PEC Barn Quilt Trails

Hallowell

Barn quilts are eight-foot square (and smaller) painted replicas of actual fabric quilt blocks, painted on wooden or MDO boards, then mounted on a barn or other building. While cloth quilts are usually made up of a series of the same pattern placed together, a barn quilt is a single pattern square. Barn quilts become rural eye candy glimpsed as we roll down our rural highways. Barn quilts draw attention to Ontario’s disappearing rural landscapes, timber frame barns, and the family farm.

The pattern for a particular barn quilt may be chosen for many reasons. Often barn quilts are replicas of cloth quilts, designs cherished within a family, or reflecting the farm business. Mostly, the barn quilt is simply one whose traditional pattern is appealing to its creator or owners.