okay I am in a bit of a quandary. I have been looking to make a cathedral quilt but i have a couple of questions. first is how do you quilt it is it kinda a quilt as you go and once the tip is all put together do you add batting and backing to it?
the second question is if I want the center "window" fabric to be 9 1/2" instead of 2 1/2" how big do I have to cut the "framing" fabric squares? for the 2 1/2" it is supposed to be 9 1/2". what do you guys think?

I have not made one yet but you do not sandwich it and quilt.
It is a quilt as you go ... sort of. There are lots of threads on the board. Do a search and you will find lots of information. The one my mother made by hand if very heavy. No batting was used. I hope this has helped:)

there is a great tutorial in the tutorial section that answers all your questions.

I'm in the process(it'll probably take me 4-5 yrs. to finish it) of making a CW quilt too! It is a QAYG type quilt. I'm using the 9 1/2" foundation pcs. with the 2 1/2" inside(window) squares. As you sew around the 2 1/2" inside square this is all the quilting that's needed. It takes four(4) foundation squares to make one (1) block. I'm doing all mine by hand(that's why I say it'll take me so long to finish it) and work a little on it each evening.

I think that I am going to be shelfing this project for a bit and use different fabric. I will be just making a simple baby quilt with this fabric. It is not my absolute fav fabric but that is okay. it was a christmas gift from MIL.

Here's a link to a tutorial that gave me the courage to make a cathedral quilt

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-35742-1.htm

Hope you enjoy it.

Consider the 10 minute block.(Demo on Youtube) It gives you the cathedral window look without the intensity of work.This would require you finish the quilt in a usual manner as opposed to the tradidional cathedral window which is complete when you finish the block. You need only to connect the blocks together.

I tried the Cathedral Window quilt a few years ago. After 4 blocks, I made a pillow and said forget it!!! Way to slow and boring. Just my opinion.

Hi there, hope all is well. In my view, the Cathedral Windows is tedious and time consuming but is not hard. This pattern permits you to stop with any size you choose. If you have a day or so between projects maybe you could use that time to just learn the pattern. That will give you the comfort of knowing you can do it and eagerness to come back to it.
When Eddie did his tutorial I had just begun learning the pattern from http://hyena-in-petticoats.blogspot....-tutorial.html
She irons hers where Eddie sews his. Try both and choose your
preference but do one 'or' the other when you start your 'real' quilt. Take some fabric you don't care for and make test blocks to practice the pattern. I spent just one morning making a practice piece and walked away with happiness knowing I had learned the pattern.
Have a great day.

in order to have your window 9-1/2", you'll have to have a huge foundation! you'll understand that after you look at the tutes, Patrice did a great one when the board was new, and I think Eddie has done one too.