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

LOL - So I looked at this site. You are right it is a great tute!! I did not see this when I was searching.

Thanks gaigai

I seemed to have folded mine differently :wink: (could it be wrong??. . . never!!) When I did the second fold I flipped them over before I folded it. :oops: So now my loose fold is on top rather than inside (as shown on this tute) I will play around with it - Amma suggested turning a triangle and adding that at the edge - I think I will try that.

Maybe it will be my "practice" pillow. You know - Practice make perfect! Thanks all for the help

Well, I thought the tute I sent you was excellent, and then I found THIS one. I'll probably never make the first ones again. I'm currently making some from this video and they are so easy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvXUvKIzYZY

Love this! I really want to try these, I'm just 'buffering' the tute now! I'm sorry I have no suggestions for the edges but I do think it looks fine how you've got it just folded under. It's beautiful BTW Betty - can I be your friend too?! LOL

Which video are you buffering, K?

your youtube one - Hans said if I play then pause til it's done then I can watch it without it keep stopping - apparently that's called 'buffering' don't be fooled into thinking I'm AT ALL technical - I just follow instructions!

I really like this shortcut method!!!! :D :D :D

Well I'm all buffered up BUT I can't get my lap top to 'un mute' so I can't hear the commentary - have to wait for DH - told you I wasn't technical! LOL

Yeah, where was Hans when I was figuring that out the hard way! LOL.

I had decided to do the B&W swap, with this pattern, but there's no way I'm going to get them done in time, so I'll just use them myself. What do you think?

Awww cute! I love it! And good excuse to keep it yourself LOL! This is a great way to use fussy cut motifs - maybe a possibility to show case some of my Flirt FQs - mmmmmm thinkin'!!!! LOL

I had seen that one and the quilting guild that I belong to did a short demo on that - I had already done half of the pillow the other way :( .

It is pretty slick though.

Now you can decide which one you like best!!!

Oh WAY too cute - I love the fabric. Did you use the faux method?

Yeah, those are "faux" windows. Although, since they look just like the others, I prefer to think of them as "Alternate Method Window". :D

They are also less bulky and less ironing/prep. My biggest problem,with what I did, was the ironing. I am a bit ocd when it comes to points and squares and keep re-ironing stuff. Then I realized after have done a bunch of them that the "color" covers up most of the faults. Oh well

I think Pillow #2 will be done the faux method. Thanks again for all your help.

Betty - it will be interesting to see if there's a difference in the finished pieces, done two different ways.

I am curious as well - I will let you know :) I am sure that the second one will be done quicker than the first without all the prep work. AND you can stitch each window before you sew them tog (which you could not do with the old method).

OK so I can expect pics of the second one later today then?! LOL

Well, actually there is a difference in how they look. The "real" window makes a kind of echo in the oval, and they nestle together. The "faux" ones don't make that echo. You can nestle them together if you sew them the right way (I just tried that layout to see how it would work), but I think you'll waste a lot of fabric. Of course the real windows use an awful lot of fabric too!

Echo?? do you mean that oval between the colors?

Yes - when you do the old method you use 4 times the fabric for one square. I cut 9 1/2 inch squares for each one.

The only downside I see to arranging them to nestle, is the visible seam which you do not have in the old style.

Yeah, if you look at the ovals between the colors in a "true" window, it has kind of a double shape, like an echo. But like you said, there is an awful waste of fabric!

I've been doing this all the time, and never knew it was 'buffering'. I made some placemats using this technique, and before sewing the blocks together, I added in some folded triangles, so that I ended up with smaller 'cathedrals'. Sorry, I can only find one picture of my placemat, but you can just see half of the smaller cathdral at the top of the picture. The white fabric consists of 1.5 inch sqares, folded diagonally, and stitched across the corner of each block. When the blocks are joined together, they leave a little place to put in another fabric and stitch down, just like the larger one. Hope this makes sense

Oh, I like that Lacelady; 1 1/2" squares? That must be fiddly! What size do they finish up?

Thanks - and yes - there is ALWAYS room for more friends. This gal that I am doing it for was my former neighbor in Virginia for 20 years. She was always there for me when I needed it.

and no - so sorry it will be awhile. This month is "friend" month from VA. The former neighbor and her hubby were here for a week, another friend and her hubby were here for 2 days and two gals I taught with in VA arrive tomorrow morning for a week of Boston, Cape Cod and Newport RI. So I will be off line for a while and out of the sewing room. :-(


Thanks and it does. I think I now know what I am going to do. I will post it when I get it completed. BTW your placemat is beautiful - is the quilting all freemotion or hand?

Ok K3n, I just went and took another photo. my original, (larger) windows measure almost 5 inches, point to point (just under 3 inches from side to side) and the little one in the middle, made from four 1.5 inch squares, folded diagonally and stitched into the corners of the blocks before stitching the blocks together, measures three inches point to point, and 1.5 inches side to side. I hope that makes it a bit clearer. You get more bang for your buck adding in these little ones.

Quilting is Free Motion, another one of my learning curves. Thank you for the nice comments. This method of Cathedral Windows, by the way, uses a lot less fabric, so it is far more economical.

Now that is beautiful lacelady - I might be nagging you again for more explanations when I get round to this!

OK, I'll try to help nearer the time.

Tank ye very much (best Irish accent!) :D

You are welcome, and top of the morning to you! (also best Irish accent, as I am UK born!)

These are interesting examples of Cathedral windows! Will have to check out the alternate techniques!
The black and white CW with the cats and dogs is sew cute! I have a little piece of that cat and dog fabric! What a neat way to use it! :lol: