Have you discovered the Carroll County, MD Barn Quilt Trail?

Have you discovered the Carroll County, MD Barn Quilt Trail?

Have you noticed the bright beautiful, familiar squares mounted on barns that pepper the Carroll County landscape?  These 8-foot squares are quilt blocks! Twenty two different  designs mounted to historic barns and a few Landmark Carroll County buildings  crisscrossing the county. They are a delight to see!

I noticed the vivid colored squares appearing in mid 2015. I didn't know what they were at the time but I knew they made me smile.  I also thought of my mom, how she would have loved seeing, what I later discovered were quilt squares or rather barn quilts,  displayed this way. So much charm and history are woven into quilts. The same care went into the designs of each unique barn quilt.

Many of us have a treasured quilt handmade by relative, some quilts have been handed down over generations. The intricate details of hand stitching and small fabric blocks and triangles now transformed into big bright panels that really warm your heart when you see one unexpectedly. These art pieces are treasures further increasing the beauty of our county landscape.

The Carroll County Barn Quilt Trail was a collaborative effort of the Carroll County Arts Council, the Carroll County Office of Tourism and the Carroll County Public Library. The only other county in Maryland to have a Barn Quilt Trail is Garrett County. High in the Appalachian mountains of Western Maryland there are 26 barn quilts and growing.   

If you would like to see all 22 barn quilts, you can download the guide or stop by the Carroll County Office of Tourism at 210 E. Main Street, Westminster like I did.