Donna Sue Groves Interview
- Artistic Innovations NE
- Aug 23
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 24
Barn Quilt Visionary
Recorded August 17, 2018
By Rose Mapel
June of 2016, we started our small business. Our location was off the beaten path, and we needed a way to lure customers right to our door. Luckily, Cozad Nebraska is home to a barn quilt trail called “The Barn Quilts of Dawson County”. One sure way to get customers there was to put an onsite barn quilt on the barn quilt trail. We ended up having a few barn quilts at our location.
August 2017, we saw “Pieced together” in Cozad, Nebraska. Suzi Parron was there too. The public showing was made possible by Cozad Tourism and the Wilson Public Library. I reached out to Donna Sue Groves on Messenger, and we chatted a bit. She sent me information about a curriculum that was used to teach about barn quilts and the Ohio Arts Council Barn Quilt Impact Study.
July of 2018, I reached out to Donna Sue Groves via Messenger again. This time requesting an interview for my book in process at the time called “The Complete Barn Quilt Creation & Painting Guide”. 10 minutes later I just about fell out of my chair when she said she would be honored to do an interview with me. She suggested a day and time a week later and gave me her phone number. I was in 7th heaven! She makes the story complete. It all started with her-the living legend herself. I wrote up my list of questions and arranged them in sequential order for the flow of the interview.
It was during this timeframe that I was painting the 50 States Barn Quilt display in Cozad. It was quite the undertaking with the full display coming in at 6 foot tall and 50 foot long. The project was started February of 2018; the last installation of blocks was finished October of 2018. The display is located at 117 W. 7th in downtown Cozad, Nebraska. Check out http://facebook.com/50Statebarnquiltdisplay for details on how it all came together.
At that time there was not as much out there on the barn quilt process. There was not a comprehensive book that covered it. It was bits and pieces of information here and there. We figured out what worked for us, and we evolved our process during the painting of the 50 States Barn Quilt. After you do something repeatedly, after so many times you start to figure out some things and learn the best way to do it. It was the perfect opportunity to make observations and take detailed notes on the process. There were notes-lots and lots of them. Some on sticky notes, some on napkins, some on scrap paper, usually transported home to the computer in return envelopes from junk mail.
We bought a recorder to record the interview. I sat at my 4 foot work table/desk and went through the questions with her. I remember it was a warm day, and we did not have air conditioning in our work area. The excitement in her voice about the success of the barn quilt movement was unmistakable. It is an idea that brings people together and brings happiness to their lives. I got the impression it filled her soul with gratitude for being a part of it. Her voice was filled with passion. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to talk to her about her vision becoming a reality. Her words are powerful. She realized the power of this movement early on. It was about more than art. It brought people together.
In the interview Donna Sue Groves talked about how to start a barn quilt trail. She gives information on things to think about prior to starting a trail. She is excited that her mother’s legacy will live on with the barn quilt movement. In her words the barn quilt movement saved her. It gave her purpose and joy. What a blessing to hear the words from the visionary herself.
After our interview I tried to have the audio transcribed to written words digitally. That did not work very well. I ended up playing a sentence, pausing, writing it down, playing a sentence, pausing and writing it down. It was slow work. My intention was to release the audio not long after I released the 1st Edition of the book. Well. That didn’t happen.
The 1st Edition came out in 2019. It came out in print form as a spiral bound book. I split the book into three eBooks, and they are on Amazon. I am so grateful to have the written interview with Donna Sue Groves in my book. The story of barn quilts could not be written without her. I sent her one of the books after it was printed and I thanked her for starting what she did. It brings joy to so many.
After the 1st Edition came out life happened as it does. We started to do more traveling barn quilt and other art classes around Nebraska. Things got busy and I thought about the audio recording on occasion.
Fast forward to 2025. It was inevitable. I would need to update my book before a reprint was done. We changed the name of our business a few years back and I wanted to do some visual upgrades. The stockpile of books from the 2019 printing was dwindling.
Our 2025 process is the same as it was in 2018. In 2024, the 50 States Barn Quilt display was on the receiving end of baseball size hail. Unbelievably, the display was not damaged.
It seems only fitting to release the interview with the release of the 1st Revision of the 1st Edition. Her words are the same in the revision. Sadly, she is now known as the late Donna Sue Groves in the revised book. She passed away November 13, 2021, at the age of 73.
It was an honor to interview the mother of the barn quilt movement. She was a visionary who saw the worth of barn quilts and their effect on the spirit.Her work helped to make the barn quilt world what it is today. Today people are still brought together by barn quilts. Her legacy lives on in the smiles of those who paint them, those who view them and those who receive them. Barn quilts bring happiness and are good for the soul.
Thank you for taking a little time to read this and to listen to the video. Remembering the spark that started the flame is important. Donna Sue Groves was that spark. The world feels the warmth from that little spark. It ignited a barn quilt movement that now knows no boundaries. It brings people together at barn quilt workshops and it gets neighbors talking on the street. It gives the person that paints barn quilts the satisfaction of creating something beautiful that brings joy to others.
The recording is raw and uncut. Admittedly, because of a lack of good editing software and time. I remember words someone once told me in a barn quilt workshop. Sometimes done is better than perfect. Maybe one day I will figure out how to clean it up and repost it. Until then I am happy her voice and words are out there.
I hope you take her words to heart and use barn quilts as a way to bring happiness and people together in your community. Barn quilt trails continue to pop up. Barn quilts continue to pop up not yet on trails. They are seeds for more barn quilt trails and more barn quilts. Inspiration comes from admiration.
When we first started our business and went to the Nebraska State Fair to demonstrate how to paint barn quilts in the first few years people did not know or understand what they were. Now, from 20 feet away someone will say “Barn Quilts!” loud enough for me to hear. Their popularity continues to grow. Thanks Donna Sue Groves. Thanks for giving us this gift that continues to bring us together.
Map to find & add barn quilt trails- http://www.piecedtogetherdoc.com/map.html
To learn more about the life and story of Donna Sue Groves visit the Pieced Together Documentary at http://facebook.com/barnquiltmovie.
The three part eBook series can be found on at www.amazon.com/author/rosemapel.
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