Cathedral Window Ornament
For those who have asked how to make this cute Cathedral Window Ornament, I have finally taken pictures step by step for you and will now explain how to make one. I have written the instructions as if you have never made a cathedral Window pattern, so if you already know how to do that, just scroll through the pictures until you see the section on joining the two squares together. This is a great project to do with a friend if you want to make several in one afternoon. You can always add the decorative fabric and extras later at your leisure.
Cut out two squares 6 1/2 X 6 1/2 square inches each of fabric such as muslin, or quilting material. I used white for the purpose of the pictures, but I have made it in blue snowflake material, too so you are not limited to only using white. Be creative and adventurous!
Fold each square in half and press at the seam (I finger-pressed).
Next, sew a 1/4 inch seam down each of the short sides on the squares (folded sides that are 3 1/4 inches wide) You can chain stitch this on the sewing machine to make this step go a little faster.
This is my pin cushion beside my machine ;O) I could not get her to leave, so I gave up and took her picture instead (Sassy).
Once you have sewn the sides, each square should look like the following picture.
Next fold the square crossways as shown in the next picture so that the new seams come together in the center.
Press down and you will now have a square that looks like the following pictures. Do the same for the second square.
Leaving an opening to turn the square inside out, sew the remaining seam just made by the last fold as shown in next picture. Do the same for the second square.
Turn each seam inside out through the hole left in the seam, do the same for the second square. Now your seams are hidden.
Slip-stitch the hole closed on each square.
Iron each square at this point. It will make it easier to finish the project more accurately.
Fold each corner to the center as shown in the next four pictures,and tack together with needle and thread.
Now you should have two squares that look like the following picture.
Now either whipstitch or blind stitch these two squares together side by side as shown in the following picture.
When sewn together, it should look like the following picture.
Fold the squares together and sew the opposite side together (parallel to the side just sewn).
Once the two sides are sewn together, the ornament should look like the following picture.
VERY IMPORTANT STEP: Now align the side seams together for the remaining sewing process as shown in following picture. Notice the difference in last picture and the next picture. (1/4 turn) You will now see the seam you sewed down the center of the ornament on the front and back INSTEAD of the four corners gathered.
Making sure the seams line up together, sew across the top of the newly formed seamline (whipstitch or blindstitch is fine).
The next step is to stuff the ornament with poly-fil and sew the last seam together the same way the previous seam was sewn. The next picture has been stuffed and the last seam has been sewn.
Next cut two pieces of decorative material for the center of each side of the ornament 1 1/2 X 1 1/2 squared inches and place one on the top of the ornament as shown in the next picture.
Turn one side over as shown in next picture and whipstitch or blindstitch to secure.
Next, working counter clockwise (so you wont have to cut your thread) turn under the seam of the decorative fabric just enough to make a clean edge and then repeat last step. Do this for remaining edges.
After all four edges are sewn over, ornament will look like the following picture.
Sew the second 1 1/2 inch squared decorative fabric to the back side of the ornament just like the front side, then decide if you want to add beads to the corners, the centers, or add a button or decoration. You can also leave it as is at this point and add a hanger for your tree. I use embroidery floss or ribbon, depending on each project to hang my ornament. If you have the tools to put pictures on fabric, this makes a cute First Christmas Ornament of a baby’s face on one side and then embroider the year on a piece of fabric to put on the back. If you like to fussy cut, this is a great project to find little pieces of fabric to highlight (see the snowman ornament below). There are endless possibilities on how to use this ornament. The last pictures are a few ways I have used the ornament.
If you have questions or comments about any step, please leave a comment and I will clarify.
Little tidbits of my life!
Teresa
Dear Teresa: Had different plans for this….but yours turned out to be the best!
Had made “windows” before but not ornaments. Easy to follow directions, and
your pix made it even easier. Thanks for the nice instructions.
Mrs. Mack
I’m so glad you liked this…I first came across this idea in an old craft book and was HOOKED! PLUS it is a project that shows results so much faster than doing a whole quilt with this design (although I’d love to tackle that one day)….