"Quilt Story Time" - Day 4

When I was starting to quilt, I studied a book called Leisure Arts Quilter’s Complete Guide (Fons and Porter) which I had bought at our local quilt shop in Dade City, FL. I had walked in and told one of the workers that I didn’t know much about quilting and wanted to learn how to finish the top I had made, but didn’t live locally. The worker recommended that book which I then bought, brought back to Poland, and subsequently studied every evening as if it was my textbook.

In that book, the authors discussed a quilt called a Cathedral Windows Quilt. I was fascinated.

I had seen it in the book and realized that my sis had made my mom some pillows many years ago that used that effect. At least I think it was. Maybe I had tried it as well when I was a teenager. I didn’t know the name of the technique at the time, but liked the end result!

I decided I wanted to make one or more. I had read on the internet how a lady worked on one by hand while she stood at a flea market in her booth and managed to sew up one a month. Then she would sell hers. This work was all by hand.

Well, I wasn’t interested in making one a month and selling them but I thought it would be nice to make one with a bit bigger pieces than the average pattern and do some fussy cutting for the centers.

I made my first one in 2008/09—getting started when I went on a vacation with a lady from our church in Gora Kalwaria (I think it was 2009). I didn’t make the whole thing on that vacation, but I did a lot. We were in Israel at a resort and while she went to bed every evening early, I worked on this project.

I didn’t like it very much, however, as my hand work left something to be desired.

I looked up some things and decided I wanted to try to make another one but this time by machine. I thought I’d prefer the neater look where the frames meet that I would get by machine - as well as it being much stronger.

This is my machine made one.

I do not think I’ve ever gotten proper photos of it. I think I will make that priority once the weather turns nice again and the ground is dry and pretty outside.

As I write this it is wet and rainy and cool outside and I didn’t want to to even try to get it on the line. It weighs a ton (slight exaggeration - it’s only 8.5 lbs).

in progress

I chose to make this one featuring my nature and wild animal fabrics and a bunch of off whites. I used duvet covers for the off white parts. It takes a lot of it in such a quilt. I had taken pics of where I bought the fabric back in 2010.

I do think I need to go back and trim off all the threads as well. I’m really not sure if I’ve taken the time to properly appreciate this quilt and it is way past time. I finished this one back in 2010! Wow. I can’t believe I have not given this one the honor it deserves.

For those of you who have never made a Cathedral Windows quilt, many people would say it is technically not a quilt as it doesn’t have three layers - top/batting/backing. However, it does have several layers of fabric in it as you make it. The back is put on as you add to it, so you are making all the layers at the same time.

I did fussy cut every single square in this one and thoroughly enjoyed making this one.

After I wrote most of this blog post I found it here in my room and saw that yes, I had never trimmed off all those threads (!!!YIKES) but we had used it. It is dirty, esp. up around where we used it by our heads, so after I trim the threads and take some photos of it draped over our table downstairs, I’ll hold my breath and wash it and see how it turns out after washing.

I will get let it dry on the table, fix any places that need fixing due to the washing (if there are any) and then get some proper pictures of it hanging outside on the line.

(I did not have the line outside that I currently use when I made this quilt.)

This one deserves better. It took a long, long time to make.

(Maybe I’ll put it up as a Sunday Break featured quilt once I get the really nice photos.)


One funny fact - I had shown one young lady this quilt as I working on it and later she offered me about $100 for it (in Polish money). That was a funny amount to me - as this one was so much work. I figured I’d need at least $1500!!!

Yes…at least it felt like that much work to me at the time.

Maybe by now, since I’m much more experienced and have done so many more quilts, I could more easily compare it to other scrap quilts I’ve made that are pretty intense. But I am not really up to making another one right now.

Many people make them with much smaller windows. I couldn’t go smaller, however, as I needed room in the openings for my little fussy - cut scenes. Of course that made it faster than if I had used little 2” pieces!

And there you go! My early quilting history is tied to this quilt!

Thanks so much for coming along with me on this journey!

Have a great day wherever you are reading this!

Becky Petersen6 Comments