#Quilts from Beyond the Cherokee Trail

Here are some of the quilts featured in Beyond the Cherokee Trail—

The Cherokee Rose quilt is a quilt block I designed and created for the novel. The pattern is based on the legend of the Cherokee Rose. It is said that when the Trail of Tears began in 1838, the Cherokee mothers were grieving so much, they were unable to help their children survive the journey. So the elders prayed for a sign that would give the mothers strength. The next day a beautiful rose began to grow where their tears fell. The rose is white for their tears; a gold center represents the gold taken from Cherokee lands, and seven leaves on each stem represent the seven Cherokee clans. Even today the wild Cherokee Rose grows along the route of the Trail of Tears all the way into eastern Oklahoma.

 

This 1830s era quilt played a prominent role in Sarah Jane’s story of the Trail of Tears—With its pesky Y seams, this is a challenging quilt block. One day, I’d love to make my own Carolina Lily quilt.

Close up detail of Carolina Lily motif

Carolina Lily

This pattern was developed by Cherokee quilters in the NC and SC area in the 1930s. In the book, Cartridge Cove quilters adapt the pattern to reflect the Trail of Tears.

The Road to Soco quilt pattern

For more behind-the-scenes photos of Beyond the Cherokee Trail, visit https://www.pinterest.com/lisacoxcarter/beyond-the-cherokee-trail/.