Barn Quilt Trail

If you drive through Sampson County, it is very likely that you will see at least one barn quilt.

Barn Quilts are very prevalent in the area, and are part of Sampson County’s history. They are so unique and popular that people from all over the U.S., have traveled barn quilt capitol of North Carolina, just to get one.

But what are barn quilts? These quilts are unique because they are made out of wood and are perfectly square. They are hand painted with colorful proportional shapes like circles, triangles, or squares, and on any given day, you might see them hanging on mailboxes, stores, businesses, and of course on old country barns.

There were originally around 20 quilts hanging around the county by the conjoined efforts of the Sampson Arts Council and the tourism department because several of them got together to form a committee. Then eventually the project fell off according to Director of Tourism Sheila BareFoot.

“When I came in 2016 it had stalled a little bit. No one was really doing anything at the time, and I thought it would be a great time to start it back up. It’s just a beautiful symbolism of our cultural heritage that we have here in the county.”

Sheila met a woman from Autryville, Kelly Tew, that was doing art quilts after being inspired by the barn quilts she saw in the mountains. She decided to come back home and try one for herself, and now she does most of the barn quilts for the program. There are a few other independent artists that make and sell them also, but is the main one. Soon after the Quilt trail was born, she thought it would be a good idea to create the trail to showcase the works across the county and beyond, and to give more people a chance to see them.

“It’s been a very interesting project. I have learned a lot. It’s just the way that we bring art and folk art to our county.”

152 beautiful pieces are on display on the trail for people to enjoy, and is continually growing. In total there are 233 quilts across eight towns. She also keeps some on display at the Sampson Agri-Expo Building just in case someone wants to buy one while they are in there. Right now there are no guided trails, but the department is currently working on a project to create a day trip itinerary that visitors can access on their website. Sampson County’s signature quilt was painted by Ruth Holland and was inspired by the Downtown Clinton’s Public Art Project, called “Milling Around.” The quilt incorporates different pieces of the heritage of the county such as the barns that represent farming and the barns that are located at the Sampson County History Museum. The earth tone colors help remind people of the agricultural heritage and their dependence on nature and the earth, and the overall design evokes memories of their native American culture.

Sheila said they plan to hopefully start doing barn quilting classes one day. It is something that they are really interested in. Until then, people can purchase them from the agribusiness building directly and can have them custom made to their liking. Price varies based on size, difficulty, and the number of colors, but almost anything can be put on the quilts. On average you are looking at around $175-$200 for a 2x2 quilt. One memorable project that she remembers is a young woman who had the patterns from a quilt that her grandmother had made her and turned around and gave it as a gift right back to her grandmother as a barn quilt.

The barn quilt tour adds beauty and heritage to not only Sampson County and surrounding areas, but also to the lives of many people. It helps remind the community of who they are through quilts that represent family history, farming, agriculture, and the list goes on and on. They have been passed down from generation to generation, and will be a token of pride for many to come. The committee loves the saying “follow your art and your heart”, and that is what the trail is all about.