

Paint was very expensive in those days and painting a decorative yet distinctive quilt pattern on their barns was a wonderful way of allowing for decoration. It is widely believed that barn painting/quilting originated in Pennsylvania with these immigrants and then spread too much of the New England and Midwestern states. The history of the American Barn Quilt can be traced back almost 300 years, to the arrival of immigrants from the central regions of Europe Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands. I needed to know the whole story, and this is what I discovered. So, in true Kaycee fashion, I had to go digging around to find out for myself where exactly did barn quilts originate. I realize now that this is one of those simple pleasures that I have often overlooked without really stopping to soak in the beauty and tradition behind it. They are very common and oh so charming. My initial thought was well I dunno, they have always been around for as long as I could remember but I hadn’t given it a second thought.ĭriving through the country in Kentucky you will see these large geometric star-like patterns painted and displayed on barns.
#Barn quilt patterns how to
When these questions were first brought to me I honestly didn’t know how to answer. See the entire collection of Vintage Sign Stencils HERE.I’m glad you asked. See all Vintage Sign Stencil projects HERE. Purchase Ohio Star quilt block stencil HERE. Purchase Bear Paw quilt block stencil HERE. Purchase Martha Washington quilt block stencil HERE. SAVE $10 – Purchase all 3 quilt stencils HERE. These are fast and easy to finish and would make inexpensive gifts too. I may be lazy, but at least I finally got smart. Without making a single screw hole in the wall! I removed the sign I made for Thanksgiving and hung these in its place. This one is available in my Etsy shop HERE.Īnd this blue and white one is available HERE. Just paint a base color and choose a coordinating color to paint over the stencil. So you can see they can be made with any combination of paint colors, instead of staining the wood. I used red and white paint on this block. After adding paint to the roller, I just rolled most of it off onto a paper towel so it wouldn’t bleed under the stencils. Normally I use stencil brushes, but I opted to use a roller this time. If you’re more of a perfectionist that I am, you may want to measure to make sure it’s centered.

I use disposable cups to elevate painted or stained wood while it dries so none gets on my work surface.īecause I’m lazy and hate measuring, I just “eyeballed” getting the stencil centered on the wood blocks, then used painter’s tape to keep them in place.
#Barn quilt patterns free
I asked the man at the home improvement store to cut the three 12″ square blocks for me, since it’s a free service. I knew I’d use the excess wood for another project. To make all three quilt blocks, you’ll need a board that is at least 36″ long, but I bought a 6-foot board so I could make an extra block. If you only plan to make one quilt block, cut your wood into 12″ x 12″squares. With a very dry brush or roller, paint over the stencil on the wood block and let dry.Ħ. Put paint on your stencil brush or roller, then offload most of the paint onto paper towels.ĥ. Position quilt block stencil in the center of wood block and tape in place.Ĥ.

Cut a 12″ wide board into 12″ lengths for each quilt sign (12″x 12″ each).Ģ. Quilt Block Stencils (links to purchase at the end)ġ2″ wide board (at least 36″ long for all three quilt signs)ġ. Supplies Needed (affiliate links included for the products I used): How to make your own Farmhouse Quilt Block Signs – the EASY way! No measuring and taping off lines or pulling my hair out over geometry angles. I decided to get smart and design stencils that would make the job so much easier and faster. My son is away at college now, so I couldn’t have him figure out all those tricky lines for me. I wanted to make some indoor quilt blocks to hang in my kitchen.
#Barn quilt patterns Patch
Do you remember when I wanted a barn quilt, but I soaked in my bathtub while my son drew all the painting lines for me?Īnd do you remember the time I had to patch 100 screw holes in my kitchen because I had drilled so many screws into the walls?īoth of those stories illustrate something I’m embarrassed to admit …īut sometimes laziness pays off when I figure out an easier way to do things because of it.
