Barn quilts a new fabric for community built on textiles

As Amy Drum and her family made their way to Beech Mountain, colorful squares on old buildings kept capturing her eyes. After driving past, those pops of color lingered and made her think about the building where it hung. 

“I started to think ‘I wonder what the history of that building is and the area,’” Drum said. “I realized it was a great way to bring attention to a building or area that might not otherwise be noticed, and then I started to think about Cliffside.” 

Cliffside is more than just Drum’s hometown. The small town’s heritage is a part of who she is - her great-great-grandfather, Raleigh Rutherford Haynes, built Cliffside Mills (later Cone Mills). 

“I felt like barn quilts would be a way to shed a light back on Cliffside,” Drum said. 

Drum researched barn quilts online and is self-taught in painting them. When she started, she said, she would paint until 2 a.m., making a bunch at once with ideas of who would receive them. Some of the first recipients of Drum’s artwork were McKinney-Landreth & Carroll Funeral Home and the Bostic Lincoln Center. She’s since made quilts for Cliffside Elementary and residents of Cliffside. 

Painting a barn quilt takes time. Once you’ve decided on a pattern, Drum said, you have to sketch and tape it off. Paint is applied in layers, with a hair dryer used between to speed drying time. the smaller the pattern, Drum said, the more tedious the process. While any board approved for outdoor use would work for a barn quilt, Drum prefers birch. 

“It’s more expensive, but it lasts better and it has a more smooth surface,” she said. 

Barn quilts can go on any building, but looks better on old buildings, Drum said. 

“They can also be freestanding,” she added. 

Drum shares her love of barn quilts with others by teaching classes at her studio at the Cliffside Community Arts Center as well as at the Union Mills Learning Center and the Cleveland County Arts Council. 

Classes at the Union Mills Learning Center will be held March 5 and 6 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost is $45. To register, email Drum at amybdrum@gmail.com.