How Can I Make My Own Barn Quilt?

Barn quilts get their inspiration from the fabric quilting world but use wood and latex paint rather than cloth and thread. The current trend in decorating exterior walls began in Ohio in 2001 and has grown into barn quilt trails that now encompass more than 25 states. Painting large squares of plywood (up to 8-by-8 feet) can make great community projects, but individuals can also create their own outdoor quilt squares by painting directly onto exterior walls or by creating small squares that can be mounted on garages, sheds and other exterior walls.

Graph Paper
Colored Pens or Pencils
Measuring tape or access to printer
Plywood cut to size
Screws
Ladder
Primer
Exterior semi-gloss latex paint
Paintbrush

Instructions

- 1
  Choose a simple quilt square design, one that is primarily composed of straight lines. Remember that small details will be lost if the quilt is to be viewed from afar.
- 2
  Draw out the pattern on graph paper. A ratio of one inch per foot works well in designing the square. The pattern can then be enlarged for printing or used in creating a grid directly on a wall.
- 3
  Print out the pattern and transfer it to plywood or a wall. If you are painting without a pattern, create a grid on the wall and sketch out the pattern lightly with thinned out paint or thick pens
- 4
  Apply primer to the area.
- 5
  Fill in the pattern with latex paint.
- 6
  Mount a completed plywood square to the exterior wall. Hang the barn quilt so the bottom of the design is at least two feet above the ground.

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