A master quilter, Irene Cheek has been using her talents to help people out in this part of rural Kentucky, as director of Emergency Fund and Service, Inc. The organization teaches quilting in exchange for helping people paying their bills; the quilts are then auctioned off or sold to replenish the community fund.

Irene Cheek is part of a project called the National Quilt Trail. The project began in Ohio when Donna Sue Groves decided to paint an 8’ x 8’ quilt square on her barn to honor her mother, Maxine Groves, a lifetime quilter. It was such a wonderful idea that the community decided to do 20 quilt squares on barns and create a driving tour. The project has spread to 18 states, including Kentucky. In Knox County, where Irene lives, community scholars are documenting the lives and art of the quilters they are honoring in their quilt trail. Irene’s Cathedral Window quilt is one of the squares painted and mounted on a barn by community artists and volunteers.

Teaching Materials
Fiber Arts Gallery
Artist Page