Cathedral Window Quilts. Lynne Edwards

edge line up with the chosen measurement (e.g., 6¹⁄₂in/16.5cm) marked on the square ruler (Fig 4). Cut along the right side of the ruler to make the square.

      Fig 3

      Fig 4

      TIP

      Many rotary cutters have retractable devices to make them extra safe, but I prefer the older models that have a guard which pushes on and off manually. Get into the habit of always pushing the guard up to protect the blade as you finish cutting every time and never ever lay the cutter down without the guard in position.

      Cutting Just One Square

      1 Place a corner of the fabric on the cutting mat and position the square ruler on it so that about ¹⁄₄in (6mm) of fabric extends beyond it on two sides (Fig 5). Match the grain or weave of the fabric with the top and side of the square ruler.

      Fig 5

      2 Trim these two edges by cutting along each length with a rotary cutter (Fig 6). Left-handers should work from the left side of the fabric.

      Fig 6

      3 Turn the fabric through 180°, so that the two cut edges are at the bottom left corner. To cut an 8in (20.3cm) square, place the square ruler on the fabric with the diagonal marking running from top right to bottom left. Move it across the fabric until the two trimmed fabric edges are lying underneath the 8in (20.3cm) lines on the square ruler (Fig 7). Left-handers should position the ruler with the diagonal marking running from top left to bottom right on the trimmed corner of fabric before moving it over the fabric to the correct marking. The fabric you see trapped under the square ruler is the square that you want.

      Fig 7

      4 Cut along the remaining two sides of fabric to complete the 8in (20.3cm) square.

      TIP

      If a ¹⁄₂in (1.3cm) measurement such as 6¹⁄₂in (16.5cm) is needed and your square ruler has the extra ¹⁄₂in (1.3cm) feature, first trim two sides as before. Then turn the ruler round so that the diagonal line is running from bottom left to top right with the extra ¹⁄₂in (1.3cm) strip along the top and down the right side (Fig 8). Left-handers should turn the ruler until the diagonal marking runs from bottom right to top left with the extra strip along the top and down the left side. Move the ruler over the fabric until the two trimmed edges of fabric line up with the 6¹⁄₂in (16.5cm) markings on the square ruler. Cut along the remaining two sides of fabric to complete the square.

      Fig 8

      TIP

      If you run over a pin with your rotary cutter, the blade will be damaged and will never cut completely cleanly again, and rotary cutter blades can be expensive. So before laying the fabric in place on the cutting board, sweep your hand over the surface of the board to move aside any rogue pins that may be lying in wait there. If you use a smaller size rotary cutter, which will easily cut two or three layers at a time, the replacement blades are half the price of the larger version!

      Making Templates

      For the overlying square windows I use rotary cutting equipment to cut as many as I need speedily and efficiently. If I want to cut a specific section of fabric such as a flower or star, I make a template for the window shape from template plastic so that I can place it exactly in position on the design and draw round it. I still use a rotary cutter and ruler rather than scissors to cut the window out, but you use any method that suits you. Oddly shaped windows that occur in some of the complex designs must be made as templates and drawn around individually in the usual way.

      When making a template from those printed in this book, trace the desired shape on to good quality tracing paper, including the arrow that shows the direction of the grain or weave of the fabric. Cut out the traced shape roughly, keeping about ¹⁄₄in (6mm) outside the drawn outline. Stick this on to card and then cut out the exact outline through both tracing paper and card. Try to cut just inside the drawn lines as this keeps the measurements accurate as you draw round the template on the fabric. Alternatively, make the templates from clear template plastic.

      TIP

      Try using freezer paper as an alternative to tracing paper (available from most quilt shops). Trace the shape on to the non-shiny side of the freezer paper. Cut the shape out roughly as described above. Place the cut shape shiny-side down on a piece of card and iron it with a medium-hot iron. The freezer paper will bond on to the card and you can then cut out the template in the usual way.

      Using the Sewing Machine

      When I first explored Cathedral Window I treated it as a hand technique from start to finish. I used to construct the folded squares by hand using a steam iron, but over the years I have switched to the envelope method and to stitching by machine, although all the stitching may be done by hand if preferred. I like the machine for this part of the job because it is more secure and speeds up the tedious preliminary processes, giving me more time for the delicious hand-work with the windows.

      I have always joined the folded squares together by oversewing or whip stitching the folded edges by hand, much like English patchwork over papers. This is a process that I really enjoy, finding the gentle oversewing very restful and therapeutic. I am very aware, however, that such activities are not everyone’s pleasure. I realized that if I wanted Cathedral Window to have as wide an appeal as possible, I needed to find alternative ways of doing the preliminary stages more quickly by machine – that way both the hand workers and the machinists can explore the technique in the medium that they most enjoy. Although I believe that the final stage of stitching the rolled edge over the added window fabric is essentially a hand process, I know that clever machinists will enjoy themselves perfecting it by machine. Well, they would do, wouldn’t they? Meanwhile what I have done is take the stitching together of the folded background squares or rectangles and offer a machined method as an alternative to oversewing by hand (see Joining Square Blocks by Machine, page 20). For the machining, a basic straight stitch with an accurate ¹⁄₄in (6mm) seam allowance is all that is required, so even an ancient hand machine would do. Use a new 80/11 size needle for medium-weight cotton fabrics or a 70/9 for lightweight fabric.

      Classic Cathedral Window

      Mastering the basic technique of making a classic Cathedral Window folded square is the basis of all the other Cathedral Window variations described in this section. It is not difficult at all – you just need each part of the process set down clearly and explained step by step. So the section that follows is the key to the treasure that is Cathedral Window.

      Classic Cathedral Window

      Classic Cathedral Window is a wonderful technique that uses folded squares joined together to make a background on to which smaller pieces of fabric are stitched to create a second design layer of squares on point.