The barn at Ilderton's Heritage Park is being painted this summer. As part of that face-lift, Middlesex Centre is looking to the community to suggest designs for a barn quilt that will be mounted on the side of the building.
- What's a barn quilt?
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Barn quilts are large painted versions of a fabric quilt blocks that are installed on the side of a barn or on posts in rural areas. They tell a story about the people and the community through their design.
- How can I or my group get involved?
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We're inviting the community to get involved by submitting a design, voting on the short-listed designs, and attending the grand unveiling in the fall.
Dates Activities June 4 to July 7
Submit your Designs
Individuals and community groups are invited to submit their designs for the barn quilt.
July 8 to July 15 Submitted Designs are Short-Listed
Middlesex Centre will review all the submissions and shortlist the options. The submissions will be reviewed to ensure they are appropriate for posting on a public building and will work well as a barn quilt (see tips below).
July 15 to July 31 Community Votes on Preferred Design
The short-listed designs will be shared with the community, and residents can vote on their preferred design.
August Barn Quilt is Painted
The selected design will be sent for painting on a large-scale board.
September Barn Quilt is Installed
Stay tuned for more details on an "unveiling" event.
- How can I or my group submit a design idea?
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Community members, school classes, businesses and community groups are invited to submit designs for the barn quilt.
- Your quilt block should be in a 1:1 ratio (a square or a diamond).
- You can draw it using whatever you like - from crayons to paints to graphics programs.
- You can draw it on a piece of paper or digitally (the final design will be painted on a large 8 ft x 8 ft block).
Submitting your Design
When you are submitting your design, please include:
- Your quilt block design (a copy or a photo is fine if you want to keep the original, but please make sure what you submit is clear and for digital files, in a high resolution).
- A brief description of why your design would be right for Ilderton. Why did you pick the pattern or colours you did? What do they mean for Ilderton, the Municipality of Middlesex Centre, and its residents? (No more than 500 words.)
- Your name, organization's name (if appropriate), and your contact information.
- If you have created a new quilt pattern, please indicate your approval for Middlesex Centre to use your design for the barn quilt project. (If your quilt pattern is selected, we will ask you to sign a formal release.)
You can submit your design:
- Online - Complete the form:
Heritage Park Barn Quilt Design Submission
- By Mail - Submit your design to the Municipality of Middlesex Centre at 10227 Ilderton Road, Ilderton, ON, N0M 2A0. Please mail your design in early as it can take some time for mail to be forwarded during the municipal office renovation.
- In Person - Drop your design off at the Komoka Wellness Centre, 1 Tunks Lane, Komoka (at the customer service desk) or at the Ilderton or Coldstream Library Branches.
Designs need to arrive at the Middlesex Centre office by June 30.
- Tips for Designing your Barn Quilt
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Here are a few tips for designing your barn quilt block, taken in part from the Canada Barn Quilt Trail website:
- Pattern: The choice is limitless! Design your block from a treasured family quilt, historical quilt, or your imagination. Think about a pattern that is inspired by the community of Ilderton. Not sure where to start? Pick a theme or key word and search the Internet for block patterns. Keep the designs simple. Remember that the block will be up on the side of the barn, and the farther the blocks are from viewers, the less detail is needed.
- Colour: Choose bold, vibrant primary colours. Muted earth colours disappear on the side of the barn, so avoid natural autumn colours like grey and beige. Limit the number of colours per barn quilt block. Sometimes geometric shapes need to be outlined with a black band. You might also want to think about picking colours that are inspired by the community of Ilderton.
- Copyright: If you are using an existing design, make sure your pattern is in the public domain. If you create your own design, you will be asked to give the municipality permission for its use.
- Appropriateness: With this barn quilt, we want to celebrate Ilderton and Middlesex Centre, its history, and all the wonderful things our community has to offer today. Your design should be appropriate for a public building. If you submit a block with a design or meaning that espouse hatred, discrimination, violence, intolerance or racism; that promotes a specific political party, religion or business, or otherwise is contrary to municipal policies or by-laws, it will not be considered (Middlesex Centre's CAO will have the final decision if a design is rejected as inappropriate.)
- Need some Inspiration?
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Not sure where to start? Here are a few sites that will get your creativity flowing:
- Canada Barn Quilt Trails
- Canadian Quilters
- Ontario's Barn Quilt Tales & Trails (Destination Ontario)
- Chatham-Kent Longwoods Barn Quilt Trail (image at top of page is taken from the Longwoods Barn Quilt Trail)
- Questions?
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Questions about the Barn Quilt Project? Please contact:
- About submitting and voting on the design - Heather Kepran, Manager of Strategic Communications
- About the project and Heritage Park - Kent Ferguson, Community Services Operations Supervisor