Suzi Parron discovered barn quilts on a trip through Kentucky in 2008. She documented over 1,000 barn quilts in the process of writing her 2012 book, Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement. Her second book, Following the Barn Quilt Trail, was published in May of 2016. This book features a Kansas chapter with extensive coverage of the Kansas Flint Hills barn quilt trail.
In her talk, Parron took us on a journey along the quilt trail, beginning with the very first barn quilt, which stemmed from Donna Sue Groves and her wish to honor her mother’s quilting art. Parron’s presentation featured over 100 stunning photographs of barn quilts including stories of some of the individuals who painted quilt blocks to honor loved ones or their local culture, along with some humorous anecdotes.