Quilting Tutorial: Cathedral Windows

Edwardian Cathedral Window Hanging Tutorial. This stylish wall hanging uses the secret garden version of the traditional Cathedral Window patchwork.

 

REQUIREMENTS   
Size: 12" x 34"
1½m Floral    
½m Green or matching colour    
¼m Cream or contrasting fabric    
25cm Fusible web e.g. Bondaweb    
Cream embroidery thread
3mm Pearls or beads for ovals    
5mm Pearls or beads for centre points    
Tassel – optional    
1½m Lace - optional    

 Cutting
Cut across width of fabric
1. From floral print cut:
four, 12½" strips sub cut into:
 twelve, 12½" squares.
2. From green cut:
two, 6½" strips sub cut into:
 twelve, 6½" squares.
3. From cream cut:
two, 4" strips sub cut into:
 sixteen, 4" squares.    

Making Cathedral Windows
1a. Place one, 12½" floral square wrong side up on work surface and turn up and press ¼" seam allowance on all four sides, illust. 1a.
b. Mark centre of square with crease mark.
2a. Bring corners of square to centre mark and pin in place, illust. 1b.
b. Secure all four corners at centre of square with a stitch through the back and matching thread, illust. 1c.
c. Remove pins.
3a. Bring corners of square to centre again and make crease on the folds.
b. Gently press in place but do not stitch.
4a. Take one, 6½" green square and press ¼" seam allowance to wrong side on all four sides as before.
b. With right side of green square uppermost, place square in centre of
folded floral square. Pin in place, illust. 1d.
c. Using matching thread, stitch around folded edge of green square, illust. 1e.
5a. Bring corners of floral square to centre again along folds pressed earlier, illust. 1f.
b. Stitch each corner to centre, stitching through all layers.
c. Folded square should measure 6" square, illust. 1g.
6. Repeat with remaining floral and green squares to make total of twelve folded squares.

Assembly
1a. Place two squares right sides together and join squares together using small oversewing stitch, illust. 2a.
b. Join remaining squares together in pairs.
2a. With right side facing, place one 4" cream square over seam joining squares.
b. If necessary, trim cream square so that it is 1/8" smaller than folded edges of squares, illust. 2b.
c. Pin in place.
3a. Gently fold folded edges back so they cover raw edges of cream square and pin in place.
b. Repeat with remaining folded edges, illust. 2c.
4. Stitch folded edges in place with blind hem stitch, illust. 2d.
5a. Join second pair of folded squares to first pair and add cream squares over seams in similar manner, illust. 2e.   
b. Refer to quilt layout and continue adding squares to make sixteen cream centres.
c. Note bottom corners will be folded and stitched to back of wall hanging to create point at bottom edge.

Embellishment
1a. Trace oval template given full size on Pattern Sheet sixteen times onto paper side of fusible web.
b. Cut out roughly.
2a. Following manufacturer’s instructions, iron fusible web pieces to wrong side of floral  fabric.
b. Cut out each oval carefully on lines.
3. Remove paper backings and fuse ovals to centre of each cream square on hanging.
4a. Using two strands of embroidery thread and buttonhole stitch, stitch around ovals adding a pearl every stitch, illust. 3a.
b. Add larger pearl at corners, illust. 3b.
5. Repeat for each oval and corners.

Completion
1. At bottom edge, fold corners of folded squares to back of wall hanging and stitch in place to make a point, illust. 4.
2. Add a tassel to point if wished, illust. 5a.
3. Add piece of decorative lace along top edge if wished, illust. 5b.
4. Add a hanging sleeve or ring at top for hanging.

Enjoy!