But before the first pigment slapped wood, organizations including Adams County Economic Development, the Edge of Appalachia and the Ohio Bicentennial Committee caught wind of the idea. So, too, did a group of Adams County quilt makers and barn owners. Their combined efforts, boosted by partial funding from the Ohio Arts Council, resulted in a blanket of quilt squares that stretches throughout this lush countryside.

The group's original plan was for 20 quilt squares on 20 barns, enough to make a sample quilt if constructed of fabric. But the enthusiasm didn't stop at 20, and today 22 barns display quilt squares. Finding them is a pleasant way to spend an autumn day.

An hour and half drive east of Cincinnati, Adams County is acres upon acres of rolling fields and densely wooded hills. Traffic congestion is unknown in most areas, thanks, in part, to the many Amish families who live there. The pace is a bit slower. Driving behind a horse-drawn buggy is an invitation to slow down and enjoy the scenery.

Finding all 22 quilt squares in Adams County will require a map, provided by the Adams County Chamber of Commerce.

As with most good ideas, the barn quilt concept is spreading. In Ohio, the folks in Monroe County have 15. Brown County is home to one barn quilt square, and four other Ohio counties are planning quilt square projects.

The enthusiasm for barn quilt squares doesn't stop at the state line. Ten counties in Tennessee boast quilt squares, while Iowa's Grundy County has 14. Kentucky, West Virginia Oklahoma, Oregon and Ontario, Canada, have barn quilt plans in the works.

Groves, 56, is amazed at the way her simple idea has taken hold.

"In my 30 years of community work, it has been the best and happiest of projects," she says.

A West Virginia native, her appreciation of quilting stems from several generations of quilt makers. Her love of barns grew from a childhood spent traveling West Virginia's back roads.

"I grew to love all the Mail Pouch, Rock City and Cave City barns we saw during our travels. It's community art."