Red rose of San Marco

A special day in Venice today — not only is it the day that Italians celebrate their Liberation at the end of WW2, but it is also the day for loved ones — a day to present your love with a red rose — ‘la festa di San Marco’ when under normal circumstances the city would be alive with courting couples walking the streets and when one of them at least would usually be holding or wearing a red rose bud.

This year, 2020, is a bit different since we are all living under a cloud of restrictions in an effort to stop any further spread of the coronavirus which has wreaked so much damage (and continues to do so) around the world, leaving thousands of lost lives in its wake — there will be no celebrations for either the Liberation nor loved ones.

So here is my offering — a red rose for you to stitch. Not an easy pattern, but the time it will take to complete it will undoubtedly remind you of these difficult times. Pick up your pattern and colour chart from the download link below.