Barn Quilt ~ A Soldier's Star

"A Soldier's Star", king-size quilt 
featuring Barn Quilts line of fabric by Tara Reed for Riley Blake Designs

Look, it's a Barn Quilt!  This one will be for my bed though, not for a barn!  Love the rich colors of these fabrics so much that I used three of the same prints to make my big barn star quilt.  Haha, I love the fact that I've just made a Barn Quilt quilt using Barn Quilts fabric!

I also used RBD's Wide Back Shades in Slate for the background and backing.

Here in Utah, we don't come across too many Barn Quilts!  Not for a lack of barns, we have plenty in my neighborhood and in this valley.  The practice that began with Quakers a couple hundred years ago, has not quite caught on in the western states.  

A "Barn Quilt" is basically a 6 to 8-foot quilt square painted on wood, and mounted to barns, corn cribs, granaries and the like, symbolic of that particular family or farm.  Like a logo, or family crest.  Something that has meaning. 

Usually painted in bright, clear colors, barn quilts have experienced a revival in the past several years in a variety of ways.  To encourage tourism, some communities have created Barn Quilt Trails.  Several years back, a friend and I took a Barn Quilt Trail as we made our way from Paducah, KY to Nashville, TN.  Happy times!  Do you have a Barn Quilt Trail where you live?  I think I should start one here in my valley!

Small DIY barn quilts have shown up in boutiques and retreats, and I painted one myself using reclaimed wood from a pallet.  I have it sitting on my front porch.    

This particular design was my entry in the 2011 AccuQuilt Barn Quilt Design Contest.  It won 2nd place in their contest, and a 6-foot replicate of the design was mounted on their company headquarters in Fremont, Nebraska!

At the time of the contest, my son was serving with his combat engineer unit in Afghanistan, and the design was symbolic of his service.  

The pattern comes with a chart to make in any size!  I've even made it using 1" blocks for a potholder!  Cut with an AccuQuilt die cutter, of course!  You can find the pattern at Quiltscapes' Etsy Shop.

Love the sweet mini barn quilt motifs for the border!  I think it finishes off the quilt nicely!

Quilting design:  Squared, by Leisha Farnsworth.

Ask for Barn Quilts fabric at your local quilt shop or find it from an online retailer.

This line even comes with a  couple of printed panels and a great boxed kit to make a Quilt Trail Quilt. So cool!  

Happy Sewing,

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Look for more inspiring projects from these gals on this RBD Project Tour:

8/16 Julia @ Riley Blake Designs

8//23 Jennifer @ Bee Sew Inspired