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Daily Morsel
 I spent the week-end cleaning my kids' rooms and boxing up their old clothes from years past, destined for the Salvation Army. There were so many memories in those clothes . . . their first day of school, Easter egg hunts, pajamas just for the Christmas Eve bed-time story, a scraped knee, summers in Charleston and yes, the clothes they wore home from the hospital. My grandmother never parted with her children's clothes or anyone's clothes for that matter. She stitched these rich memories into quilts. . . the cathedral window quilt. 2" x 2" squares of shirts, trousers and dresses were lovingly sewn into larger squares of inexpensive muslin that formed the most colorful patchwork of family memories to be passed down.
I used to sit on her bed covered with a finished quilt and watch her comb her hair at her dresser. "What is this orange pattern from? Tell me about the red one with the polka dots." And, a colorful story would unfold about a family dinner tablecloth or my Dad in third grade. Her legacy was completing one of these quilts for each of her three children, their family stories embedded for those who wish to listen. I learned the gift of the cathedral window quilt and spent one summer making a pillow for my host-family in France. So many hours went into that small pillow, I could hardly imagine finishing an entire quilt. But with that gift, I gave a piece of myself to this family that would take me in for a year and share their family history and traditions with me. My parents keep their quilt in a plastic bag in their closet for safe keeping. I can't wait for them to give me the quilt so I can open all the secrets from the past that were long ago forgotten.
Jill Marcus
Founder, Green Goddess AlliancePresident, Something Classic |
Cathedral Window QuiltStart with a simple 7" square of unwashed muslin. Fold each corner into the center point and press with a warm iron. Fold the corners in again and press. Hand baste the centers in place. With the fold facing each other, hand-  stitch two of the squares together. After joining, a square will be made where the two join, this is the window. Lay a 2" square of your memory fabric in the center of the two adjoining squares that make up the window. Pull back the edges of the window and pin in place. Hand stitch around the window. Repeat this process until you have multiple squares. With right sides facing together, stitch together the squares and fill in your 2" fabric squares. Continue this process until you get your desired size quilt. |
