Kail, who works in the accounting department at Kingsgate Insurance in Fort Dodge, painted a North Star pattern on a four-foot-by-four-foot barn quilt, which is displayed on the south side of the building that houses the town’s post office. Like many barn quilt creators, Kail uses three-quarter-inch plywood, although some barn quilt makers favor the smooth surface of sign board. If you’re making more than one barn quilt or have a friend who is also making a barn quilt, it often pays to buy these paints and primers by the gallon, added Kail, who has painted four of the barn quilts in Farnhamville. When Kail wanted purple for her backyard barn quilt, for example, she simply blended red and blue implement paint until she achieved the desired color.

Tags: quilting patterns, quilting fabric, quilts, quilting fat quarters, coat, beginner quilting