Midwest Gold

Corn--it's the gold of the midwest. The US is the world's largest corn producer and consumer. Iowa and Illinois are the top two producers by state. In this quilt, the corn (full ear and cross section) are visual lessons in how to roughly calculate corn yield. It’s a formula based on the number of kernels per row and the number of rows on an ear of corn.

Machine decorative stitches are used as background quilting in the yield sign and as tire treads.

Three ply yarn is separated and one strand is couched down for the corn silk.

The 2012 drought has devastated Indiana, with all 92 counties designated as primary or contiguous disaster areas by the USDA as of August 15, with the lowest estimated corn yields in more than 20 years. Having just returned from a road trip through Indiana we saw mile after mile of corn fields ruined by the drought. It was a strong visual reminder of the importance of farming and corn in particular.