Cathedral window quilt

Check out the circa 1950 hand-stitched cathedral window quilt I purchased won on eBay:

I'd been keeping an eye out for something along these lines (vintage, handmade, multi-coloured on a white background) for Saskia for years, and given up on thrifting anything remotely similar.

This is a blanket I would have loved as a kid. I would have spent hours dreamily acquainting myself with all 780 coloured windows. And when it arrived from Texas, folded neatly in a slender box, Saskia loved it instantly. She picks out her favourite fabrics, and the ones she thinks others are most likely to appreciate (her choice of red gingham for my mom was spot on). She sets up game pieces in the squares, tucks her stuffed animals into it, and reads with it draped around her shoulders.

I'm no quilter, but I'm fascinated by the construction of this thing. I can't quite figure out all the loops and folds. The fabrics are beautiful, and I love to wonder what their origins were. When it passed inspection by my visiting mother-in-law last week, I was almost as proud as if I'd quilted it myself.

Now I need to stop putting together Saskia's room and focus some energy on the rest of the house. Believe it or not, Pete and I just ended a year of sleeping on mismatched single mattresses pushed together on the floor. And we weren't sharing any nice vintage bed linens, either.

Comments

[Medstudentitis]

Oh my, that is certainly lovely. So dainty and detailed! I can't wrap my head around the construction either.

[Annapolitan]

This is gorgeous. I couldn't quite wrap my head around how it was constructed either, until I found this tutorial on how it's done:

http://hyena-in-petticoats.blogspot.com/2007/08/cathedral-window-quilt-tutorial.html

Looks like you scored a treasure!

Many of the things that are "memory makers" from my childhood weren't produced by my mother, either. (I have fond memories of a rabbit fur-lined coat of hers.) So I suspect this quilt will be for your daughter.

[Laura]

wow, that is a beautiful quilt! I have made a couple quilts myself (but am by no means a quilter!!) and I would LOVE to have one as beautiful as that one!! Great find!

[Rachel]

wow...that is stunning! What a great find, that I'm sure will be a treasured piece. It's almost making me want to figure out how to quilt, although I highly doubt it's a good starter project.

[Mary Smith]

Beautiful quilt, Martina! You won it? What's so great is how much Saskia loves it too. What kind of bed did you and Pete get, I wonder...:)

[slydi]

how did it stay in such pristine condition for the past 50 years?

[FreshMD]

@Annapolitan: Thanks for the link to the tutorial! The construction is as complicated as I thought. That satisfies me.

@Mary Smith: eBay always announces something like, "Congratulations! You won the auction!" when you're the highest bidder. It almost makes you forget that you have to pay.

@slydi: It really is in pristine condition. I think it was folded and in storage for years, from the creases on it and the smell (not unpleasant). The seller claimed it had never been washed.

[Lisa G]

I am saddened and ashamed...
my daughter has a "Dora the Explorer" comforter and sheet set on her bed.
I wonder if I burned it and put new bedding in there if she would notice.

[velocibadgergirl]

Holy monkey, that thing is GORGEOUS. Plain old gorgeous. Can we clone that somehow? One for everyone?

[mrs. french]

wow...I can't get over how perfect this is...congrats on the win...xo

[Karen]

Breathtaking. Absolutely beautiful quilt!

[vivian]

Oh great. I haven't even finished the quilt I'm working on & now there's this gorgeous one & a tutorial! Such a gorgeous find! How did you come across it on eBay? Did you search for this exact design?

[anna r]

I love the cathedral window quilt pattern. When i was just learning to quilt, i used to make pincushions with that pattern.

[lori]

wow, what a great find!!

[Jan]

I love cathedral window quilts! I am a quilter myself, so I really appreciate it. I have one that I had been working on a few years ago, but other projects have become more urgent.

[FreshMD]

@vivian: Originally I searched eBay for old quilts in general, but wading through the thousands listed (most of which I disliked) was tedious. I quickly realized that my favourites were the cathedral window quilts, and so occasionally I'd run a search just for those. There'd usually be two or three listed on a given day. I kept my eye out for the right size, at the right price . . .

Couldn't find any on Etsy, unfortunately!

[rlbates]

Beautiful quilt!

[sharilyn]

oh my goodness, it is beautiful, great score! I have been wanting to make one of those forever now, and was just about to send you that tutorial as well, but I see that someone has beat me to it. I'm glad that it has found a lovely home!

[Amy H.]

That really is truly stunning. WOW!

[Angela]

WOW, I LOVE it! What a score hey? That's so cool that Saskia appreciates things like that!

[Dee]

Beautiful, beautiful loving find Martina. I love that your very careful longing, looking, and finally finding...will add to the very special memories that Saskia, I'm sure, already finds herself wrapped in. The quilts my Mom has made for us always feel like a "hug" from her when we snuggle beneath them. This one holds treasures from the past, present and undoubtedly, the future. Enjoy!

[Angie]

Wow, that is so beautiful! I'm so glad that you and your daughter both love it!

[carly gillette]

I have a cathedral window quilt almost identical to the one you have pictured and want to sell it. Anyone out there interested?

[Angie Wickenden]

It is beautiful!

[Joyce Scroggins]

Does anyone know how much they are worth if you wanted to sell one?

[FreshMD]

I believe I paid just under $200 for this one, and that was a relative bargain. Check eBay for 'recent solds', or check out the listings for cathedral window quilts on Etsy.