Last Friday, the Pocahontas County Barn Quilt Trail, Patterns of the Past squares were on display at Glades Building Supply for the public to view.

Painters and artists have used the space at Glades to translate quilt blocks onto wooden boards.

Pocahontas County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Cara Rose said 12 of the blocks will be part of the official West Virginia Sesquicentennial quilt trail.

“There are some blocks that other people did, that they paid for, that will be part of the trail,” Rose said. “When we print the map of the trail, we will identify them differently from the sesquicentennial ones.”

Most of the blocks have been assigned, and the CVB is currently combing through applications to assign the rest.

“We want them scattered throughout the county,” Rose said. “There are four that have not been assigned, and people can still submit. There is a criteria in place. They have to be accessible from the main highway, and they have to sign an agreement to be part of an advertised trail.”

Rose said she hopes, weather permitting, installation of the squares will begin in January.

“I’m excited to get them in place,” she said.

Although the original 12 squares are finished, Rose said that doesn’t mean the trail cannot grow in the future.

“We wanted to create the trail and then create an avenue for people to get squares done on their own to add to the trail,” she said. “We are still working on that, but there will be a fee to use the location and the supplies provided through the Art Council.”

Part of the funding for the project was raised through two quilt giveaways. The quilt made by the Cranberry Piece Makers was won by Nancy Malecek, of Charleston, and the quilt made by the Minnehaha Village Quilters was won by Angie Pyles, of Barboursville.

Rose estimated that the quilts raised around $1,500.

For an application to be part of the trail, contact the Pocahontas County Convention and Visitors Bureau at 304-799-4636.

Suzanne Stewart may be contacted at sastewart@pocahontastimes.com