Staff photo by Fritz Busch Nancy Ginkel of New Ulm, left, gets some pointers from Kay Burnett Martin at her barn quilt class at The Grand Center for Arts & Culture Sunday. Students created a quilt design and used colors of their choice. Burnett said she plans to create a Barn Quilts Trail Map for south central Minnesota.

NEW ULM — A dozen women participated in a class on how to create colorful barn quilts at the Grant Center for Arts & Culture Saturday and Sunday.

After teaching art at Staples Elementary School for nearly three decades, New Ulm native Kay Burnett Martin moved back to New Ulm this spring and hit the ground running with her passion for art and flowers.

Burnett Martin guided a dozen women in the 10-hour, weekend class, helping them choose a quilt pattern to paint the colors of their choice, and how to enlarge their chosen pattern to fit their two feet by two feet boards.

“It’s a great mental health break for everybody,” said Dr. Ann Vogel, M.D. of New Ulm.

In Staples, Burnett Martin was part of a Central Minnesota Barn Quilt group that created a trail map that led to more than 100 barn quilts on display.

Since 2015, the trail map led participants through Morrison, Todd, Wadena and Cass Counties.

The trail continues to grow and expand as more people join.

“I want to create a barn quilt trail map around here,” Burnett Martin said.

She is a woman of many interests, so say the least. She has degrees in k-12 art education, elementary education, park and recreation, and photography.

A number of her flower photographs and barn quilt class photos can be found online.

Burnett Martin is also a New Ulm Area Community Education instructor, along with Rhonda Johnson, Ed Fornberg, and Neil Neidt.

She urged those with art interest to stay tuned for future classes by visiting www.thegrandnewulm.com.

For more information, visit barnquiltsmn.org.

Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.