The Red River Barn Quilt Trail Partnership is made up of individuals living along the Red River that separates Minnesota and North Dakota. We are committed to developing a barn quilt trail in the southern Red River Valley Our partnership hopes that with your help, we can create a number of barn quilts and develop a barn quilt trail in our community and the surrounding area.

Barn quilts are vibrant displays of outdoor art that can be found throughout the U.S. Barn quilts are large, flat pieces of wood painted to look like a quilt block. They are comprised of simple geometric shapes and are painted in bright colors, the same patterns found in handmade quilts. They hang on barns, houses, and fences and are beautiful outdoor displays of Americana Folk Art that celebrate women’s contributions to agriculture.

The Red River Barn Quilt Trail Partnership is made up of individuals living along the Red River that separates Minnesota and North Dakota. We are committed to developing a barn quilt trail in the southern Red River Valley Our partnership hopes that with your help, we can create a number of barn quilts and develop a barn quilt trail in our community and the surrounding area.

We believe that the development of a barn quilt trail in our region will result in positive economic impact as a result of increased tourism and the resulting changes in local business sales. Bringing tourists, quilters, and barn quilters to our area would offer local rural business owners new customers as well as improve sales.

In 2015-2016 we plan to have mounted 15-20 barn quilts thus opening the Red River Barn Quilt Trail. At this point in our project we have the commitment of four local businesses to mount the barn quilts on their buildings; an exciting first step! We believe that once the first barn quilts are up, interest in the project will grow and there will be further development of the trail. Ultimately we would like to see over 100 barn quilts along the trail connecting 6 communities along the Red River.

Our partnership is eager to make the Red River Barn Quilt Trail a reality. It is our hope that showcasing our local heritage and pride through the development of the barn quilt trail will enhance the economics of our region and contribution to preserving our rich artistic heritage.

We love Barn Quilts! We love them so much that a group of excited quilters, artists, crafters, and community members have come together to create a trail of these bold beautiful works of folk art.

Barn quilts are painted, bold public art that are geometric patterns painted in bright, solid colors on wood.  These large pieces of wood are painted to look like a quilt block.  Once seen only in the eastern part of the United States, they are now seen throughout the US and Canada.  Their purpose, aside from offering a splash of color to a farmyard, is to celebrate women’s contributions to our rural communities and agriculture.  Barn Quilts can be found mounted on the sides of barns, garages, houses, sheds, and fences.  They can be free-standing in a yard and integrated into a garden. 

The Red River Barn Quilt Trail Partnership is excited to bring together individuals interested in developing a new barn quilt trail in the rural Red River Valley of Minnesota and North Dakota.  Crooked Lane Farm Folk School is proud to host the development of the new Red River Barn Quilt Trail.  Visitors to Crooked Lane Farm often note the Barn Quilts located on a number of buildings.

Barn quilt trails can be found in many rural ares in the US and Canada.  The trails, developed by groups of local residents with a love for quilts, are routes where individuals can travel a route to view Barn Quilts mounted on barns, houses, fences, or freestanding signs.  Once developed, rural communities experience economic benefits as a result of visitors traveling the trails and utilizing businesses along the route.     

The rural Red River Valley of Minnesota and North Dakota is the perfect location for a barn quilt trail.   Planning is underway as volunteers come together to learn about trails in the US and associated economic impact.  They have begun to  explore a proposed route and and what establishing the trail will entail.

The Red River Barn Quilt Trail is eager to grow!  We are looking for individuals who would like to paint their own barn quilt and display it on their property.  On the following pages you will find information on becoming a part of the trail and guidelines for the development of your own barn quilt.