Barn Quilt History.

Donna Sue Groves of Manchester, Ohio, is credited with beginning  the barn quilt trail movement in 2001.  Inspired by the Hex signs and advertisements she saw painted on barns, she decided to paint a quilt square on the family barn to honor her mother's love of quilting.  Friends joined in to create 20 barn quilts on the first trail.

History.

The first official quilt trail was begun in 2001 in Adams County, Ohio. Donna Sue Groves wanted to honor her mother, Maxine, a noted quilter, with a painted quilt square on the family's barn in Manchester, Ohio. Though many believe that the Groves farm is home to the first barn quilt, the first was an Ohio Star created as part of a community celebration at a nearby herb farm. The Groves farm later became part of a trail of 20 barn quilts that formed a driving trail throughout Adams County.
     An emerging concept, a U.S. national quilt trail that first spread across Ohio now includes barn quilts in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. In Canada, British Columbia has developed a trail. Barn quilts also exist in Ontario and Kings County, New Brunswick. [Source]

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Pieced Together

Pieced Together is the first documentary film about the American quilt square trail movement. Directed by Peabody Award-winning veteran of ABC News, Julianne Donofrio, Pieced Together tells the story of how one woman’s love for her mother changed the American landscape and saved her life after job loss, breast cancer, and multiple health concerns. The trailer is provided below. The documentary may be purchased on this LINK.