Old Maid's Puzzle barn quilt pattern
The Old Maid's Puzzle barn quilt is painted on a 4 × 4 grid. On a 4 × 4 ft board each grid square is 12", and on an 8 × 8 ft board 24". It has 26 shapes in 3 colors.
Two large triangles built from smaller ones, with accent triangles between them, on a four-by-four grid.
By Editorial Staff
Measurements for 2, 4 and 8 ft boards
| Board | Grid square | Marks across the top and bottom | Marks down the sides |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 × 2 ft | 6" | 6", 12", 18" | 6", 12", 18" |
| 4 × 4 ft | 12" | 12", 24", 36" | 12", 24", 36" |
| 8 × 8 ft | 24" | 24", 48", 72" | 24", 48", 72" |
Each mark is measured from the top left corner, rounded to the nearest ⅛". Mark both opposite edges, then join the marks with a straightedge and a sharp pencil.
Paint for the Old Maid's Puzzle barn quilt
Two coats of exterior latex on the front, at 100 square feet a quart for each coat (labels say 300 to 400 square feet a gallon). Reds and yellows often need a third coat to cover evenly, so buy the next size up for those. Exterior paint starts at a quart, so on a 2 × 2 ft board 8 oz bottles of outdoor acrylic craft paint go further; what is left is for touch-ups.
| Color | Share | 2 × 2 ft | 4 × 4 ft | 8 × 8 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. White | 56% | 1 quart (2 oz) | 1 quart (6 oz) | 1 quart (24 oz) |
| 2. Hunter green | 31% | 1 quart (1 oz) | 1 quart (4 oz) | 1 quart (13 oz) |
| 3. Barn red | 12% | 1 quart (1 oz) | 1 quart (2 oz) | 1 quart (6 oz) |
| Exterior primer | Front, back, edges | 1 quart (3 oz) | 1 quart (11 oz) | 2 quarts (42 oz) |
Ounces are what the paint takes; the size is what to buy.
Paint the lightest color first: white, then hunter green, then barn red. A darker color covers a lighter one that creeps under the tape, but not the other way round. The full method, from priming the board to hanging it, is in how to make a barn quilt.
The Old Maid's Puzzle as a fabric quilt
The Old Maid's Puzzle quilt block page has the cutting for four block sizes and the piecing steps.
Try the colors before you paint
Quiltspiration draws any block in any colors, and gives the cut list when you sew it in fabric.
