The Amazing History of Barn Quilts

Discover the amazing. history of barn quilts. It is a phenomenon which began in 2001 with Donna Sue Groves.  She hung the first one on her barn in Ohio, my home state.  Listen to Donna Sue talking about how it all began.  She also speaks about her personal struggle with breast cancer.  Watch this award-winning, and at times very emotional video, “Pieced Together”.

What is a barn quilt?  It is a painted quilt block on a large piece of wood which hangs on the outside of a barn.  The number of quilt block patterns is endless, so it’s not difficult to be unique.  The quilt block pattern in the above photo is the “Ohio Star”.  Now thousands of  different barn quilts appear all across the USA, with Barn Quilt Trails to guide you.  The history of barn quilts is truly amazing!

Whether you are a quilter or a lover of quilts or barns, you should plan a trip across the USA. The following links can help you plan a route. Even if you aren’t planning a trip, you will still enjoy looking at the many beautiful barns on these sites.

This page will guide you along scenic drives in each state where one can discover beautiful barn quilts.

Here’s another page describing 11 different barn quilt trails to explore (with photos).

Finally, here is a very comprehensive list of quilt trails across the USA pinpointed on a map.