Quilt a French Rose Quilt Pillow
Learn How to Make a French Rose Rag Pillow
If you’re looking for a fun and easy quilting project, be sure to check out this French Rose Quilt Pillow Pattern. It’s perfect for beginners or experienced quilters alike and it would make a beautiful addition to any home, either as a quilt or a pillow.
Get Your French Rose Quilt Pillow Pattern @ the $7 Intro Price!
Get the Pattern Today!
This pattern is ideal for the quilter who loves a bit of vintage style in their home. It’s also perfect for adding a touch of shabby chic charm to any room in your home.
Whether you’re new to quilting or you’re a seasoned pro, this French Rose Quilt Pillow Pattern is a great way to showcase your skills and creativity!
What is a French Rose Quilt
An Easy Raw Edge Applique Quilt Block
While there are multiple variations, the common theme is a lovely raw edge applique petaled-rose flower within a quilt block. It’s generally a layered applique with concentric round-ish petals that are larger as they spread from the center. Each petal layer is a different color print fabric for a blended overall blossom. There are some patchwork blocks with similar names but are very different quilts.
How to Sew Raw Edge Applique
As with all creative projects, there are multiple methods than can be used and most work quite well. Honestly, it comes down to personal taste. While perusing multiple French Rose Quilts (visit Pinterest), there seem to be two primary sewing methods used.
Traditional vs. Modern Raw Edge Applique
Traditional raw edge applique focuses more on the integrity of the applique motif. In other words, it’s meant to keep the appliqued pieces in their place for years to come. Whether by hand or machine, this method secures the fabric by stitching closely to about ¼” from the outer edges. This leaves minimal room for fraying which is the key difference between the results of these stitching methods.
The more ‘modern’ or recent method is to sew a curvy circle around the interior of the applique, well away from the outer edge. This allows the loose edges past the sewing line to move, lift, and add lots of dimension to a quilt top. Needless to say, this is my personal favorite.
Are French Rose Quilts a Rag Quilt
While some of the modern French Rose Quilt blocks may appear to be a rag quilt, that’s not exactly their intention. It’s more about creating a dimensional flower within a patchwork quilt where all the seams are concealed except the rose applique itself. Some quilts alternate the roses with simple print blocks creating diagonal patterns. Many keep the seams within the quilt, while others make their rose blocks into a rag quilt.
French Rose Quilts are known for their soft edged ‘rose petals’ that emerge after they are washed. Obviously some more than others, depending on the style of applique used on the blocks. There’s no right or wrong, simply lots of creative choices!
What Fabrics Prints Should Be Used
This is a completely personal choice. A collection of vintage floral fabrics would look beautiful together, as would many of the modern florals we see today. Mixing in some low volume fabrics would add a very soft look if mixed with a multitude of prints. Or try a completely modern looks with black and white graphic prints layered alternately. There are so many possibilities.
A very popular choice is the scrappy version of the French Rose Quilts. Mixing lots of fabric colors and patterns can be beautiful in a single quilt top. Stage some of your stash fabrics together and see what you like best. The key to answering this question is all about what fabrics you enjoy most, so go give it a try!
How to Make a French Rose Quilt Block
Get Your French Rose Quilt Pillow Pattern @ the $7 Intro Price!
This Easy Pattern Will Show You How!
If you’re a lover of flowers and quilting, then you’ll love this pattern! You’ll learn how to make a beautiful and unique French Rose Quilt Pillow in just a few simple steps. This pillow is a perfect project for using some of your favorite shabby chic fabrics, and it would make a great gift for your loved ones!
The French Rose Quilt Pillow Pattern has a pictorial tutorial as well as written instructions with all the details needed to make this beautiful pillow. Plus the pattern templates are in multiple sizes so you can decide on exactly what you want. Once you get started though, you may decide to make more blocks for a stunning quilt!
Some quilters prefer to trim away the centers on the back of each layered fabric petal to eliminate the thickness of the motif. I use those layers to my advantage by sewing with a tighter, or smaller stitch than normal. This cinches up the fabrics together causing them to create more of a full rose look. I think it also helps the petals ‘unfurl’ over multiple washings as the outer petals loosen up. Using all cotton fabrics means there will be some shrinkage which also helps our lovely roses put forth their best ‘petals’!
How to Quilt a French Rose Quilt Block
If you quilt your own quilts, do what you like best. An organic pattern versus an angular pattern would probably work best. One of the challenges of machine quilting a raw edge applique is the raw edge itself. It’s going to want to lay in the direction you’re quilting and may not end up laying as you’d expected.
Personally, I prefer echo quilting around each rose. The motif itself is already quilted as the layers of petals are added. With the block center secured with stitching, it’s the outer edges of the quilt block that may need some attention.
My French Rose Pillows only have about three lines of echo quilting and the rest is left alone. After washing and a bit of expected shrinkage, those outer edges puffed up beautifully into a soft, fluffy looking background. It’s a perfect finish!
ALWAYS Stop and Smell the Roses! Happy Quilting!!
Leave a Reply