Clearwater Power A Patchwork of Family and Heritage Dorothy Rogers, right, and her daughter, Taffy Kettenburg, stand in front of Dorothy's barn that showcases a custom quilt square. Local quilters start along a driving route. The idea was to Traditionally, they are painted onto a 4 celebrate their heritage, promote art and foot by 4 foot half sheet of plywood. She unofficial quilt trail in invite visitors to travel through the coun- used a pencil and straight edge to follow tryside to view the barn quilts. the pattern. Nez Perce County Quilt trails now exist in 48 states and “You have to get it symmetrical every- Canada, with more than 7,000 quilt where, so you have to use math,” she says. By Lori Mai squares represented on barns, homes and To save money, Taffy mixed her own garages. Many more, like Dorothy’s, are colors from red, blue, black and white Dorothy Rogers owns a picturesque barn not part of an organized tour, but she is acrylic paints. She used a painter’s tape along Highway 95 near Lapwai. Resting hoping one day it will be. that seals well to achieve crisp lines and in a pristine field dotted with daffodils, “We haven’t really caught on here,” worked the colors inward from the edge. the stately structure has long been an she says. “I think we’re missing the boat, At the same time, Taffy was making a arresting subject for artists and photogra- because it draws people.” different block for her own barn. Each phers, who have featured it on postcards Dorothy’s daughter, Taffy Kettenburg, took about two weeks to finish. and paintings of the area. painted the barn quilt square as a gift to “You can’t just paint them in a day, The barn is also a favorite of many her mother, who is a talented quilter. because the paints have to dry,” Taffy passersby, who often stop to snap their Inspired by a magazine article on the says. “You can’t tape something onto own shots. Dorothy, 97, would be subject, Taffy decided to create a star paint that’s not properly cured, or it will delighted if more travelers dropped by garnet —Idaho’s state gem recognized on peel off, so it takes time.” for a photo, now that it sports a colorful the state quilt block pattern. Usually, peo- Taffy tweaked her artwork until she painted replica of the official Idaho state ple choose a design that is significant to was satisfied. Then, she applied a protec- quilt block. them, their family or their heritage. tive coating to help the painted boards Quilt blocks on barns are a grow- “Mom’s a quilting lady, she loves her withstand weather. ing trend nationwide. In 2001, Donna barn, and Idaho is a big part of her life, Once Dorothy’s quilt block was hung Sue Groves of Adams County, Ohio, so it was the perfect gift,” Taffy says. on the barn, Taffy says the biggest proposed creating a “sampler” of quilt With no previous art background, problem they encountered was pigeons squares that could be featured on barns Taffy researched how to make the block. roosting in the eaves, whose droppings 4 JUNE 2017 Left, Dorothy Rogers in her sewing room below one of her favorite quilts made of her mother-in-law's World War I-era fabric. A view of Dorothy's barn from the road. streaked the painting, causing it to appear stitching,” she says. “I started doing a lot pillows, pictures and apparel. Even discolored. To combat this dilemma, of embroidery by lamplight, because we though she has given away many as Taffy plans to build a metal “eyebrow” did not have electricity.” gifts, she jokes that her three children, above the square to catch the droppings During World War II, Dorothy mar- six grandchildren and four great-grand- so the deep colors are better visible from ried an army captain and later moved to children will have to fight over all of the a distance. Idaho, where her husband’s mother lived. many items she still has on hand. Usually, quilt trails are organized at the It was in Idaho that Dorothy developed Long ago, Dorothy’s sewing pursuits county level to limit the scope to a man- her love of quilting. eclipsed the space in her house, so she ageable day’s drive for tourists. Although “I went to the county fair in the moved her craft to the upper level of a Dorothy lives in Nez Perce County, Lewiston Orchards and saw this lady sit- former smokehouse behind her home. which currently does not have a desig- ting there hand quilting,” she says. “I got There, walls of shelves burst with a kalei- nated trail, Taffy lives in Idaho County, inspired.” doscope of fabric bolts. Every nook and which does. About 19 families partici- Dorothy loves to create her own quilt cranny holds bins full of colorful scraps. pate. A flyer listing the locations and a patterns and incorporate embroidered “You never run out of scraps,” she says. brief quilt square history is available at details to define her own unique style. “They just go on and on.” the Grangeville Visitor Center. “I don’t like to do things like everybody Dorothy still climbs the narrow flight While Dorothy hesitates spearhead- else,” she says. of stairs daily to immerse herself in a ing such an endeavor in her county, “it One of Dorothy’s favorite projects is project. wouldn’t take much effort at all for some- a wall hanging featuring sailboats made “What would I do without it?” she says body to document a quilt trail,” Taffy entirely from antique scraps found in her of her hobby. “It’s a challenge. I just like says. “There just needs to be a centralized mother-in-law’s attic. doing it. It’s a good way to spend your contact person, and if people have barn “I wanted to preserve those fabrics, time and not get into mischief.” quilts or want to make them, they can because they were World War I era,” she Dorothy’s passion is another reason call in and get added to the tour.” says. she wants to see the time-honored tra- Looking ahead, Dorothy would like Another cherished piece is a nine-patch dition of quilting showcased on barns, to have more painted quilt squares on log cabin-style quilt she designed herself and hopes the idea for an area quilt trail her barn representing other important and sewed with scraps from clothes she catches on as it has in other places. pieces of her history and lifelong love of made her children years ago. “I enjoy the colors and the artwork,” needlework. “She’s real particular,” Taffy says. “If she she says. “And it would be really fun if Born in 1919, Dorothy grew up on a makes one little error, she doesn’t blend it more people got on board.” n rural farm near Eureka, California. in. She rips it out and does it again.” “We didn’t have time to go to town Over the years, Dorothy has quilted, For more information about barn quilts, or the movies, so we stayed home and embroidered and counted-cross-stitched contact Taffy Kettenburg at (208) 839-2648, or worked, and in the evenings we did hundreds of bedspreads, wall hangings, [email protected]. JUNE 2017 5 Northern Wasco PUD Better, Kinder Kennels Shelter strives to raise money to improve surroundings and increase likelihood of adoption By Kathy Ursprung Walk into the kennel at Home at Last Humane Society and the overwhelming impression is dark, noisy and caged. Chain-link fencing separates the ani- mals from one another and from visitors. The cages are clean and have bright touches, such as dog treat buckets, but those touches don’t relieve the overall drabness. “The kennel has not been changed at all since this was the old Wasco County pound,” says Shelter Manager Anita Clason. “When a dog walked in and probably didn’t walk out, I guess the area was sufficient.” Home at Last started operating the animal shelter for Wasco County in 2004. Last year, the county deeded the shelter A dog residing at Home at Last Humane Society enjoys some outdoor time at the play yard. property to Home at Last, opening the door for more extensive improvements. was the No. 1 thing on my list when I of that care. They would like to increase The county routinely euthanized ani- took the job.” fostering. mals that were not adopted. Since Home Anita, her staff, and the volunteer “It’s always better for an animal to be in at Last took over operations, animals board of directors are dreaming big. If a home,” Anita says. “But so many come almost never face euthanasia. they can raise enough money, they plan in on owner release and as strays. We Anita wants to make the place more to extend the kennel onto a concrete slab really need more room. There’s a waiting welcoming for people and more com- that now serves as a play yard. list now. That’s one of the reasons we want fortable for the animals they visit—and “We’ll have more kennels and more to expand the building.” hopefully adopt. Home at Last is launch- room to reposition the kennels so fewer Raising enough money for the project ing a capital campaign this month to raise dogs are facing each other,” Anita says. will allow installation of better kennels: money to redo and expand the kennel “We’ve also had so many litters of pup- adding more windows, and resurfacing area.