The Quilt Trails

I was inspired to travel a leg of the North Carolina Quilt Trail to learn more about the stories it shares, the handmade craft it recognizes, and the journey it takes you on through the Southern mountains of Appalachia.

The Quilt Trails

For as long as I can remember, I have gone to North Carolina during the summer to visit my family. Our family had a small, rustic cabin in Yancey County growing up and there wasn’t a summer I missed. I have such fond memories of making mudpies from the rocks and flowers in our driveway and visiting the craft fair filled with local artisans each August. I love being surrounded by quaint mornings, beautiful scenery, and a whole landscape to explore. One of my favorite things to look for while traveling through the scattered mountain towns are the quilt blocks hung on the side of barns, businesses, and homes. They are eye-catching and unique and I just had to learn everything I could about them.

History of the Quilt Trail

The quilt trails project started in Ohio in 2001 by a woman named Donna Sue Groves. Groves painted the first patterned block of the trail on the side of her tobacco barn to honor her mother, Maxine, a talented quilter. As the quilt square caught peoples’ eye and sparked conversation, many jumped on board with the idea, choosing to hang painted quilt squares on their own barns and homes to share the stories of their own families.

From Ohio, the quilt trail spread to 30 other states and into Canada. The project was recognized as a way to drive appeal, tourism, and economic development in these small US towns.

How to make Quilt Blocks

Most of the Quilt Trails have committees to lead the charge of the quilt projects for their communities. Families and individuals submit a request to become a part of the quilt trail with either a family story or family quilt as the inspiration. Family quilts are the most common inspiration for the patterns, however, is there is no family quilt the design if created with traditional geometric patterns. Here are a few common areas for inspiration of quilt blocks:

• Tribute to a lost loved one 

• A farm’s history 

• Family history; sometimes family initials 

• Business inspired (general store block or dentist office block)

• Local schools

The first blocks were painted directly on barn walls but are now painting on a treated plywood or metal that are mounted to their final location. Traditional squares are 8×8 feet, made of plywood or metal, and combined in the end. The material is treated and prepped before the pattern is marked and painted. Acrylic exterior paint combats the weather that occurs to the quilt blocks. Local community residents, artists, clubs, scouts, and schools typically paint the quilt blocks.

Inspiration from the Quilt Trail

Growing up and visiting North Carolina every summer was such a huge part of my life.  it means the world to take my kids there in the summer to create memories of their own. I was inspired to do a proper tour of the quilt trail by the quilt squares I catch glimpses of on my drive to see my family as well as by the vintage quilts I have sourced and fallen in love with from around the Southeast. Through my exploration of the quilt trail, I learned more about vintage quilts and the craft of quilting. The different visual blocks from each barn inspired me too. Some of them traditional and some of them more based on the stories of that particular barn or family.

From the traditional, yet unique quilt designs I saw along the trail, I was inspired to create my own line of quilts. My friends at Belk and I created a classic line of quilts that nod to the patterns, colors, and experience I saw and had along the quilt trail of North Carolina. Groves’ homage she paid to her mom when she put up the first quilt block in Ohio paid much inspiration.