Cathedral Windows Quilt - A New Project and a New Tutorial

Cathedral Windows 2

After purchasing a couple of vintage and antique cathedral window quilts, I am inspired to give it another try.   I worked up some of the white foundation / background patches this weekend, and I've been cutting 2-1/2 inch squares from the scrap pile ...  We'll see how this test piece goes and just how big it grows!

I stumbled upon this video for making a Cathedral Windows Quilt (mostly) by machine.  It inspired me (along with my recent collectables)  to give it another try with some different techniques that I think will make it go a little easier and faster than my previous try at it.   Hers came out so nice, and I do have a lot of scraps around these days.  Although I am not planning a bed-size quilt, I may do a wall-hanging.

Although Cathedral Window Quilts traditionally have no batting, she did  stuff the windows with a little poly fill batting.  I thought that was a nice touch, and something I want to try.

Here's the small one I did years ago.  It still pleases me to see the patches of color -- I can tell you what projects each one came from.  

I don't have that kind of intimacy or past with the vintage Cathedral Window Quilts I purchased--although I have a healthy respect for the work, skill and materials used in those -- and the fact that I did NOT have to do all the work on them. 

Weaving the Numbers

 4 pattern repeats of Mountain Cucumber.

I love those wormy lines!

Today was a day for calculations and more preparations for The Great Coverlet Project.

I finally decided on a pattern: Mountain Cucumber, aka Governor's Garden, and sometimes St Anne's Robe.

There are 288 threads in a single pattern repeat; At 12 inches, I can fit 2 pattern repeats on the weaving width of my loom--hence the printed blocks above.  There are nearly 300 treadle changes per pattern repeat (not counting the tabby lines).  This is a big project!  

Although I toyed with the idea of adding borders, I gave that up as too complicated.  This will be challenging enough to keep a constant beat and matching up 4 panels once it's all woven up.  

I worked out the numbers for the threading -- and what I need to do to thread it when the time comes.  I worked from iWeaveIt, but because I thread from the back of the loom, I have to do some transposing and reversing, and I don't trust my brain to get it right when I am actually threading at the same time.  So I map it out on graph paper ahead of time, and keep my place with a post-it note.

It's hard to believe that all those numbers in time and space work out to the amazing pattern at the top of this post.

I worked out the treadle changes last weekend.  One day soon, I'll program the beads for this colossal work -- but not before the loom is warped!

I was hoping to run the 14.5 yard warp this wkd, but UPS had other plans. That will have to wait another week -- or more.  I ordered more of the 10/2 cotton for the warp and tabby lines.  I also have a cone of 20/2 cotton which is what the book says to use for tabby, but that seems too thin ...  so I'll have to do some experimenting.

Winter on the Christmas Tree Farm

Polar Springs Pines

My dad has a Christmas Tree Farm.  That's what he decided to do in retirement more than 25 years ago, after a career in teaching.  With the trees, he can be his own boss, and he's on the land every day--which he has thoroughly enjoyed.  And my mom's birthday was Christmas Day.  ;-)

So I was inspired to make some pine tree blocks.  There are multiple methods for making these simple triangle blocks from improv to paper piecing to templates.

• Modern Christmas Tree Block  
• Suburbs Tree Block 
  
• Rustic Pines
• Pine Hollow   
• Crazy Christmas Trees
  

I went the template route.  Though I may mix up the methods in the final quilt, and use some non-traditional scraps (ie not cotton).

I picked out some greens from  my mom's stash, and have been piecing together some larger scraps from my own stash for the trees.  Though I feel a little short on the lighter backgrounds. We'll see how this develops ...

 

Here's an easy pattern for the classic red truck, too.  

And the Newfie block.  Newfs can draft / pull loads -- Yes, it's true.  You can hook them up to a lightweight wagon and let them pull things -- like Christmas Trees.  Though you have to be very careful not to damage them (the dogs) by letting them pull too much or over-strain.  We've never actually had our Newfie work in the Christmas Trees, but she could!

 

This one shows the pine trees a little better than the photo at the top of the post.

 

Here are some of the individual blocks:

 

This one is made from a too-small velvet jacket from St Vinnie's.  I liked the sparkle!

 

Made from an orphan block leftover from a quilt I made Oliver when he was a kid.

 

I think both the snowflake background and the batik tree fabrics are leftover quilt backs.

 

I know it's hard to see, but this is a wool plaid scrap.  I'm not sure where it came from -- 

Janna? or Karla?

 

Scrappy blue Tree with metallic sparkles.

 

 

This one is a scrap of velvet leftover from a vest my mom made me years ago.  

It has a wonderful rich luster that is lost in this photo.

I was in need of some mindless but pleasing and satisfying sewing these days, and this fits the bill!

A Few of My Favorite Things: Scrappy Crumb Blocks

 Crazy Crumb Blocks

I took some time yesterday to make up a few blocks made entirely from my scrap pile.  I use a 5-inch foundation fabric to start with.  Then I pick a suitable starting fragment, and add scraps around it until the whole block is filled up.  Then I trim it back to the 5-inches.   I explained the process in this post about Scrap Management.   I think I have over 80 blocks now!  It may be time to start laying them out for a new quilt!

The beauty of these blocks is that I can tell you where else I used those bits of fabric.  That is what makes a scrap quilt to satisfying, sentimental and nostalgic. 

• The blue jean patch and the light blue calico were left over from The Midnight Blues Backpack
• The blue denim pinstripe was left over from a sling bag I made during the pandemic
  
• The  hour glass centers were leftover from the Farmer's Wife Quilt
• The green plaid gingham was salvaged from a beloved jumper I wore a lot in the 1990s
• The apple blossom was leftover from potholders for France last year
• A couple bits are from the Morning Star Quilt
  
• The red-cream-green strip was leftover from the Rail Fence / Bookends quilt I made Mary Bayorgeon [See detail block at the end of this post.]
  
• The blue-lilac-green-blue sequence is leftover from the borders on the gi-normous quilt I finished from my parents a few years ago
• The oranges come from my sister's quilt
  
• There are a few scraps from projects you haven't even seen yet because they are not yet finished enough to post here!

I will admit that it doesn't really seem to make a dent in the scrap pile, because I am always adding more to it.

 

 

Quilt Sandwiches

 

 The Plum Pudding Quilt - sandwiched with a Quilters Dream Wool Batt

This quilt always reminds me of the week between Christmas and New Year's--those dog days when the glitter and shine of the holidays starts to wear off, but there are still sweet treats left to eat.

Looking back, I have not had a lot of quilt finishes this year.  I can attribute that to the end of the pandemic, going back to work on site (rather than working from home), and being gone some weekends to clear out my mom's sewing room, and devoting some of my time to weaving projects.  That said, it helps to have some quilt sandwiches ready to go when the mood strikes to finish them.

 

 The Twilight Lagoon Quilt has a cotton batt.

I explained the process of using basting boards in these previous posts:

From the Deli : Board Basting a Quilt Sandwich

From the Deli : Board Basting a Quilt Sandwich Revisited