Kimono Rose Quilt Instructions

A well-made quilt can last for many years.

A beautiful addition to any home, the kimono rose quilt is known for its hand appliqued rose decoration. The fabric can be in any color, and the roses can be of any style or color of the quilter's choice. Precision of pattern planning and stitching is important for crafting a quilt of high quality that will remain in a family for generations.

Things You'll Need

• Sewing machine
• Needles and pins
• Sewing scissors
• 2 /4 yards of fabric for the quilt backing
• Thread to match the fabric colors
• Thirty 10-inch-by-10-inch squares, hand appliqued with rose patterns
• Filling (or wadding)

Instructions

1. Collect (or create) thirty 10-inch-by-10-inch cotton squares of material in different hand appliqued rose patterns. Work with either five or 10 different individual rose patterns. Place all of these on the floor so that you have six rows of five squares each. The placement of the squares will depend on the overall pattern you wish to create. Sew each row of blocks into six long pieces of material. Sew all of the rows together, matching up the tops and ends of the blocks.

2. With hems 1/4 inch wide, the seams of each square should make straight, continuous lines as they are sewn together. Cut the binding (which will give the quilt rounded, finished edges) into four 1 1/2 inch wide strips, long enough to cover the edges of the length and width of the quilt, then iron these in half, lengthwise. Pin the binding (wrong side up) to one side of the quilt so that the binding is facing the top of the quilt.

3. Stitch the binding to the edges, about 1/4 inch from the edge, leaving some extra binding material at the corners. At the corners, align two of the binding strips together and sew from the quilt corner straight across the binding. Cut the filling so that it is slightly larger than the quilt top, then lay the filling out on the floor. Place the backing fabric on top of the filling, right side up.

4. Lay the quilt top over that, with the top and backing facing one other. Pin the filling, backing and binding edge together along three sides of the quilt. Leave enough filling overlapping, to fill the other half of the binding. Go by the size of the quilt top, not the size of the binding. Leave the filling longer than the other edges so it will fill the binding when turned the right way. Stitch all the fabrics together on three sides.

5. Pin together the filling, backing and binding of the final side of the quilt. Start pinning the fabrics together from one of the open corners to approximately two feet toward the middle. Do the same from the other corner of the quilt. Machine sew the pinned pieces together, leaving an opening of in the middle. This opening will allow you to turn the quilt right side out.

6. Turn the quilt right side out. The opening that is left will be handstitched together. Fold the binding over the backing and the filling, and hand sew the last opening with a tiny, hidden stitch. A small stitch hidden in the seam every 1 to 2 inches will help secure the filling. Finally, sew a diagonal stitch across each of the quilt’s blocks. This last detail will keep the filling in place, leaving you with a quilt that should last several generations.

Tips & Warnings

• When sewing on the binding around the edges, leave the material a bit full rather than drawing it out flat, to give some extra material for the corners.

• It is always wise to practice first with smaller pieces of fabric before attempting a full king- or queen-size quilt.

References

• The Silver Thimble: Patchwork
• Cherry Menlove: How to Make a Patchwork Quilt