We take a look at what barn quilts are, where you can find them and how you can join the phenomenon and make one.
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Bright, fun and definitely unique, a barn quilt is a large piece of wood painted to look like a quilt block. Like a fabric quilt block, they feature a design, often made of solid colours that compose a simple geometric pattern of squares, rectangles, and triangles.
The quilts exude a nostalgic charm and are a permanent record of some traditional quilting patterns, such as Bear Paw, Flying Geese, Rail Fence and Churn Dash, all retelling stories from many years ago.
They remind people of the American pioneers hunting for bear tracks, knowing that these would lead to water and food; of the signal used for slaves plotting their escape; and the fences that divided the fields in West Virginia, but they are also a permanent reminder that quilts were a necessity in the past. The quilt squares are a way of narrating history and giving it new life in an unusual and spectacular way.
A relatively new phenomenon combining traditional American pursuits of quilting, barns and road trips, the popularity of barn quilts has spread quickly.
The first barn quilt was hung in Ohio in 2001 and was the starting point for a trail of 20 different quilts. These days these trails have now spread to over 40 US states and into neighbouring Canada.
The original barn quilt trail movement was set up by Donna Sue Groves, a quilter from Ohio. As a child Donna would visit her grandmother in West Virginia, enduring a rather long and dull road trip.
To pass the time she would indulge herself with a game of counting the barns she passed along the way. It was a simple game of I Spy with an added competition; each barn type was worth a number of points!
Plain barns garnered a single point, barns with advertising messages more, and red barns even more, but the most points were gained when she came across a barn with a hex sign. These hex signs were painted by the Pennsylvania Dutch supposedly for their magical properties believed to protect the farm and bring good fortune. They featured a range of symbols, including birds and flowers.
Donna Sue’s family owned an old, ugly barn, which needed serious work to smarten it up, so Donna Sue made a pledge to her mother that one day, she would paint quilt squares on it, similar in style to the traditional hex signs she so loved discovering.
Donna Sue began working with the Ohio Arts Council and discovered that murals painted on buildings gave a new lease of life to the area.
They created an economic opportunity for rural communities, as well as preserving local heritage, telling the stories of the barns and the family farms where they were located.
The barns also created a sense of pride for local inhabitants and provided a fun outing for tourists to find. This reminded her of the promise she had made to her mother and she decided to launch a project to create quilt designs that would be hung on local barns, setting up a quilt trail for visitors and locals alike to enjoy.
The Arts Council agreed and, in 2001, the first quilt square was painted on a local barn by the Council, which would ultimately become the main showpiece for the first barn quilt trail – a trail made up of 20 different quilt squares.
Barn quilt trails have helped to create a huge surge in rural tourism, with self-guided maps or GPS coordinates used to locate the many quilts, rather like a giant treasure hunt.
Visitors are encouraged to drive off the beaten path into more rural areas helping to boost local businesses, such as petrol stations, restaurants and motels. In return, seekers enjoy the thrill of the hunt in their desire to discover all the quilts.
Barn Quilt blocks are often made of plywood and can vary in size, though they tend to be 8 feet square, and painted in traditional quilt block designs.
In Simcoe, Canada, the quilts were made by painting aluminium panels rather than wood, so that they were more durable and easier and lighter to install.
To make one, you’ll need a large piece of wood and paint suitable for outdoor conditions and sealant for after the design is painted. You’ll also need a quilt block design to copy.
Then get painting and hang your barn quilt to be admired. Don’t worry, you don’t need to have a barn to display one, smaller versions can often be seen on houses, garages and even on letter boxes.
You can choose any quilt block pattern that you want. In general, simple, graphic designs work best. Of course, you can create your own quilt block that has meaning to you, a family tradition etc.
Would you like to try making a barn quilt? A kit is a great way to get started, below are our favourite kits to get you started.
You’ll get one 1/8in thick, circle base, 9 1/2in in diameter with an attached 5/8in walnut stained frame, engraved pattern and numbering for easy matching/assembly. 40 laser cut baltic birch plywood barn quilt pattern pieces,
four colours of paint of either one of the 12 pre-chosen colour combinations or you can choose your own colours, two paintbrushes, wood glue and instructions/tips sheet
This Kit is made of two layers, the first layer is a 25cm x 25cm square base that comes with the engraved pattern for easy matching/assembly, 64 laser-cut plywood barn quilt pattern pieces, that you can dissemble paint and put back together.
The top layer comes with an attached 2cm frame, and cut-out pattern, and easy matching/assembly. The instructions and numbers will give you some creative ideas for the process. This kit also comes with four colours of paint – your choice to make it your own or choose one of the 10 pre-chosen colour combinations, one paintbrushes, and wood glue. If you want a special colour combination please let me know and we will try to sort this for you.
Inspired by Barn quilts, but want to make one in fabric rather? We’ve got you covered, here are our favourite quilt designs inspired by this custom.
The designer used the Landscape Stripes collection by Timeless Treasures. The quilt measures 50in x 62in and the blocks finish at 12in.
It uses very simple paper piecing with the stripes of each fabric adding dimension and texture to each block.
The quilt features the Linen and Grain fabric lines from Hoffman California to give a wood effect, but other small prints or textured solids would work well too. As it finishes at 32in square, it’s an easy quilt to make and would be suitable for advanced beginner quilters.
You get four barn star digital PDF patterns in the set. Sew them individually or combine all four patterns into an 80in square quilt. Fabric requirements for each pattern can be found on each individual listing.
Anyone who has ever made a quilt would consider it to be a work of art, and barn quilts are proving a larger extension of this: a kaleidoscope of colour that entices you in and encourages you to search for more.
There are many online resources to find barn quilt trails.
The Ohio Star is a great design to use for a barn quilt… or for a fabric quilt! Find a Ohio Star Quilt pattern here:
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