By Carrie Campbell, for The Gazette
Although not a quilter herself, Julie Mangold became the driving force behind the creation and placement of more than 100 barn quilts throughout Washington County.
“I am not a quilter. But my mother-in-law was. And I just thought it was a neat idea,” said Mangold, 73, of West Chester.
The countywide project began in 2007. Mangold had seen articles about barn quilts that were put up in Grundy County and thought it might be a good fit for Washington County, with Kalona known as the quilt capital of Iowa. When the Washington Chamber of Commerce director decided to pursue barn quilts as a way to bring tourism to the county and was looking for someone to head up the project, Mangold volunteered.