Cathedral Window Quilt

A well designed cathedral window quilt translates the look and feel of stained glass onto its material. These beautifully crafted quilting designs are truly breathtaking and inspiring. The right cathedral window quilt will add a kind of relaxed formality to the décor of the room. Many quilters choose this design for good reason.

I chose to make a cathedral window quilt for my grandmother a few years ago. My grandfather was an accomplished stain glass designer who created many masterpieces over the years. He left his supplies to me in his will because he knew that I always wanted to try the craft myself.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the knack for stained glass projects. I am not comfortable with the hot metals that are melted between the sharp pieces of glass. The glass crumbles and shatters with relative ease and the entire process was very frustrating for me. If I wanted to work with heat and sharp objects then I would cook.

My grandmother was a little disappointed that I did not take up my grandfather’s craft and I felt that I really let her down. Then I saw a cathedral window quilt pattern in my local arts and crafts store. I went right to work on my first project just to get the feel of making a cathedral window quilt before making my final piece for my grandmother.

After making several different pilot quilts I moved on to my very own design. Actually, the design was inspired by one of my grandfather’s stained glass designs. The particular piece is housed in my grandmother’s living room. I had to sneak in a get pictures of the glass in order to create the design for her cathedral window quilt.

I loved this project because it merged my grandfather’s work with mine. I no longer felt the need to try and force myself to work with materials that seemed to fight against my creativity. Sewing just comes naturally to me. The cathedral window quilt afforded me the opportunity to pay tribute to my grandfather’s craft while providing a lovely gift for my grandmother.

She was stunned when I presented the cathedral window quilt. I was surprised that she recognized the design right away. I was afraid that it wouldn’t translate very well. My grandmother cherishes the quilt and she keeps it close to its inspiration.

I learned a great lesson through making the cathedral window quilt. You have to stay true to your artistic self. There are other ways to pay tribute to those gone before us without compromising your creative nature.