The rose quilt is a special type of patchwork quilt, with the ‘Rose of Sharon’ being a traditional pattern handed down from generation to generation and was inspired by the Song of Solomon. Traditionally Rose of Sharon quilts were given as engagement presents alongside wedding ring quilts and were sometimes even made by the bride herself or her friends.
Rose Quilt Themes
There are a range of quilts that you can make with roses as the theme, and they can be used for many different occasions. For example a rose quilt made from dark red fabric with dark chocolate brown and lighter green or cream would be a wonderful quilt for Valentine’s Day.
A quilt with a rose theme or different rose fabric would make a very nice friendship quilt for a group of friends; with each person contributing their own block and then giving the finished quilt to one of the women. This could potentially work even better as a quilted wall hanging or lap quilt, it depends on which pattern you decide to make.
Matching Colors
Pink, red, green, cream are the most often used colors in a rose quilt. It is easier if you are first starting to make a rose or patchwork quilt to find fabric with roses already printed on it.
Using that fabric as a basis for the quilt blocks, you can use other fabric that works well with the colors you have chosen to accentuate the quilt and bring attention to the design of the fabric and colors.
Finding Fabric
Rose quilts can be assembled from all types of different fabrics that were specially collected or saved from scraps used from making clothes. Patchwork quilting was-and still is used as a way to bring cheer and joy into the home.
The best place to find high quality fabric to use in your rose quilt is to check local quilt shops and online stores for fabric. Fabrics that can be used for patchwork quilts can be found at antique shops, thrift stores, or even yard sales.
Wherever you find the perfect fabric and pattern for your rose quilt, it is a good idea to choose a pattern that you really like. Quilting by hand or machine could be one of the most relaxing pastimes that you can enjoy while sitting down in front of the television.
Patterns can be found online and will have instructions that are easy to follow, or you can find a local quilt shop that has lessons if you are just starting to learn how to quilt.
A Famous Rose Quilt
One of the most famous quilts that involve roses is a masterpiece that was made by Mrs. Louise McHaney at the age of 69 and took over a year to complete. This astonishing quilt has over 800,000 stitches in it, all made by hand.
The McHaney Rose Mosaic Quilt now resides with honor in the International Quilt Society, and is one of the finest examples of postage stamp style quilts, so called because of the tiny size of the squares used in their construction.
