How to Paint Quilts on Barns
If you want to dress up the look of your barn, you can paint a quilt on the side of it -- at least part of one. Select a pattern for a quilt square, or quilt block, to decorate your barn. The process is much like painting a mural. You can choose from a couple of different methods for enlarging a picture and painting it. One of those ways is to use a grid. Lay out the quilt block on a grid and then transfer the grid to the barn wall. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Quilt block pattern
- Graph paper
- Ruler
- Colored pencils
- Chalk line
- Measuring tape
- Ladder
- Exterior latex paints
- Paintbrushes
Instructions
-
-
1
Choose a quilt block pattern; go for a fairly easy-to-follow pattern that has only straight lines, to make the process much easier and give you better finished results.
-
2
Create your quilt block on graph paper. Use a ruler to mark off 24 larger squares measuring 1 inch; you can arrange them vertically (four squares across, six down) or horizontally (six across, four down). If you need a perfect square, try 25 squares -- five by five. The 1-inch squares will become the grid for the wall of the barn.
-
-
3
Transfer the quilt block design to the grid of graph paper, either by printing the quilt block or by drawing it out by hand. Use the colored pencils to show what color paints you should use.
-
4
Set up a ladder and measure off how high you want your quilt block to be on the side of the barn; it should start at least 2 feet off the ground.
-
5
Mark off the grid on your barn wall using a chalk line. Make sure to make both the horizontal and the vertical lines to give you 24 squares, or whatever the required number is, measuring 1 foot each. Paint over the grid lines using a thin stripe of paint in case you cannot do all your painting in one day, as the chalk marks will disappear if there is a lot of wind or it rains before you can finish the quilt.
-
6
Fill in the grid squares by painting the portion of the quilt block that is in each corresponding square on your graph paper. Follow the colored pencils to paint the correct colors.
-
7
Allow the paint to dry. Add at least one more coat of paint.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Have a friend help you when you are marking off the grid of your barn. It is difficult to use a chalk line by yourself.
If you do not want to paint the quilt square right on the side of your barn, you can paint it on a large piece of plywood and then hang that on your barn.
