I have been playing with Cathedral Windows. This is my first attempt at trying these. Below is a WIP. I have a dear friend who loves these and decided to make her two Christmas pillows for her sofa. So my dilemma is . . . how to actually finish it. I have deliberately left the outside edge unfinished at this time. Here are a couple of options that I am thinking about:

1. I thought about adding a “flange” and sewing it to the backside where the outside points will be folded. Then, fold the points in and add my contrasting fabric at the edge and do the window. This will give me fabric to attach either a binding or ruffle and the back piece to. Without lots of bulk at the points on the edge.

2. I could use the unfolded points (as seen on the top of my piece) and just attach the backing to them. They would end up inside the pillow and not be seen in this case. I am thinking that this might look odd in the finished project

3. I could add another row of folded pieces, add the fabric, do the window edge and “cut or trim ” them to size. I am thinking that this would be much more bulky with all the folded fabric.

Has anyone done anything like this with cathedral windows? How did you finish it?

I've never done a Cathedral Windows, but to "square" it up, why not use 1/2 square triangles to do that? That way you wouldn't have the bulk and you wouldn't be cutting off any points and such. My 2 cents worth. Love the block.

I have never done one either, but I think I would let the edges hang outside the pillow. make the back to fit inside the edges and they would be your finished edge. Hope this makes sense. LOL

Yes it does - kind of - but I still need to add the colored squares ( or triangles) on the edges. I am not sure how to do that without raw edges.

Could you cut two triangles, sew them right sides together, then make a small slit in the back of one, turn it right side out, press and insert it? No raw seams and the slit would be hidden on the back side.

are the edges raw now?

The colored fabrics raw edges are covered by the finished edges of the white fabric.

then I would not add anything!
cut the black to fit inside where it's square and allow the white to hang over on the front!

Amma is correct.

No it is not raw. The way it works is that all the raw edges are inside. It is folded twice like you are making an envelope. The colored squares cover up the fold ( the open edges you see in the middle) while the "two legs" of the right triangle are bias and are brought over the raw edge of the colored square and hand sewn.

This is what I currently have on the edge.

Here is a great tute on cathedral windows that says you can either add in the triangles, stitch under the others, whichever you prefer.

http://hyena-in-petticoats.blogspot....-tutorial.html