The Citizen, 2017-01-19, Page 9THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2017. PAGE 9.
Priors blaze barn quilt trail, IPM competition
The starting point
Tim and Donna Prior, and their businesses Brussels Agri -Services and The Cowboy Loft, have
sponsored the 2017 International Plowing Match's barn quilt competition, which is part of the
beautification competition. They figured that if they were going to encourage residents to
create their own barn quilts, they should have one up themselves. The barn quilt provides a tip
of the hat to Canada's 150th birthday, the season of fall and Wagyu cattle, which the Priors
have at their farm. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Tim Prior of Brussels is leading by
example in this fall's International
Plowing Match (IPM) barn quilt
competition, part of the
beautification competition.
The owner of Brussels Agri -
Services and The Cowboy Loft has
put up $750 for the county's best
barn quilt and $250 for the fan
favourite in a competition
encouraging residents to spruce up
their barns with a quilt.
A barn quilt is a large piece of
wood, usually eight feet squared,
that is decoratively painted and
placed on the side of a barn. The
quilts created for the IPM this fall
will become part of the Ontario Barn
Quilt Trail, a network of barn quilts
throughout the province that can be
found on barnquilttrails.ca.
Prior worked with Cheryl
Gardiner of Gardiner's Gate Hand -
Crafted Barn Quilts of Ilderton for
his design, which depicts the
Canadian flag, four maple leaves
depicting the fall season and a mural
of a Wagyu cow, the type of animal
Prior has on his home farm just east
of Brussels.
Honoured
Cheryl Gardiner has been creating barn quilts for farmers near and far in recent years and has
been brought on board by the 2017 International Plowing Match organizers for their barn quilt
trail. Organizer Tim Prior hopes to have 150 barn quilts to match Canada's 150th birthday.
Gardiner is seen here working on Prior's barn quilt. (Photo submitted)
In an interview with The Citizen,
Prior says that he first encountered a
barn quilt when he was in the
Glencoe area, travelling for work. As
he drove around the community,
he saw many more (Glencoe is
one of the areas with many quilts
on the Ontario Barn Quilt Trail),
so he asked someone and he
was told all about barn quilts and the
trail.
He immediately thought that barn
quilts could be a way to encourage
Huron County, Brussels and Walton
residents to spruce up their farms
ahead of the 2017 IPM.
Not only could barn quilts
improve the look of farms ahead of
the historic match, Prior thought, but
they could be a lasting reminder of
the match, and beautification that
would improve the look of the
landscape for many years after the
match.
"We are very excited about this
initiative, as these barn quilts will
last for years after the match is
complete," said IPM Chair Jacquie
Bishop. "When you see these barn
quilts hanging three, four, five years
down the road, you will think of the
memories made at IPM 2017."
When Prior and his wife Donna
first brought the concept to the IPM
committee, they found enthusiasm
for the idea and it was immediately
incorporated into the beautification
competition, which is being
spearheaded by Deb Falconer.
The Priors have been supporting
the IPM for years. It was Brussels
Agri -Services and The Cowboy Loft
that first put up the prize money
when the call was put out for logos
for the IPM several years ago.
Prior said he feels it's important to
support local initiatives like this,
especially something as big as the
IPM, because Huron County
sponsorship is definitely more
important when a big event rolls
around.
He contacted Gardiner, who had
exhibited and offered up her services
at last year's Huron County Plowing
Match held in Morris-Turnberry, and
Prior said working with Gardiner
was a joy.
Prior had a rough idea of what he
wanted his quilt to look like, and
Gardiner worked her magic, he said.
In previous articles, Gardiner
has described the wooden barn
quilts as "rural eye candy" that can
take on any identity the customer
wants.
Many of the projects Gardiner has
taken on over the years are an
homage to a car company or farm
machinery company of which the
customer is fond. However, for
example, with Prior's project, the
inspiration was much more patriotic
and symbolic of Prior's chosen
profession.
Gardiner worked for 30 years in
the commercial sign -painting
business before shifting her skill -set
to the design of barn quilts. Since
then, she has created projects for
customers all over North America
and beyond.
Prior first contacted Gardiner in
November with his idea. The two
worked back and forth and in just
over a week, it was complete.
Gardiner plans to take orders
throughout the spring and summer,
saying that she will likely set a cut-
off for IPM orders of mid-June to
ensure that she can fill all orders.
A typical eight foot squared barn
quilt would cost between $500 and
$800, she said, depending on the
level of work involved.
While the standard barn quilt
measures eight feet squared,
Gardiner says that many customers
are interested in smaller quilts,
measuring two feet squared for their
house or porch.
To find Gardiner, search
Gardiner's Gate Custom Hand -
Crafted Barn Quilts on Facebook, or
call them at 519-461-9344.
For more information on the
Ontario Barn Quilt Trail, visit its
website at barnquilttrails.ca and for
more information about the IPM
2017 beautification competition,
contact Linda O'Rourke at 519-527-
1035.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Let us know what is happening in your area by
emailing a picture for possible inclusion
on our website's "Picture of the Day".
Please include a small caption about the picture.
Visit our website at northhuron.on.ca
- maybe your picture will be the
PHOTO OF THE DAY!
Email submissions to:
reporter@ northhuron.on.ca