Ohio Star Bows Barn Quilt Pattern
A classic barn quilt block you can customize and print as a paint-ready plan.
Member: Choose your size, borders & colors + personalized Paint Maps
Free: Complete 2' × 2' drawing grid + measurements
Planning the board? Use the sizing calculator for exact cell and border measurements, or read the paint color guide before you buy paint.
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Grid
- 6 × 6
- Colors
- 5
- Suggested board sizes
- 2′ × 2′, 3′ × 3′, 4′ × 4′
Get the Free 2' × 2' Ohio Star Bows Pattern Plan
A complete, printable drawing plan: a large 2' × 2' grid diagram with every measurement you need, plus an example colorway.
What's in your free plan
- 2' × 2' drawing grid diagram
- Layout measurements
- Layer diagrams when applicable
- Example colorway + paint equivalents
- Measuring and marking instructions
Personalized Paint Maps — the diagrams showing exactly which pieces to paint each color — come with Designer Membership.
Want to make it your own?
Customize the size, borders and colors — and get personalized Paint Maps — with the Barn Quilt Designer.
Customize in DesignerFree plan vs. Designer Membership
The free plan gives you everything you need to draw the standard 2' × 2' barn quilt. Membership lets you make the plan fit your project.
| Feature | Free Plan | Membership |
|---|---|---|
| Printable 2' × 2' drawing plan | ||
| Layout measurements and grid markings | ||
| Measuring and marking instructions | ||
| Layer diagrams when applicable | ||
| Example colorway and paint equivalents | ||
| Choose your barn quilt size | ||
| Add or change borders | ||
| Customize colors | ||
| Automatically recalculated measurements | ||
| Personalized Paint Maps | ||
| Save and edit designs | ||
| Unlimited personalized plan downloads | ||
| Build your own patterns for the designer |
Want to make it your own?
Customize the size, borders and colors — and get personalized Paint Maps — with the Barn Quilt Designer.
Customize in DesignerOhio Star Bows is one of several designs built on the classic Ohio Star nine-patch.
Explore All Ohio Star VariationsAbout the Ohio Star Bows block
The Ohio Star is one of the enduring stars of American patchwork. A Smithsonian Ohio Star quilt dates to about 1845, and nineteenth-century examples show the design was well established long before modern quilt patterns were commercially widespread.
Like many traditional blocks, it has appeared under more than one name; the Smithsonian also identifies the pattern as Variable Star or Eight-Pointed Star. Its simple nine-patch structure and strong geometry have kept it popular from bed quilts to modern barn quilts.
This variation keeps that Ohio Star framework but changes the geometry: the star points are split lengthwise into two shades, so each point reads as a ribbon or bow instead of one solid triangle.
Learn more about the history
Tips for painting a Ohio Star Bows barn quilt
Prime both sides of your board and seal the edges before painting to keep moisture out.
Lay out the pattern in pencil first using a grid — every shape lines up on a regular fraction of the board.
Paint the lightest color first, then work toward the darkest so any drips can be covered.
Use painter's tape along straight edges and burnish it down with a credit card to prevent bleed-through.
Ready to design your Ohio Star Bows?
Customize the colors in the online designer and download a printable paint-by-color plan with a grid diagram.
Open in the designerPainted the Ohio Star Bows? Share your photo.
We feature finished quilts from real makers in the gallery — it helps other painters see how the Ohio Star Bows looks in different color combinations.