Inspired by barn quilt patterns designed to "spruce" up a
barn, a quilt pattern is painted on a square piece of plywood
and usually ranges from 2 to 8 feet then hanged on a structure.
In addition to painting barn quilts, I've applied the idea to paint
quilt patterns on jewelry boxes, tables and mini Adirondack
chairs. Scroll down to find out how the barn quilt originated.
Origination of the Barn Quilt
Barn quilts are a relatively new art form that began in 2001. The daughter of a master quilter had an idea to paint a quilt square on a newly purchased, rather “unsightly” barn to honor her mother. The quilt square added an element of interest to the barn and the idea caught on in their community, eventually spreading to neighboring counties.
To date, quilt trails have been developed in about half of the U.S. states and in Canada. Some cities have developed guide maps to barn quilt locations. The map may provide a picture of the square and an explanation of its meaning. Barn quilts aren’t limited to just appearing on barns however. Quilt squares can add excitement to any structure, from houses (exterior and interior), garages, sheds, fences or even mounted on posts.
