Patty Smith and Dave Saalfeld pose in front of his barn featruing a barn quilty she painted.

Barn quilt trail begun around North Bend

by Nathan Arneal
Published 9/27/23

Painted patterns of color are popping up on fences, garages, gardens and barns in the North Bend area, and a group of locals wants to see the phenomenon spread and becomes a part of next year’s centennial Old Settlers celebration.

Sunday afternoon a barn quilt went up on Dave Saalfeld’s barn three miles north of North Bend. It was painted by Patty Smith of Fremont, who has been teaching the skill to people in the North Bend area through classes and “barn quilt parties.”

Barn quilts are geometric paintings that draw inspiration from quilt blocks of quilt blankets made of fabric. The tradition goes back hundreds of years to central European immigrants on the East Coast. Not only did they decorate barns, but they could provide a way for travelers to recognize the farm of a certain family or a landmark on their trip.

Smith said they were even used to identify allies in the Revolutionary War or stops on the Underground Railroad during the Civil War era.

The first barn quilt trail, a series of barn quilts in close proximity designed to draw viewers and visitors, is credited to Adams County, Ohio, in 2001.

Smith and her North Bend friends, such as Carry Gerke, want to create such a barn quilt trail around North Bend.

“We’re trying to spark more interest in the community for positive things,” Gerke said.

Gerke is a fabric quilter, and through church she met Smith, who piqued her interest in another kind of quilting. The pair have participated in barn quilt parties in North Bend with 11 works of the folk art already produced.

Their goal is to have 50 barn quilts in the North Bend area before Old Settlers 2024. Next summer they will put out a map of all the barn quilts so people can drive around and view them. Gerke said barn quilt trails often draw numerous barn quilt enthusiasts.

“We think it’ll probably bring a lot of people to the community who might not come (otherwise),” Gerke said, “because there’s a whole following of this. It’s just not here yet.”

The barn quilt Smith painted for Saalfeld features earthy, ag-related colors that match the brownish-orange tile and hunter green roof of his

barn.
The barn was built in 1946 by Saalfeld’s grandparents, Otto and Emma Ernst, and parents, Leroy and Pearl Saalfeld. Dave Saalfeld said his grandma Emma wanted to make sure her daughter’s farm had a barn. She built it in a style common in the area she grew up, north-central Iowa. Leroy Saalfeld made four or five trips to Davenport, Iowa, to get the tile that lines the lower level of the barn.

On Sunday, Dave’s sons Jason and Adam affixed the barn quilt to the Saalfeld barn.

“She does beautiful work,” Dave Saalfeld said of Smith’s art.
Anyone who is interested in making a barn quilt or having one made for them is asked to contact Smith (402-669-1996) or Gerke (402-317-9500).

A barn quilt can be hung on a fence, garage or any building or put on stakes or posts.

Attending one of Smith’s classes to make a 2-foot by 2-foot quilt is $50, and that covers all costs of materials, paint and instruction. They can also be made in a 4-by-4 size. If you don’t want to do the painting yourself, Smith or someone in her group will make you one for you for $40.

Smith suggests browsing the Barn Quilt Addicts Facebook page for ideas and examples of patterns and designs.

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