Cottage Quilt Designs

This has been our summer to visit the thumb of Michigan! We have made three trips-one of which I showed you about the Aux Barqes Lighthouse. Last Sunday my husband and I went to  the 75th year reunion of the Fairhaven Community Church near Bay Port, MI. My family went to this small mission while we lived in the Pigeon area. It was very nice to see friends I grew up with and to learn what they are doing now.

I want to show you our first trip this summer which was to the Octagon Barn. This barn has been featured in The Cat Who books by Lillian Jackson Braun, one of our favorite authors. I’ve been wanting to see it for some time. My wonderful husband, who is very thoughtful, suggested it one Sunday afternoon when we wanted to take a drive.

A website has been set up with information about the barn and activities there at: http://www.thumboctagonbarn.org/

Here’s a photo looking up to the top inside the barn.

The barn was built in the 1920’s by a banker living on a farm near Gagetown. Retirees are at the farm everyday leading tours of the barn and the Arts and Craft home the Purdy family built. In September they have a festival at the barn that the whole thumb farming community takes part in. Our guide said that 10,000 guests come that day. Kathy Kirsch from Port Huron told me that her husband drives a steam tractor at the festival.

On the second level of the barn they are in progress of making it into a farming museum-half the floor is done. Families across the thumb have donated farm tools from years back which you can see. Each item is labeled with what it is and who donated it. This view is from the ground floor and looking up to the second level.

A man from the community made a model of the barn and the house which was used to show in parades. Here’s a photo of the barn he made.

This model is on the second floor of the museum. My husband collects old tools and loved what has been collected up there-everything you could think of and more for growing crops and animals.

I didn’t take photos of the house which we also loved. It has a beautiful stone fireplace and has been furnished with furniture and items from the 1940s’. Beautiful woodwork is in the house with beams on the ceilings. The kitchen still has the built in icehouse that Mr. Purdy put in for his wife. If you ever are in Michigan it is worth the trip to the little town of Gagetown and the few miles outside to visit this marvelous site!

Today my husband and I took a trip to the top of the thumb of Michigan. North of Harbor Beach on the east coastline is a lighthouse named Point Aux Barques. The lighthouse is still in operation and this weekend was their festival.

Years ago we visited the lighthouse when our children were small. It hasn’t changed except this time the attached house has become a period museum of nautical history of the ships and freighters that sailed the great lakes. The original log books kept by the lighthouse keepers are there with some of their photos and family histories.

You can climb the tower for $2 and there were various stands set up of food, story telling, musicians and an historian telling this lighthouse’s history.

It was getting close to lunch when we finished so we traveled south to Harbor Beach. One of my students in my appliqué club lives close by and filled me in on where to eat, the museums in town we could see and where to find the quilt shop she uses. After eating lunch we walked to the quilt shop which is located in The Corner Store-where it actually is-on the main street and M-142. One of the rooms has fabric, quilting supplies, books and all the things quilters like! Here’s a photo of part of the room.

Kathy Kirsch, my student, said to be sure and go up stairs. That’s where her quilt group meets. Here’s a photo of part of their classroom. She travels once a month to Bay City to The Fabric Fair where our club meets-a trip of 1 1/2 hours one way! She is an experierenced quilter and we are so glad she is in our group!

The other rooms in the store had gifts, a large selecton of chocolate candy and cards-all very nice items. We then found the bakery and brought home some cherry and apple fritters. Can’t wait to try them tomorrow morning! I’ll have to ask Kathy what the group is working on-I’m curious about how they are going to use the blocks on the wall!