I first noticed a barn quilt several years ago when the Book family’s farm was a stop on the Strasburg Garden Tour. Forget the gardens! Everyone was curious about the quilt-inspired “painting” that was hanging on the side of their barn.
The barn quilts that decorate the barn at Kissel Valley Farm are works of art.
I later noticed another one on the side of a barn on Landisville Road outside of Manheim and became more intrigued. But what really sent me over the edge was seeing the barn at Kissel Valley Farm near Lititz, which is outfitted with three of what I have come to learn are called barn quilts. These painted squares that originally decorated barns or other outbuildings have made the transition to homes, backyard sheds, fences, shops, event venues and office buildings. While those used on barns normally measure 8×8 feet, crafty makers have reduced them to half that size (or smaller) for other purposes. Patterns have also evolved from being inspired solely by quilts to images that reflect flora, fauna and even a family’s heritage.
While they are reminiscent of early barn décor such as the barn stars and hex signs associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch, and later as corporate billboards for companies such as Coca-Cola and Mail Pouch Tobacco, barn quilts constitute one of fastest-growing grassroots public art movements in the United States. According to quiltdom.com testament to their popularity is found along the barn quilt trails that exist in 48 states, as well as in areas of Canada. Part art exhibit, part tourist attraction, the trails also serve to bring attention to agriculture.
An Idea Takes Root
Donna Sue Groves grew up in West Virginia, and spent her adult life in Xenia, Ohio. On trips back to West Virginia to visit her grandmother, Donna made a game out of counting the barns she passed along the way. However, one barn in particular remained her favorite, as it was located on the property she shared with her mother, who was a highly regarded quilter. The idea of painting a quilt pattern on the barn that had seen better days occurred to Donna, who theorized it would not only spruce up the barn’s exterior, but it would pay homage to her mother’s quilting skills.
Donna never had the time to tackle the project, as bigger things came her way. A job with the Ohio Arts Council kept her busy being a champion for artists living in desolate areas of the Appalachians. It became her passion to help them market their work and reach audiences beyond their communities.
Still, she never gave up on the idea of merging barns and quilts. The popularity of murals and mosaics in urban areas and the pride residents took in them spurred the idea of bringing that same sense of accomplishment to rural areas with what came to be called barn quilts. In 2001, the Adams County (Ohio) Arts Council saw the benefits of such a venture and supported Donna’s idea of creating a “clothesline” of barn quilts across the county. Farm owners supported the movement, allowing for barn quilts to be affixed to their barns. Artists and quilters joined forces to create the artwork. America’s first barn quilt trail was born! As word of the Adams County Barn Quilt Trail spread, a widening array of communities across the country launched similar projects, often turning to Donna, who died in 2021, for her advice and expertise. (Barnquiltinfo.com has a map that shares info of where to find the trails.)
Townspeople in Cleveland, North Carolina, worked to create this mosaic of barn quilts.
North Carolina just might qualify as “barn quilt central,” as the trail in Sampson County is comprised of 225 barn quilts, while western North Carolina has one that features more than 300 barn quilts. Honors for the largest barn quilt go to the town of Cleveland (Rowan County), where hundreds of barn quilts were placed on the side of the fire department building to create a mural that honors the town’s service members.
Pennsylvania is another place where barn quilt trails took root. Fulton County is home to The Frontier Barn Quilt Trail that is comprised of more than 200 barn quilts. The trail is so popular that it has spawned bus tours, road rallies, photo contests, a book and now a design contest. In Franklin County, 36 barn quilts can be found along the Stitches in Time Barn Quilt Trail that begins at the visitors center in Chambersburg.
A barn that is part of Fulton County’s The Frontier Barn Quilt Trail is decorated with a barn quilt whose pattern is called “Churn Dash.” The Layton Farm has been in the family since the 1700s.
Another is the Heritage Quilt Trail, which was launched by the Pennsylvania State Grange in 2009 at the suggestion of Glenn and Barbara Gross, who are members of the Scrubgrass Grange in Venango County. The Grosses continue to coordinate the trail and its mission of celebrating and promoting the culture, heritage and viability of the organization by placing barn quilts on Grange halls and other suitable buildings throughout the Commonwealth. One such location is the PA Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, where more than 100 barn quilts are on permanent display.
While Lancaster County doesn’t have an official trail, barn quilts are on view, as is evidenced by research that was done by Flora Poulos, who is a member of Willow Valley Communities’ Quilt Guild. (The synopsis of her findings can be seen here.)
Barn Quilts in Lancaster County
Since 2001, “barn quilts” – quilt block designs painted on wood or metal – have appeared on barns across the United States. These barn quilts are designed to decorate a building, not a bed. We have found five Barn Quilts in Lancaster County. Their addresses and stories are included here.
Willow Valley Communities Barn
900 Willow Valley Lakes Drive, Willow Street, PA
The Willow Valley Quilt Guild, in conjunction with Willow Valley Communities, planned and designed the “Pathways” Barn Quilt which was installed in September 2017 on the barn adjacent to the Cultural Center on the Lakes campus. The “Pathways” quilt block was chosen as a visual metaphor for the many paths residents have taken to come to Willow Valley Communities and the paths they continue to follow as they lead a Life Lived Forward.
Peachey Family Barn
924 Landisville Road, Manheim, PA
“Star Design” – The design was selected by the Peachey family children for their mother because she likes star quilts. The barn quilt was a Christmas gift from Mr. Peachey to his wife. After a trip to Ohio and viewing numerous Barn Quilts he decided it would make a great gift. The quilt is displayed on a barn that used to be full of chickens.
Masonic Village Barn
1285 Bainbridge Road, Elizabethtown, PA
“Crafting Life Our Way” – Like the pieces of a quilt combine to make art, so do our lives. Quilts have always reflected a woman’s hard work and skill to bring pieces of fabric together into a useable bed covering. Here residents come together with skills and experiences of a lifetime. They incorporate these skills into the next phase of their lives, retirement. The colors of this quilt reflect those of the Eastern Star. The bright blue, yellow, white, green, and red represent self-sacrifice, friendship, courage, devotion to the home, and love.
Martin Family Barn
801 Lincoln Road, Lititz, PA
Jerilyn Martin shared the following information about their barn quilt.
I grew up in Kalona, Iowa, which is a very small version of Lancaster County. We have a lot of Amish there, and it’s touristy, so a number of years ago a group of people decided to put barn quilts on select barns in the area. My parents’ barn was one of them since they lived along a main highway. My dad chose the design.
Ten years ago when the Martins redid their barn roof and added solar panels they decided to add a quilt like her parents had done. They chose a nautical design in honor of their son who was in the Coast Guard at the time.
Book Family Barn
655 Strasburg Pike, Lancaster, PA
The barn quilt design on this barn is “The Farmer’s Daughters”. The Books tell us that as they traveled through Ohio, they admired the many quilts on barns and sheds. When they were renovating their barn that year (2014) they thought they should add a quilt block. Since Mrs. Book had been a quilter for many years she wanted a quilt block that would be meaningful to their family. They chose “The Farmer’s Daughters” as they have three daughters. The colors were chosen to have good contrast on a neutral background.
This information was compiled by Flora Poulos, a resident of Willow Valley Communities.
I Made a Barn Quilt!
Back in January, when I was working on a story about the growing popularity of arts and crafts classes (especially heritage arts such as rug hooking, felting, quilting, etc.), an email arrived announcing the March dates for The Lancaster-Lebanon Quilt Show. I decided to look over the class offerings and, lo and behold, one jumped out: a Beginner’s Class in Barn Quilts.
Feeling assured that no experience was necessary in quilting or painting, I signed up. Besides, the class was being taught by a pro: Heather Blokzyl of Flying Fox Arts & Barn Quilts in Towanda, Bradford County, which probably explains why it was an immediate sell-out. Heather, who creates one-of-a-kind, hand-painted barn quilts for interior and exterior decorating, was not only teaching the beginner’s classes but advanced classes, as well. She was also a pro at assuring the “Nervous Nellies” (me included) in the class that there was nothing to worry about, as she’d be with us every step of the way.
I planned to hang my barn quilt on the fence of my courtyard, so I chose to do a star pattern, which would pair with my sun, moon and stars garden art. I also selected three colors that would complement the exterior of my house. Taping off the sections was a little nerve-racking but once I got the hang of it, the process became easier. The only problem I encountered was the red color I chose. Unlike the blue, which required only one coat, the red needed three coats. Time was ticking away! Fortunately, hair dryers helped the process along and I finished with just a few minutes to spare.
To my surprise, a woman stopped me on my way out of the Lebanon Expo Center and offered to buy my barn quilt.(No dice, I was keeping it.)
My barn quilt became garden art.
Now I’m hooked. Through doing the Make Something article, I learned that the Old Country Store in Intercourse occasionally offers classes, so I’m going to keep an eye on their schedule. Hopefully, the aforementioned quilt show will offer the class next year. I figure barn quilts would make for nice Christmas gifts for my son (now in North Carolina) and sister (in Virginia).
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