06 Dec 2024 Blanketed in beauty

By Judy Riley

We rarely think of barns as art galleries, but more than 700 of them in the Natural State are just that. At one time, barns dotted the countryside in rural Arkansas, primarily as storage for hay and equipment. Barn Quilt Trails are Arkansas’s newest nod to the history of quilting traditions. Quilt making is purely an American craft, considered the only creative outlet for many women in colonial times. They used scraps of fabric to piece together warm bed coverings. A splurge was purchasing new fabric to make a quilt in honor of an event, such as a wedding or a new baby. There was a common thought that every quilt had to have at least one minor flaw because only God could make anything perfect. It is common to find one piece a different color or an appliqued piece slightly imperfect on older quilts. 

While the workmanship of most quilts is often hidden in closets or displayed on company beds, there is an opportunity for a windshield tour of quilts on barns in White County. Fifteen barns, mailboxes or front porches currently display one or more hand-painted quilt patterns. Most are made of aluminum or wood and depict both traditional and newer quilt patterns.

Quilt tops are either pieced or appliqued. But barn quilts lend themselves to patterns that would have been pieced. Besides church going, quilting and quilting ”bees” were often social events for women. While quilt tops were typically sewn by ladies in their homes, the process of quilting (where the quilt top, batting and lining are hand-stitched together) was a social event. Groups would gather, often in a church, to complete the task. Creating and touring barn quilt trails rekindles that social process.

Barn quilts have their own unique history, dating back to the arrival of immigrants from Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. It is widely believed that barn painting of quilt patterns originated in Pennsylvania with these immigrants and spread to much of New England, then on to midwestern states. It soon became an excellent way for travelers to find families or crossroads, as folks would tell visitors which pattern to look for. Common early patterns were mariner’s compass and drunkard’s path.

During the early part of the 20th century, barn quilts slowly gave way to more pragmatic forms of barn decorating, namely advertisement. Gone were the colorful quilt patterns and in their place came the paid ads for Red Man chewing tobacco, Ceresota flour, Morton salt and Calumet baking powder. Today, barn quilts are one of the fastest-growing community-driven art movements in the country. In Arkansas, after 12 barn quilts have been displayed in a county, a map is developed that guides viewers to their locations. The map includes an address, a photo of the square and a short explanation of the meaning or tradition associated with the owner and/or the pattern. Information about each quilt and its meaning and the address where it can be located is available at arkansasquilttrails.com.

Quilt patterns can be placed on barns or on any type of structure, from houses, garages, sheds, mailboxes and fences. They must be visible from the road. As the barn quilt tradition moved to the Midwest, the Ohio star and its variations became popular. Several examples can be seen on the 15 quilts included in White County’s list. Some of the patterns are a recognition of a family’s history of quilt making, even a favorite tractor, as in Marilyn Townsend’s “John Deere Green.” Many sport red, white and blue colors as the patriotic “Jones Star” of Marisue and Oscar Jones, and “Kaylor’s Navy Star” as the owner honors those in her family who have proudly served in the Navy. For those wanting to register a barn quilt or learn where barn quilt painting classes will be conducted, contact White County’s chair, Christie Davis, at [email protected].

As fall and winter get in full swing, enjoy a pleasant day following Arkansas’s Barn Quilt Trail. You will not even have to get out of your car. In touring, you will discover a new appreciation for an old tradition. You will be glad you did.

Learn more about White County barn quilts at arkansasquilttrails.com.