“The Amazing Quilter” Completes her 1,000th Quilt, a Tribute to the
Grand Ole Opry and Its Members
Diane Rose, known as the “Amazing Quilter” because she is legally blind, has completed her 1,000th quilt, which is a tribute to the Grand Ole Opry and its members, past and present.
The quilt, which is seven feet long, has photos of all the Grand Ole Opry members from its beginning through Chris Janson. (Note: photos of some of the earlier Opry members were not available, so there is a place for those member’s names). In the middle of the quilt is a cut-out of the well-known red barn door curtain, with the member photos arranged around them.
The Opry quilt is a one-of-a-kind creation and is not for sale. Diane hopes to display it at various quilt shows, museums and other venues in order to share it with fans of the Opry and country music.
Rose, who now lives in Waco, Texas, was a resident of Nashville for many years, and was a frequent visitor backstage at the Opry. She treasured friendships with many of the Opry members, including Roy Acuff, Porter Wagoner, David Houston, Sharon White, Ricky Skaggs, Connie Smith and many others.
Rose began making quilts in August of 1998, after she moved to Texas. She was encouraged by Pat Ratley, the wife of the pastor where she went to church. “I was holding a quilt and tracing the stitching with my fingers and said to her, ‘Oh I wish I could do this.’ She replied, ‘I don’t see any reason why you can’t. Can you use a sewing machine?’”
Diane knew how to use a sewing machine, and Pat proposed that she should make a patchwork quilt. “She helped me cut the squares and sew them together, and then how to put the batting between the top of the quilt and the bottom fabric. Once that was done, I learned to quilt by putting one hand under the quilt so I could feel the needle come through, and then I’d push it back up through the material. That first one we made was a baby quilt.”
Since that time, Diane has quilted anything her imagination came up with, including butterflies, the American flag, the Texas state flag, animals, flowers and teddy bears. Her quilts can also have scenes, including a man fishing in a stream, David and Goliath, Cattle driver of the Red River, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and more.
For more on Diane check out her website: www.theamazingquilter.com