How To

How to Make a Barn Quilt

Hi everyone! It’s Niky from The House on Silverado! For years, I’ve admired the hundreds of colorful, vibrant barn quilts that can be seen proudly displayed on barns all across my home state of Iowa. Finally, I decided to make a barn quilt for myself. My DIY barn quilt is a down-sized version of the huge 8-foot panels typically displayed on barns. Furthermore, since I don’t have a barn (yet 😜), I wanted one that I could display on my mantel. Therefore, a 2’x2′ size is more appropriate for that.

Firstly, the quilt pattern I selected for my DIY barn quilt was inspired by my many trips to Washington, D.C. over the years. One of my favorite places to visit there is the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

The National Quilt Exhibit there houses hundreds of quilts, including an early 1800s LeMoyne Star quilt, which is the pattern I decided to use for my barn quilt.

Materials List:

One 2’x2′ Plywood Sheathing Handi-Panel (1/3 inch thick)– for the back of the frame
One 12″ x 24″ Craft Plywood (1/3 inch thick)—for the stained triangles of the star
One 6″ x 24″ Craft Basswood Sheet (1/16 inch thick)–for the white background pieces
Two pieces of scrap wood 52″ long each, for long sides of the frame (optional)
Two pieces of scrap wood 48″ long each, for the short sides of the frame (optional)
Gorilla Glue
Fluff
VooDoo Gel Stain in Tobacco Road, White Magic, and Up In Smoke

*All of my measurements are for a finished barn quilt that is a 2’x2′ square. You can make yours smaller or larger, just remember to make the appropriate size adjustments.

How To:

Step 1:

First, I used a 2’x2′ piece of plywood sheathing that was 1/3 of an inch thick to make the backing that would support all the quilt blocks for my barn quilt.

I wanted it to be sturdy, yet not too heavy. I applied one coat of Dixie Belle’s white chalk mineral paint in Fluff, using a roller. Most of this will be covered by the quilt blocks, so it doesn’t have to be flawless.

Step 2:

Next, my husband helped me create a frame around the plywood back using some scrap pieces of oak that we already had. I experimented with three colors of Dixie Belle’s Voodoo Gel stain, first applying a coat of Tobacco Road, and wiping it back with a shop cloth. Then, I dry-brushed on a little stain in White Magic and some Up in Smoke, until I had the sort of weathered barn wood color I wanted.

To read the rest of this creative blog post, hop on over to The House on Silverado here!

Author: The House on Silverado

Niky is a wife, mom, stepmom, teacher, and a blogger who has spent her whole life in the Midwest! She started blogging as a creative outlet to share her hobbies and interests, but to also write about things that matter to her. She loves all things farmhouse, rustic, vintage, and historical--basically anything that has a story behind it.