A rural art tradition thrives in towns and communities throughout Kansas
Brightly painted geometric patterns mimicking stitched quilt blocks hang on barns and sheds throughout Kansas. These colorful, oversized wooden barn quilt squares continue to gain in popularity.
“They are all over everything, not just on barns,” says Lori Hambright, Dickinson County barn quilt coordinator and a barn quilt class instructor. “They are everywhere.”
According to Hambright, the town of Chapman alone is home to more than 100 of the over 250 barn quilts found in Dickinson County. The town of 1,200 people takes pride in being the self-proclaimed “Barn Quilt City of Kansas” after increasing the number of the folk art pieces from just three in 2015.
“I call it rural Americana art; I feel that truly describes it,” Hambright says. “Patriotic patterns are most popular by far, and red, white and blue, sometimes mixed with gold, are the favored colors no matter the pattern.”
Stitching a fabric quilt together is a time-consuming process; however, it only takes a few hours to paint a barn quilt.
“It’s something simpler without costing a lot of money, and they don’t have to be perfect,” she says, adding some painters even copy a block from a fabric quilt passed down from generation to generation.
Simply driving around Chapman, and also nearby Abilene, reveals a number of barn quilt patterns. Information on this folk art throughout rural areas of Dickinson County may be found on the websites of both cities.
Kansas’ Largest Barn Quilt
Ashland
After an ambitious community project with contributions from 50 artists across the state, Ashland proudly claims the title of being home to the state’s largest barn quilt. Made up of 96 2x2 squares and 8 4x4 squares, the design features sunflowers, roosters, deer, wheat and other images. The 30x16-foot ensemble is attached to the local grocery store’s exterior wall and can be seen by the public.
Walls of Quilts
Kirwin and Logan
Phillips County Barn Quilt Tour features barn quilts throughout the county and in 11 cities, including two large ensembles in Kirwin and Logan. On the Kirwin depot, 12 smaller blocks reflecting local agriculture surround a larger block symbolizing the town square. Logan’s Wall of Quilts on the city’s post office contains 63 blocks in various patterns.
