There are many different ways to make Barn Quilts, there are different techniques, tools and preferences that all create beautiful quilts. This is just our secret sauce, some tools and techniques that we prefer to make great Barn Quilts!
1. Designing a Barn Quilt.
Electric Quilt 7 is a computer program with thousands of pre-loaded quilt blocks with handy drawing tools to create your own also. Its easy to change colours, add fabrics and trace images. All in all EQ7 is a easy to use tool that really makes creating barn quilts, or fabric quilts a simple pleasure. From my Graphic Design background I also utilize Adobe Illustrator to use your business logo or intricate appliqué.
2. Two ways to draw out Barn Quilts.
We generally print out an 8" plan of the Barn Quilt, grid it with a pencil and a ruler in a 1" grid, and then use that grid on the paper to draw the pattern on the boards (1"=12"). On a special occasion where the design is intricate and free flowing we use an Epson projector to project the design and trace it on the boards.
3. Making the crisp paint line.
When we put the blue painter's tape down before we paint any colour of a masterpiece, we seal the edge of the tape with clear paint to make sure that we have no bleeding. This saves time and looks better since we use acrylic base outdoor Dulux Paint. A BIG thank you to Dulux Canada for continuing to support our project.
4. Don't be afraid of Colour!
Bright, vivid, beautiful colour is what makes our Barn Quilts POP! We love having bright colours to work with and we wouldn't have it any other way! Thank you again to Dulux Canada for providing us with such dazzling paint to work with.
5. We are always up for a Challenge and make one of a kind Barn Quilts.
When it comes to design, we have yet to say no. If someone comes to us with an idea to for their Barn Quilt, we try to honour it to the best of our abilities. We have painted plaids, compasses, cows, chickens, logos... we are up for almost anything. Yet another thing that makes us special, you don't have to pick a specific design or from a list. Every one of our Quilts is a one of a kind masterpiece that is carefully crafted and designed for you.
6. Don't forget to protect your Masterpiece!
We use a clear sealer to make sure that our Barn Quilts are protected against the elements. It has UV protection to prevent it from yellowing in the suns rays. We also use it to protect agains the moisture of precipitation, since here in Grey County we get everything from rain, to sleet, to snow!
Hopefull these six tips were helpful to you in your barn quilt journey. This is some of our 'secret sauce' that allows us to continue to be successful at creating Barn Quilts.