degrees. I set my table up in the sun on the East side of the courthouse out of the wind. It felt pretty good until about 10-11:00. The sun went around the building and I 'bout froze until 3:00 when I tore down. It never got over 50 degrees, but thankfully, I was mostly out of the wind.

One thing there was not a shortage of was kids that kept bringing other kids to get my Curved Illusion gospel tract that I gave away. I only had a couple left when I left. That made the event a good event.

"FATHER'S CHOICE" CHOICES

What’s great about making barn quilts is that there are practically no rules. I do set some myself that I like to adhere to, one being that, I only want to make one that is of an actual quilt block pattern so that it has a name, or names, along with some history behind it. But, when it comes to colors, anything goes. Yet, sometimes, changing the colors of a pattern will also change the name, but not always; or at least that’s what I’ve found out in what little time I’ve been making them.

I especially like the quilt pattern called “Father’s Choice”. I believe it was one of the first, if not the first, barn quilts I ever made.

I like it for a number of reasons. Laying out the design is not really hard but it’s not the easiest either. But, there is something about the design that just appeals to me and other people as well. It’s very easy to recognize no matter what color combinations you use. I like the red, white and blue colors to help represent our country. But, as you can see from one of the pictures, you can use any colors you want.

Plus, when I think of the name “Father’s Choice” I think of how, as a Christian and child of God, I was chosen by God Himself, before I was even born, to be in His family. When I became a born again Christian, I chose to accept the Gospel message of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for my sins, but God chose to accept me, when I cried out to Him in repentance and put my faith and trust in Him, His Son Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. He knew I would someday give my life to Him and He predestined it that way. Now, Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. I am so thankful that He did that for me.

So, in a way, the Father’s Choice quilt pattern holds a special meaning to me and I’m happy to make it for those who also see the beauty in it; even if not always for the same reasons I do. I know I’ll be making this design many more times in the future.

This was one of the first, if not the first one, I ever made.

This is one on a 2 x 2 board I just complete for one of my daughters co-workers.

This is one that was done by Katie Heaford of Kate's Barn Quilts.

And this one was done on a small 12 x 12 board with a flat Red Apple color instead of the usual semi-gloss that I use. Also, I used a different shade of blue. Plus, my adorable grandson Aiden helped in positioning it.

Thanks for looking and may you have a blessed day.

Mark

GOD'S EYE

A very nice couple from Carlinville, Richard and Carol Edwards, ordered this BQ from us while we were set up at the Prairie Land Steam Show. It's a design that I had planned on making sometime in the future so it was great that some one else liked it too.

They did a great job of picking out the colors of java brown, kiwi green, wheat bread beige and apple red. They'll also be sending me pictures to post once it's hung. Stay tuned.