Praying the Rosary with the littles - Part II (How to Make Fabric Roses)

Here is a picture tutorial showing the steps I took to make the fabric rose counters mentioned in this post. It is really quite a simple project that is not so simple to explain so hopefully these pictures will give you a good idea of how to put them together. If you have any questions please feel free to write them in the comments at the bottom of this post and I'll try to respond promptly.


Step #1: Select and purchase fabric. Hint: For this project a thin cotton fabric is by far the easiest to work with. (I chose a two-toned red for added dimension. Almost all fabric comes on a bolt and is the same width so all you have to know is that for each rose you will need 2.5 inches of fabric. At the store I purchased mine, they required that I buy at least 8in. of each kind. So I purchased 8 in of the white fabric (this made 3 Our Father roses) and 12.5 in of the red fabric (this made 9 Hail Mary roses). This entire project cost me under $5.00(!)...which was less than I would have spent on yarn or cheap artificial roses).


Step #2: Mark lines on the backside of the fabric every 2.5 inches and cut along each line.

  

 Step #3: Fold one strip of fabric in half and pin all along the rough side (I prefer to place the pins perpendicular to the needle/thread path).

 Step #4: Using a running stitch, sew all the way across the rough side of the fabric.

Step #5: Pull your needle/thread to make the fabric "scrunch" a bit and then tie off and snip the thread.

Your strip should now look something like this.

 Step #6: For defined petals, sew perpendicular lines (to your original tread path), every 2 inches, all the way across the strip.

Can you see those petals?

Step #7: Start to wrap the petals around themselves and sew the bottom as you wrap (I use what I call a whip-stitch...I'm not sure what it is actually called).

 Step #8: Bravo! You've made your first rose! Give yourself a pat on the back and know that Our Lady is smiling upon you.


Here are some of the roses in our basket...

 I can't wait to get started on a yellow set for my "nearly two" and a pink set for my God-daughter!

I picked up this heart shaped basket from our local Goodwill for 99 cents! I think it is just perfect for our roses.

Our offering of love

I'll leave you with the following two quotes...


"I call upon all believers, all Christian families, all the sick, the elderly, and especially the young, to once more take up the Rosary in your daily lives. May this appeal of mine not go unheard."
                                                                                            -Pope JPII Letter on the Rosary

This image of Our Lady of the Rosary is the painting that Blessed Bartolo Longo obtained in Naples for the people of Pompei on November 13, 1875.

“O Blessed Rosary of Mary, sweet chain which unites us to God, bond of love which unites us to the angels, tower of salvation against the assaults of Hell, safe port in our universal shipwreck, we will never abandon you. You will be our comfort in the hour of death: yours our final kiss as life ebbs away. And the last word from our lips will be your sweet name, O Queen of the Rosary of Pompei, O dearest Mother, O Refuge of Sinners, O Sovereign Consoler of the Afflicted. May you be everywhere blessed, today and always, on earth and in heaven”. 
                                                                                                  -Blessed Bartolo Longo