Oklahoma’s Largest Barn Quilt to beautify Downtown Frederick

FREDERICK — It was in 2018 when Jeanie Scott of Frederick drove through a small Kansas town called Ashland. It was then when Scott made the decision to create Oklahoma’s Largest Barn Quilt, after seeing the Kansas equivalent in that very town.

“We’ve been working on it for five years,” Scott said, adding that COVID had thrown them back a little bit. After years of preparation, the actual work on Oklahoma’s Largest Barn Quilt has finally started in downtown Frederick, along US-183 at 319 S Main Street. On Friday, the first section of quilts was put up by volunteers. The entire project is expected to be completed by December.

Barn quilts are large pieces of wood or other materials (Scott uses MDO board) painted to look like a quilt. They are usually hung on the exterior of barns, houses, garages or other buildings and facilities. In Frederick, there is even a Tillman County Barn Quilt Trail with over 50 barn quilts spread out all across town.

“There are hundreds and hundreds of patterns,” Scott said about her fascination with barn quilts. She’s been making them since 2017 and offers classes to teach others how to make them. She is in the process of teaching more people who then in turn could help with Oklahoma’s Largest Barn Quilt as volunteers. The project is far from finished, and every little bit helps, either by donating money, time, expertise or materials. People interested in getting involved can contact Scott via the official Facebook page ‘Oklahoma’s Largest Barn Quilt’.

“It is a community working together,” Scott said. “We want to better the community and increase tourism.”

Since the barn quilt will be located right along US-183, Scott hopes that the town will get more traffic, and people driving through might take a break, marvel at the barn quilt and then get a hamburger.