Cathedral Window Quilt
Beautiful Romance
Shippo Monyo 2018 — Modern Cathedral Window
Quilting is essential to finishing a beautiful Cathedral Window quilt.
Until now, there were only about three techniques in the world for making Cathedral Window quilts. However, a Cathedral Window made by folding, sewing, and joining the fabric became extremely thick and heavy, leaving it impossible to quilt. It also departed from the essential condition of a quilt: three layers. For this reason, I began my own research more than ten years ago and developed seven new techniques. With these methods, it became possible to create Cathedral Window quilts exactly as I envision them.
Depending on the color scheme, the finished quilt becomes truly gorgeous and beautiful — patterns like blooming flowers, the Japanese shippo (seven treasures) motif, or the windows of a church. I have continued my research with the aim of finishing Cathedral Window quilts beautifully and efficiently, and to date I have completed many quilts and small items.
Cathedral Window: Charming Small Items by Nakazawa Felisa
Journey to a Beautiful Romance
As its name suggests, the Cathedral Window patchwork technique was inspired by the colorful stained-glass windows found in cathedrals. It is a striking technique that looks beautiful on bedcovers and cushions.
A little research reveals that Cathedral Window — inspired by the stained-glass windows of historic churches and cathedrals — became popular in North America in the 1930s. (Each quilt block is made using a folded patchwork technique.)
The book, explained in detail with step-by-step photographs and diagrams, can be purchased here:
👉 Purchase the book
Charming Echo
In a quiet harmony of light blue and white, colorful printed fabrics shimmer in the folded windows — each piece adding its own small sparkle to the whole.
Shippo Monyo II — Shippo (Seven Treasures) Motif Cathedral Window Quilt
Shippo Monyo II Double Cathedral Window 2020
I believe that Japan’s traditional patterns were born from people’s daily lives and the beauty of the four seasons. One of them is the shippo (seven treasures) motif, which shares the same design as Cathedral Window.
In this work, small shippo motifs are placed within larger shippo motifs. The color scheme uses indigo together with Japan’s five traditional colors.
“Cathedral Window” became a popular quilt pattern around the mid-1900s.
From this period, the Library of Congress holds an article about Ila Patton, a quilter born in Virginia: “Contrasting squares of fabric are inserted into the seams, creating a design of interlocking curves. ‘Cathedral Window’ requires no quilting, which was considered an advantage for many quilters — particularly those with poor eyesight or limited mobility.”
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