Wisconsin is more than cheese

Bright, colorful, quilt patterns are appearing on barns, as the idea of barn quilts gathers momentum.

Don’t go looking for real quilts plastered to a barn wall, these quilts are made as 8-by-8 wooden squares painted to match quilt patterns. Quilts as a symbol of family and comfort represent a warm welcome in Green County, Wis.

With more than 60 quilts gracing the barn walls, there’s plenty to keep visitors busy as they drive through the countryside known for its cheese and dairy herds.

A good place to start a barn quilt tour is the Green County barn at N3150B state Highway 81, near Monroe. This was the first barn to get its quilt.

The Green County barn shows off a whirligig quilt pattern. The farm once was the home of a county-owned dairy herd at the Pleasant View complex. The complex was the home of the elderly and indigent in the county.

Several other barn quilts are located near Monroe. Here are some of them:

■ David and Marcia Walds, W6898 County Y – Dove at my door pattern – The Walds have the Rocky Rolling Acres dairy farm.

■ Schwarzenberg family, W3894 state Highway 11 – Variable star – have had their quilt since April 2008.

■ Dennis and Elizabeth Lauer, W6575 state Highway 11 – Tumbleweed – used for storage now, the barn once housed hogs in the 1950s and later horses.

■ Greg Smith and Deb Krauss Smith, N4512 Cold Springs Road – Swiss star – this early 1900s barn is the home of goats.

■ Green County Fairgrounds, 2600 10th St. – County fair pattern and 4-H pattern.

■ Wendy Detra, N4739 Decatur/Sylvester Road – Corn and beans – has had its quilt since July 2008.

■ Ruth Ellen Putnam, N2323 Steiner Road – Carolina lily pattern – this was the first pattern to be painted directly on the barn doors. The building is used for storing hay.

■ Jim and Anita Huffman, N1715 Bethel Road – Wisconsin star – The Huffmans have owned the farmland since the 1870s. The barn houses heifers and dry cows in the winter.