Submitted by Liz M.
Christie F created a beautiful hand sewn Cathedral Window (CW) quilt for our 2021 MPS Ombré Challenge. It hangs above her mantel with a lovely curated group of art and books. Traditionally, this pattern is sewn by hand and involves layers of fabric folded and sewn to reveal another fabric. This method usually does not include batting because all raw edges are enclosed. It is a wonderful handwork project and takes time to complete a whole quilt.
After the challenge, Christie discovered a technique for making Cathedral Window blocks by machine from 2.5” charm squares. This technique was described in a book, “Charming Cathedral Window Quilts” written by Lisa Brehm Ellis. Proceeds from this book go to support the non-profit organization, Sacred Threads Quilts, which provides healing art work in hospitals and clinics. You can visit both websites by clicking on the buttons below. Lisa Ellis Website
Sacred Threads Quilts WebsiteChristie shared a few of her CW projects during MPS Inspirations and many members requested that she do a workshop so others could learn how to do this block. Lisa Brehm Ellis graciously encouraged this workshop. April 2, 2022 was scheduled for a live, Zoom workshop fo guild members. She developed a PowerPoint slide presentation to create a small project: a potholder. She gave an overview of the steps in the process, then reviewed it and walked through the steps in real time. Allowing all quilters to complete each step before moving forward was important for success! Members were able to ask questions and have steps repeated as needed.
Other options for using this block include: mug rugs, coasters or centers of larger blocks.
Several workshop participants submitted their finished potholders and we wanted to show them off. You can see them in the gallery below. Be sure to click each photo for a larger view.
Have you made a cathedral window block? Or table runner? Or quilt? Please share your stories in the comments.
Fantastic workshop! I thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m so motivated to make a Cathedral Window quilt now.
A great workshop. I appreciated the modifications to the Lisa’s instructions in her book. It really made for greater precision. Thanks Christie.
These are beautiful. What an amazing group of “students.”