I have been researching barn quilts for a few months now and STILL have not been able to choose! I have used a few books as references for quilt styles and a beautiful barn quilt book. We also have many barn quilts in our area adding fun bursts of color throughout the countryside to look at.I was able to get the book,
Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement by Suzi Parron from the library.
I loved all the inspiration this book had to offer. Page after page has photos of barn quilts and why the owners chose their design.
This book is filled with history and beautiful, simple quilt patterns that are sure to inspire!
I love the large patterns.
Our whole family has gotten in on choosing a style for our 6X6 square to hang on our barn. It has officially become one of our unschooling summer projects. We have effortlessly included history, reading, art, and math into this fun project.
There is a lot to think about when choosing a barn quilt:
-Where on your barn will it be hung?
-Can it be seen from the road?
-What size fits best in that space (4x4, 5x5, 6x6, 8x8 etc.)?
-What color scheme will you want to see?
-What style or pattern do you like?
-How will you hang it?
-Will you be making it yourself or have someone else making it?
As you can see it takes time and planning. We will be hanging our barn quilt in a place on our barn where I will be looking at from my kitchen window on a daily, almost hourly basis! So, I really want to like the pattern and color scheme. I love it when I see brightly colored barn quilts, but I think I am going to go with more traditional colors.
Of course we are having a family vote on color scheme and patterns which may be why this is taking us a bit longer to decide!
I will post our "how to make a barn quilt" when we are finished. I can't wait!
Update! For those of you who are looking for yet more inspriartion, Suzi Parron has left a comment below and has shared her website and blog. Please visit www.barnquiltinfo.com
I've seen them hanging on barns all over. I never really knew there was such a thing. How interesting. I can't wait to see what you guys come up with.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind comments about my book; I am glad to hear that you have enjoyed it. Looking forward to seeing what you choose--there are just too many choices!
ReplyDeleteI also have a great website with info about barn quilts--a map of all locations, the history, and so on. www.barnquiltinfo.com
All the best to you,
Suzi
Greetings folks. Richard
ReplyDeleteThat barn is going to look beautiful. I’m happy that your family is being united in making all these simple decisions. The barn must be really important to all of you. People are mostly attracted to unique looking stuff, so for your 6X6 square, make sure it is really unique and will be catchy. You could make your own design if you want to. :D Just keep on doing your research, and discuss it with your family. Soon you’ll come up with a perfect decision. That’s for sure.
ReplyDeleteKevin Noel
Hi Kevin, Thanks for the comment. We finished our barn quilt about a month ago, thankfully! :) To see it visit this post http://thechickncoop.blogspot.com/2012/07/our-barn-quilt-is-finished.html .
DeleteThanks!