Barn quilts make such a fun decor for outdoors - why not make one to fill a large wall inside? Here's a full tutorial on how to paint a barn quilt on bead board or plywood for unique indoor - or outdoor - decor. This also would make a sweet handmade gift!
2018 Update: Mary repainted her barn quilt to go with a new room makeover and shared the new version with us - scroll to the bottom to see!
I have a special treat for you - a guest post from Mary of Front Porch Ideas and More. When Mary showed me her colorful (and easy) barn quilt she made with recycled bead board for her foyer, I begged asked her to share it with you all because I thought it was such a unique and clever way to fill a large wall AND would make a special gift.
Have you ever noticed quilts painted on barns? Barn quilts are getting to be more popular as I see them across the country. They add a colorful pop of charm to many rustic barns. There are even quilt trails in some states where visitors use maps to stop by and visit the decorated barns.
I have been admiring these painted quilts for quite some time so I wondered why not paint a barn quilt for inside our home? I want to share with you how I did this. Even if you do not know how to sew a quilt, you can create a wonderful piece of quilt art for your home or as a unique gift with only some plywood or beadboard and a bit of paint.
Materials Required
- A piece of plywood or beadboard cut to 4 ' by 4 ' (or any size you want, square recommended.)
- Several colors of paint (left over house paint works, acrylic craft paint also works fine - you will be surprised at how little paint it takes really)
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Painters tape
- Hanging apparatus (to hang the artwork on the wall)
- Note: if wanting to use outdoors, purchase an outdoor sealant as well
Instructions for Making the Barn Quilt
1. Find a quilt pattern that you'd enjoy painting for your home. For a first-time project, I would suggest a simple pattern without curves involved. My wall art was inspired by the quilt on the barn above (which I found on this Pinterest board of barn quilts).
Looking closely at the photo as I am writing this article, I realize the quilt on this barn has been "photoshopped" in. Perhaps someone wanted to see how a quilt would look on their barn? I like this pattern but I do not know the name of it. I chose colors that would coordinate with the décor in our home (2 shades of blue, buttery gold and green).
2. Paint the entire board the predominant color that it will be. If there is no predominant color, then just choose one and paint the entire board with it.
The reason I did this step is two-fold: First, it's easy to paint the entire board. The rest of the painting will be inside lines. Secondly, it puts a primer coat on the board making the rest of the colors go on easier. I painted my entire board light green and the edges navy (for a little accent).
3. Next draw the quilt pattern onto your board. For the pattern I chose, I divided the 4' x 4' beadboard into 16 squares (4 across and 4 down) using my ruler and light pencil lines. Just imagine the beadboard being a grid and lightly pencil in the lines for the quilt pattern. If you chose a fairly simple quilt pattern, drawing it on your board is an easy step. (Sorry you cannot see my lines very clearly in the pic above!)
4. Mark each of the marked areas with the color that it will be painted. You can write the color inside the lines or just dab a touch of that color paint inside the lines. This will help prevent you from painting a section the wrong color. I used little pieces of painters tape marked with a "B" for blue, "G" for green and so on.
5. Time to start painting. Choose a color and mask off those sections with the painters tape. Then paint all of those sections.
I painted all of the medium blue sections first. Then I did the dark blue, followed by the navy blue and then the gold. (it's kind of like paint by number!) The reason I do one color at a time is to prevent from having to wash your paint brush every time you move to a new section to paint. Allow to dry in between colors.
Don't worry if your paint bleeds from one section to another a little bit. Especially with beadboard where there are grooves in the wood, it's likely to bleed a bit.
You can paint near the lines with a dry brush to prevent the paint from seeping. But don't worry about it being perfect. You can touch it up after you remove the tape and the paint is dry. My wall art is far from perfect - but that's fine. Up close you can see my paint bled a little - but it still looks great overall.
6. Edge and hang the quilt. After I finished painting all the sections and touched up my little goofs here and there, my husband built "sides" for the beadboard to make the wall hanging stand out from the wall about an inch. This is optional though it adds a nice finished edge.
Updated information on the finished edge: The barn quilt "frame" is 3/4-inch by 1 1/2-inch slats that were cut to the height and width of the beadboard and secured with a nail gun. The top slat is slightly shorter as it fits between the two side slates.
We only added the "frame" to the top, right and left sides. You don't see the bottom so it wasn't needed there. The blue "edging" you see in the photo is simply painted onto the beadboard and the same paint was used to paint the wood edging making it appear to be completely framed.
To Hang: We used loop-type picture hangers spaced 16" apart so that the wall art is hung from studs because it's a heavy piece. Whether you use this type of hanger, wire or something else, be sure it's capable of supporting the weight of your barn quilt. You can also hang your artwork flat on the wall or even rest it against a fireplace mantel.
Note: if you want to use your barn quilt in the traditional way outside on a barn, you can use a sealant that's rated for outdoor use and you may want to nail it in place because of winds.
This was my original decorative barn quilt, a basket pattern. When we moved, I painted over it to create the new one. If you ever change your décor or just want a new barn quilt for inside your home (or on your porch), it's easy to paint over the older one and do another quilt.
We get lots of compliments on our barn quilt. A barn quilt is a fantastic solution to a large empty wall.
Try It for Yourself or for a Gift
I hope you are inspired to paint a barn quilt for your home. Whether it's used to decorate a foyer, living room or front porch, it's much quicker than sewing a quilt. And you don't need to be an artist either. It's just like paint-by-number!
Imagine a trio of painted quilts on the wall. How about three 1' by 1' squares side by side? Or seasonal quilts… Have fun with it!
My thanks to Jami for giving me this opportunity to share my painted quilt with you! I am honored to be included on An Oregon Cottage!
And thank you, Mary, for such wonderful instructions. I have some scrap bead board somewhere, I'm sure...
New Barn Quilt Color Scheme for 2018:
Mary redid her living room with new curtains, pillows and rugs and repainted her barn quilt to match. She shared it with us for inspiration and to show how it looks with different colors. That's just one of the benefits of making something yourself - you can change it when you want!
Make sure to share your creations with us on Facebook or tag #anoregoncottage on Instagram.
Be sure to visit Mary and her husband Dave over at Front Porch Ideas and More for lots of porch decorating and building ideas! Oh, and you can find lots more easy, DIY gifts here or on my Handmade Gifts Pinterest board, too!
How to Paint a Barn Quilt for Your Home
Tools
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Paintbrush
- Painters Tape
- Hanging Apparatus (to hang the artwork on the wall)
Materials
- 1 piece Plywood or beadboard cut to 4‘ by 4‘ Or any size you want, square recommended.
- Several colors of paint Leftover house paint works, acrylic craft paint also works fine – you will be surprised at how little paint it takes really.
Instructions
- Find a quilt pattern that you’d enjoy painting for your home. For a first-time project, I would suggest a simple pattern without curves involved. My wall art was inspired by the quilt on the barn above (which I found on this Pinterest board of barn quilts).
- Paint the entire board the predominant color that it will be. If there is no predominant color, then just choose one and paint the entire board with it.The reason I did this step is two-fold: First, it’s easy to paint the entire board. The rest of the painting will be inside lines. Secondly, it puts a primer coat on the board making the rest of the colors go on easier. I painted my entire board light green and the edges navy (for a little accent).
- Next draw the quilt pattern onto your board. For the pattern I chose, I divided the 4′ x 4′ beadboard into 16 squares (4 across and 4 down) using my ruler and light pencil lines. Just imagine the beadboard being a grid and lightly pencil in the lines for the quilt pattern. If you chose a fairly simple quilt pattern, drawing it on your board is an easy step.
- Mark each of the marked areas with the color that it will be painted. You can write the color inside the lines or just dab a touch of that color paint inside the lines. This will help prevent you from painting a section the wrong color. I used little pieces of painters tape marked with a “B” for blue, “G” for green and so on.
- Time to start painting. Choose a color and mask off those sections with the painters tape. Then paint all of those sections.Don’t worry if your paint bleeds from one section to another a little bit. Especially with beadboard where there are grooves in the wood, it’s likely to bleed a bit.You can paint near the lines with a dry brush to prevent the paint from seeping. But don’t worry about it being perfect. You can touch it up after you remove the tape and the paint is dry. My wall art is far from perfect – but that’s fine.
- Edge and hang the quilt (optional). After I finished painting all the sections and touched up my little goofs here and there, my husband built “sides” for the beadboard to make the wall hanging stand out from the wall about an inch. This is optional though it adds a nice finished edge.
Notes
- Note: if wanting to use outdoors, purchase an outdoor sealant as well
Bekah says
I've been wanting to put a barn quilt on our new chicken coop. Thank you for the directions!!
Jami says
That's a great idea, Bekah!
Abigail says
Could you elaborate on what you used to edge the barn quilt to create the frame?
kaye holcombe says
I have some tobacco baskets and wanted to put them on my barn. I found the patterns from a quilt book, When I made to large scale drawing and laid them on the baskets ,I found the snag in my plan,the open spaces mess up the pattern . Do you have any suggestions. Thank you,Kaye
Jami says
Sorry, Kaye, I don't what you'd do about that problem (but I do like how you're thinking outside the box!).
J Mudd says
What type of paint did you use on your breadboard barn quilt?
Jami says
The guest poster, Mary, used a combination of leftover house paint and acrylic craft paint. Basically, she was using what she had on hand. 🙂
Marsha Hoffman says
While traveling through state of Kentucky, I first saw barn quilts painted on. Recently retired, and living in a retirement community where everyone has a small barn, I decided to give it a try to paint small barn quilts as gifts. Wish me luck, your paintings are beautiful.
Jami says
"luck" Marsha - I bet it will look wonderful on your small barn. 🙂
jen says
this is beautiful! i've loved barn quilts for sometime (we have many in our area) and i just got the green light from my husband to create one to adhere to our detached garage. thanks for the clear instructions! i think these would also make a wonderful personalized gift!
Tammy in Iowa says
I have made one of these for inside the home but want to make one for outside as well. I think they are just beautiful. If hanging outside I think I will coat it with poly to protect it from the weather. Any thoughts?
Jami says
That's what I would do, Tammy, but I'd make sure it was a really tough poly like one meant for wood boats. 🙂
Tammy says
Thanks, I'll see if I can find something.
Diane says
I was on another site but sorry I cannot member the name of the site. I just googled how to make a barn quilt and there was another tutorial said not to use a polyurethane on an outside painting as it would cause the paint to yellow THey recommended a good exterior paints and applying several coats. Also, suggested putting several coats of primer.
Jami says
Good to know, Diane. This was meant for an inside decor, so using exterior paint for outside quilts is a great tip. I do know that water-based poly will not yellow, but may peel, so you are right to just go with paint made for outdoors.
Stephanie N says
I really like that project, is it best to use an acrylic paint or craft paint. I think the craft paint would be easier to get in the lined area. Overall great project though. Thanks.
Kelly in Chicago says
Jami -
I'm really digging the block you used for the tutorial. Great choice. I've pinned it to my "Quilty Goodness" board on Pinterest (with proper credit, of course!).
Karen Funk says
Thanks for this tutorial. I would love to make one of these for myself or a barn in the area. there are quilt trails in this area which I have yet to follow.
daisy says
It looks fantastic! I want one! This is perfect for those of us who don't yet sew.