Quilted Delights: Jeweled Windows

As I was playing around with the small cathedral window blocks on my Halloween Pillows, I wondered what a quilt would look like if I used bigger blocks.

So I pulled out a older set of 5 inch charm squares from my personal Island Batik stash and decided to give it a try.

I used the faux cathedral window method that shows different prints between the windows and laid out the background blocks first. When i was happy ewith the color placment I glue basted two folded black squares on top.

Aren't they pretty with black edges peaking out!

I put them back on the design wall to make sure they got sewn together in the right order

When I got them back on the wall I decided to make the quilt just a little bigger.

Adding more rows meant I needed more squares for the "windows" on top. I didn't have enough in my charm packs so I cut some bright squares from some left over 10 inch Island Batik squares and stash buster rolls.

If I ever make one this big again I'll cut window blocks slightly larger. The 5 inch charms barely fit under the folded black curves and most of them on the edges of the quilt by the border didn't get their edges covered up all the way.

I decided to roll back and sew the black edges down using my regular machine. I felt it would be easier to get super close to that black edge with the thread. I think next time I'll go ahead try it on the long arm and practice my precision skills.

This construction method of cathedral windows has raw edges on the back so they needs to be covered with a backing.

I decided to go ahead and add some batting too for extra fluff, but I wasn't about to pin baste on the floor. I've done my fair share of that, so I used Hobbes fusible batting. It worked out great!

All the fabric layers and the batting make this a heavier quilt, which will be nice in the winter.

Look at that moon in the center of one of the windows. That was not planned, it was a happy coincidence!

I added some side borders after I sewed down all the black "curtains". The quilt back and batting were already attached so adding borders was similar to the quilt as you go method.

I decided to trim the side backing and batting before adding the top and bottom borders, just to see how it was going to look. Well, that was a mistake...

I trimmed one side. Then out of habit, I rotated the quilt and put my rotary cutter in the fabric to trim the top. I pressed down and made a hole all the way though then remembered I hadn't added the top and bottom borders yet! Ugh. Now there is a small hole in the back. I'll probably applique something over it, but for now it's a hole.