Barn quilts celebrate past, present, perseverance and people

Some barn quilt designs blend traditional designs with modern additions.

By Judy Finkbeiner Johnson

An all-season treat in our area is al fresco art including colourful barn quilts. Primarily appearing on barns in rural areas, these intricate quilt designs can also be seen in villages and towns. They can be found on houses, businesses, cottages, museums, outbuildings like sheds and even in free-standing frames.

Ontario has hundreds of barn quilts — silent storytellers that celebrate the history of people and places over generations, their legacies and spirit.

After clearing the trees from fertile Crown land for growing crops and building log homes, early settlers built large barns on the farms. These people made a one-way trip across the Atlantic, coming from Europe and the British Isles to start a new life in what had been declared the Province of Canada by Britain in 1841.

Built to last for generations, barns had two storeys. They housed livestock on the ground floor. The upper level’s mows for hay, straw, and crop storage were filled by heavily loaded wagons pulled by strong draft horses up steep barn hills.

Native rock elm was often used for beams, and its dense wood required drilling pilot holes for wooden pegs or nail fasteners. The lower limbs of the towering native old growth trees used for barn building started about 20 metres above the ground.

Most of the more than a century old barns in this area have outlived their original purposes. Remaining ones hold a special place in the hearts and lives of descendants of pioneers and their communities. Some stand proudly generations later on family farms, sentinels from the past. Others have new life as breweries, retail outlets or event venues for weddings and other celebrations.

Paint that will withstand harsh elements is used on aluminum or durable wood that is then fastened on buildings.

Barn quilts feature a quilt square or block, often in designs used historically for winter bed coverings. Traditional patterns include Colonial Lady, Mariners Compass, Sunflower and Pinwheel. More recently, barn quilts might celebrate a farm family, crops or livestock.

Barn quilts honour the women who created quilts with patience, resilience and artistry. Their bed quilts were lovingly “pieced” or appliqued from little scraps of fabric, often in the evening by lamplight when their long workday in house, fields and barn was done.

Today, quilting is recognized as an artform.

Quilt-making required countless hours over weeks and months, from cutting scraps of cloth to the finished bespoke product for use in the family home. They were also legacy gifts that would be used for decades to come. Quilts were treasured heirlooms for those who understood what went into creating these one-of-a-kind fabric masterpieces.

The blending of history and art makes barn quilts worth seeking out. Whether mounted on a century-old barn or a newer building, each one invites viewers to slow down and look a little closer.

For those planning a barn quilt outing, the following tips may be helpful:

- Bring a camera, binoculars and a cell phone to access the internet.

- Never enter private property while viewing barn quilts, including farm laneways or private roadways.

- Signal well in advance before pulling over to stop on a shoulder to view a barn quilt.