One of the patterns that have a rich history and have been favored by quilters is the Rose of Sharon, Ohio Rose or Whig Rose. This is one of the oldest applique floral patterns. It is a stylized rose that has its roots in the Tutor Rose used by the aristocracy in Europe. As I wrote in my last diary, the English and Dutch brought quilting to the colonies as a way to make warm under garments. What they also brought was traditional floral patterns of their regions. We see them in the quilts of the 19th century. They saw this rose carved in wood, chiseled in stone and in cathedral stain glass windows. It was a common motif of the English aristocracy coat of arms that was displayed on their possessions.
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We see many of the stylized roses and flowers in the cherished quilts of the decades just before the Civil War mostly in the North East. The names of these patterns are not standardized but given names that meant something to the makers to fit the time that they were made. So you may see the same rose pattern in one museum with one name and then see another quilt in another museum with a different name. Appliqued quilts of these floral designs were mostly made by the women of wealth because they had the money and leisure time to create these beautiful quilts from new fabrics. The colors that was chosen because of the stability of the colors. Madder red with accents of pink, chrome yellow, and cheddar was selected for the flower and buds. The leaves and vines was an over dyed green. This was a color that started out as blue then yellow was over dyed the blue to make green. Later is was nick named poison green. It faded some times into a blue or beige over time so you see in the antique quilts blue leaves or beige leaves and vines.
An Appliqued quilt was a quilt of special occasions such as a wedding quilt. Young girls would work a long time on a top for their wedding quilt as part of their hope chests. When the engagement was announced, friends and relatives would get together and quilt all the tops that had been made by the bride. Old house hold records and probate records of the time lists as wealth the linens and quilts these women owned. These good quilts were a chance to show off their needle skills and was only used when the bishop came to visit or other important guest came. Many of them survived in blanket trunks and was handed down as special remembrances of that person with their letters, diaries and recipes. So many of them the maker is unknown because women were not always educated and could read and write. Normally the only book in the home was the bible and the name Rose of Sharon comes from the Book of Solomon, where the flowers of the Prairie of Sharon is translated into the the Rose of Sharon in the King James version. The flower is still there today and is a Lilly.
This is a wonderful history of a Bride's Quilt I found. It goes into the history of quilt making in the early days of the Western Reserve and covers what it was like for women who quilted in those early days. Please take time and read it.
http://www.rbhayes.org/...
During the Colonial Revival period of quilting in the 1920's, Mountain Mist Batting added a pattern to its wrapper that they called Ohio Rose.
Pattern wrapper of Mountain Mist Batting for Ohio Rose. A copy of the Mountain Mist Blue Book featuring the Ohio Rose on it's front cover. The book and pattern wrapper was from the mid 1950's.
Another batting companies offered patterns in there patterns. I have in my collection of old quilt patterns one from Rocky River Cotton Company of Janesville, Wisconsin. That is called Rose of Sharon. This was a tissue pattern that was included free in the batting roll or you could buy it for $.35 from the McElwain Quilt Shop in Walworth, Wisconsin. Mary A. McElwain was the designer of the patterns in Rocky River Cotton Batting from 1930 until 1949.
The history of this pattern series is in The Quilt Index on line. I have looked carefully but don't see a date just patent pending. The tissue pattern contains a second pattern call Quilt of a Thousand Prints which is a postage stamp block pattern. Mary is one of the notable designers of quilts in the 1930's of depression quilts. These links show a peak into her influence on quilting.
http://www.quiltindex.org/...
http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/...
http://wiscohisto.tumblr.com/...
http://www.quiltindex.org/...
http://mywalworth.1upprelaunch.com/...
If you would like a link to a free pattern of the Rose of Sharon Pattern. This link offers it in a pdf file you can down load. It also give some history on this pattern
http://www.patternsfromhistory.com/...
1920s Quilts ~Elizabeth Scrivener
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After doing quite well with scheduling for awhile, there are now lots of open dates. Would you like to write a future DK Quilt Guild diary? Please join in! Please volunteer within the comments. Thanks
The schedule:
12/22 -- Pam from Calif
12/29 -- OPEN
A New Year!
01/05 -- winifred3
01/12 -- OPEN
01/19 -- OPEN
01/26 -- OPEN