Barn Quilts

I love barn quilts, so it was a shock to me to learn that barn quilt trails are a recent creation. Donna Sue Groves created the first barn quilt trail in Adams County, Ohio to honor her mother. It was launched in October 2001 with an Ohio Star.

Barn quilt trails are now located in more than 43 states and Canada. This is a wonderful activity for the pandemic. You can enjoy a quilt trail from the safety of your vehicle! There are books, pamphlets from Visitors' Centers, and of course, the Internet, to guide you to the barn quilt trails. States range from Colorado to Wisconsin alphabetically, and from New Hampshire to Texas geographically. Many barn quilt trails are in rural areas (barns!), so I recommend a full tank of gas and take along some water, snacks, and a camera.

Not all barn quilt trails are rural, though. We came across this wonderful adaptation of an Ohio Star on Main Street in Lebanon, KY. It honors the owner's grandmother and her quilt heritage.

Painting barn quilts can be a participatory activity as well. Bees and Guilds have sponsored "sip and paint" meetings to create barn quilts. One year, in Paducah, my husband and I took a barn quilt evening class.

You can buy patterns to create your own barn quilt.

There are even miniatures available in some quilt shops if you want to make small tree ornaments.

My husband loves barn quilts so much that he painted a Maine star to hang on our home.

So, here's my idea! In addition to the plants and cats in the windows of our RVs, why don't we put one of our barn quilts in the window?

While we are traveling, we can let our fellow travelers know that we are quilters!