TIME IS SHORT!

This is just a reminder that if you wish to order a barn quilt that you need to do it before Jan. 1. After that we will not be taking any custom orders for 2016. We will be working from our inventory. Our inventory is low right now though and there is only about 5 left that are listed on our blog.

We are finishing up our Christmas orders now and getting non-Christimas orders finished thru January and Feburary but will be building up our inventory throughout the year. We hope you will check our blog often to see what we have to sell.

Thank you for your interest in Bentley Barn Quilts and we wish you a Merry Christmas!

Mark Bentley

MEGGINSON FARM

Recently Tina Weir and her husband Doug Megginson, who own a 6 generation farm near Waverly, commissioned me to do an eight foot "Corn and Beans" barn quilt in JD colors. They picked it up one Saturday morning and had it up early Saturday afternoon! It looks fantastic! I'm amazed at how Doug made it look easy to mount on their machine shed. They had me put 6 "M"'s in the center to represent the 6 generations. It is located 3 miles south of Waverly on Rt. 111.

They also had me make a 4 foot Farmall barn quilt for Jack and Marilyn Smith in Franklin. It's called "Morning Star" and looks very nice as well.

TWISTED TAILS

Here's a 2 x 2 that I made for my parents wedding anniversary. It's called "Twisted Tails". I saw the quilt at the River Country Quilt Show we attended this year. It was attributed to LaVerne Roy. I think the design is great.

NANCY'S FANCY

Just finished this 2 x 2 for a customer in Jacksonville, IL. called "Nancy's Fancy."

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT OUR BUISNESS

We are reluctant to have to announce this but find it necessary. We need to make some changes to our barn quilt business due to it taking up all the time I have aside from my regular day job. Our business has grown greatly over the past three years and become almost more than one person can handle.

So, starting the end of December, we will no longer be taking custom orders for barn quilts. We will still be making them but we will be selling only what we have from our inventory. This will allow us to free up some time for other things that we’ve been putting off.

We want to build up the inventory thru next year and have a lot of different designs and colors to choose from ranging from 8 inch to 4 foot square plus our two “Welcome” barn quilt sizes. We will be eliminating the 6 and 8 foot sizes due to storage. We have a good record of what is popular and have many new ones we would like to make. We will be posting what comes available on Facebook and also continue to list our sale items on our blog.

We have already had to cut off our Christmas orders as of Sept. 30th and will finish all the non-Christmas orders we have and continue to get thru the end of December but, after that, will not be accepting any more. We’d like to try this thru 2016 and see how it goes. Maybe, if all goes well, we might be able to resume taking orders at some point be we hate having to have people wait 4-6 months to get their orders. That’s just too long.

By making these changes it’s possible that we might be able to increase the number of events that we set our booth up for next year. That would be great, but if not, we WILL at least be setting up at the Prairie Land Heritage Steam Show the end of September and the River Country Quilt Show the end of July. Both these events are in Jacksonville Illinois.

We thank all our past customers and hope you will continue to think of us when you’re looking for a gift or a barn quilt for yourself. We may have the size, price and design that will be what you’re looking for.

Mark & Pat Bentley

GOOD TIME AT THE STEAM SHOW!

We had a great 3 days at the Prairie Land Heritage Steam Show and here are some pictures to prove it. We combined our booth with one of our daughter Sam's and tried to make it as appealing to the public as possible. I think it turned out nice and we had some good contacts, got some orders and sold some inventory. It was a fine, but tiring time!

For Sale: 2 foot Pinwheel $75

For Sale: 1 foot Compass Star $30

For Sale: 1 foot Sawtooth $30

PRAIRIE LAND IS BACK!

ATTENTION! Starting tomorrow we will be at the Prairie Land Heritage Steam Show in Jacksonville, IL. We'll have our Barn Quilt booth set up once again in the barn next to where they serve their famous ham and beans!

Please stop by and see us and order a barn quilt, buy one from our inventory and also check out our daughter Sam's pretty Burlap Wreaths for your home. She does a great job and will have a good supply on hand. Hope to see you there!

FOR OUR CUSTOMERS INFORMATION

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY! This past year we have been very blessed with a good number of orders and we thank our past, present and future customers for allowing us the honor of making you one of our barn quilts. We have had many repeat customers and we are very grateful to you!

This post is to also inform our customers and public about the making and ordering of our barn quilts.

I complete the BQ’s one at a time and in the order they are received. I’m not a factory and can only work as fast as time and my standards of workmanship will allow. At the time of ordering I can give an estimated time of delivery but, please understand that this is an estimate and it may and probably will vary depending on what life throws at me between time of order and completion. I will always try and complete all orders in a timely fashion while ensuring the highest standards of workmanship. No matter how fast I paint, barn quilting will never qualify as an aerobic exercise.

I am also NOT a graphic designer, have not been trained in it, nor pretend to be. I prefer to make established, traditional, old time quilt block designs, BUT, will also try and attempt to make custom designs that fit your needs. If I feel like I cannot accomplish this then I’ll give you notice.

Your business is very important to us and we greatly appreciate the confidence you put in us to create a product that you will enjoy for years to come.

Due to the volume of increased orders we have had from year to year, we will be limiting the number of shows and events that we will have our booth set up each year to only two or three. Two events for sure that we will try and attend will be the Prairieland Heritage Steam Show in Jacksonville, IL. the last weekend in September and also the River Country Quilt Show the last weekend in July. We may squeeze a third event possibly in the Spring time.

This year we will also need to put a cutoff date for anyone wanting a BQ by Christmas. The last date to ensure you get yours by Christmas will be Sept. 30th.

Again, we thank everyone for your business and taking the time to check us out. God has greatly blessed us with a wonderful variety of clientele and we have made a number of new friends. We really enjoy meeting all of you!

Barn Quilting is cheaper than therapy! God bless!

Mark Bentley

WEDDING RING BOUQUET

Here's a "Welcome Barn Quit" we did for a customer that they gave to their family for a wedding anniversary gift. The pattern is called "Wedding Ring Bouquet".

MARINER'S COMPASS

Here's a new Mariner's Compass we just did for a local customer. They have a beautiful barn it will be mounted on and as soon as it is, we'll post a picture. Thanks for looking.

RIVER COUNTRY QUILT SHOW

We had a great time at the River Country Quilt Show in Jacksonville this July 24th & 25th at JHS. We got quite a few orders along with making some good contacts. My parents stopped by and also our Missouri cousins along with our mutual good friends from Carlinville. Pat and I really enjoyed ourselves and look forward to it next year.

Here's a few photos from the show. "Illinois Stories" covered the bed turning so watch for that future episode. Thanks for looking.

SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT BARN QUILTS!

Gave our presentation at the Morgan Co. Fair July 8th afternoon to a small crowd of about 20 people. It was not the best of days with all the rain and damp, cool air.

But, we had a good time and the people asked a number of questions. We're thankful we were invited to participate and for the brave souls who ventured out in the elements to hear us.

CARD TRICK VARIATION

We did this one for a customer who quilts and it is our larger 16" x 24" "Welcome" size. I like the colors in it.

SETTING SUN

One of our cousins lives up the street from us and he mounted this 2' "Sun" barn quilt on his house that we made. We donated it to our schools Penny Carnival and he won it in the auction. It looks quite nice.

JACKSONVILLE MINI MALL

We recently put up two 8 foot barn quilts that a customer ordered from us for their new mini mall that is being developed at the Uptown Square in Jacksonville Illinois. We have more barn quilts to install soon in their building. Stop by sometime and take a look. The barn quilt designs are "Director's Dream" and "American Blazing Star."

BIG SURPRISE!

On April 19th, our church hosted our annual Italian Buffet which is the largest fundraiser for our school academy. They have a silent and live auction of many wonderful donated items. BBQ's has donated a 2 foot barn quilt for the last couple years and this year we donated the "Dutch Rose." What a surprise it was when the last silent auction bid topped out at $300 for it. We met the lady who bought it and she said she still had a puzzle from her childhood that was similar and she just had to have it. Thank you Carol Higdon for giving so much to such a worthy cause.