Though I come from a long line of quilters, the desire to piece a covering from tiny scraps of fabric never took hold with me. I tried. Too tedious. I also think a quilter’s mindset is one that starts from a small place and fashions outward. I tend to paint broad strokes and work gradually to a detail where I will often get lost.
But I love quilts, especially the ones with the provenance of flour sacks, house dresses and little girl’s jumpers. I do own quilts and never tire of looking at the work of others, which is why I went down to Kalona. Calling itself the quilt capital of Iowa, Kalona boasts shops with quilt making supplies and souvenirs, a few restaurants, and quilt patterns of colored bricks set into the sidewalk. The town was hosting a quilt show and I wanted to take a look.
Hung in narrow rows in the small community center were three to four dozen quilts of varying sizes. The centerpiece—at least for me— was a stunning king size quilt in a floral medallion design of puffy appliqué. It was priced at $12,000. If I had made that quilt, I don’t think I would have sold it, no matter what. How many hours did it take?
|
This was the centerpiece of the show. |
|
Some of this fabric looks hand-painted. |
Kalona also is home to the largest Amish and Mennonite community west of the Mississippi. Along the back roads are lovely farms as well as a few Amish run grocery stores and bakery. Extra-wide shoulders along the highway accommodate horse drawn buggies.
|
Laundry dries on the line at this farm outside Kalona. |
Organic milk from the modest and plainly dressed bovines of this area is used in my favorite yogurt, Kalona SuperNatural. Also in Kalona is the Cheese Haus, a factory where you can watch cheese curds being made and, if your timing is just right, you can take home a bag of still-warm squeaky goodness.
You can see the Cheese Haus’ two 500,000 pound milk tanks and other photos in my Kalona set on Flickr. Just click
here to view them all.