A Hallelujah Chorus

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! HAL-LE-LU-JAH!!!

Can you hear them?? Can you hear the ensemble of angelic beings singing and playing the Hallelujah Chorus?? Violins, harps, trumpets.......the whole mellifluous orchestra strumming those strings, trumpeting those brass instruments, whistling those woodwinds, clanging those percussion instruments..........the whole kit and kaboodle......all joining in a triumphant symphony to herald the completion of my Cathedral Window quilt!! You see these angelic beings have been waiting in the wings for a very, very long time.....it seems almost an eternity!! Oh, and those tintinnabula are ringing in unison. Yes indeedy, those church bells are 'ding-donging'  joyously celebrating the completion of my Cathedral Window quilt! Oh my goodness, there is a terrible din down here at the bottom of the world.

If my memory serves me correctly, it was in  March 2014 when I first began to stitch this quilt. I wrote about this pretty here. Oh my giddy aunt, three years ago!! How time flies when you are having fun.....NOT!! Let's just say that my Cathedral Window hasn't been my most favourite quilt that I have ever stitched. Though I like the overall look of the quilt, it is filled with too many imperfections for my persnickety sensibilities. When looked upon as a whole I am happy-ish with my Cathedral Window...BUT....when my beady li'l eyes look at a lot of the corners I am not so happy. It is finished and for that I am ecstatic; indeed I am elated to have stitched the last stitch!! I suppose this quilt will be filed under the heading of  'Satisfactionism' and not 'Perfectionism'!!

Now how to photograph this quilt?? With the absence of cathedrals of the ilk of Notre Dame in Tassie, me and my good husband set off one morning for a little basilica-ish building search. There is a church which I have always loved in Launceston. When we first arrived in Tassie it was for sale. Wish oh wish my purse was deep enough to purchase this amazing property....but my little purse did not, nor never has contained enough pennies for my name and signature to be on the Deed of Property. I know, terribly, terribly sad as I can sooooooo see me in this building! It isn't used as a church anymore but a design company, Walker Designs, now owns this building from which it operates its business. I love the cracking and peeling paint, the rusty iron balustrades and gates, the array of gorgeous windows, the densely matted tufts of lichen and moss which are seen here and there on the facade. I love the shabby and ruinous feel of this glorious building. Love, love, love this building; 'tis the perfect backdrop for my little Cathedral Window quilt.

I fear the 'windows' in my Cathedral Window quilt are a little pale as the photographs were taken in the middle of the day when the sun was aglow with brilliance. We did set off on our photo shoot early in the morning when the clouds blanketed the sky, but the billowing mass of white, vaporous matter decided to disappear to let Old Man Sun shine upon us. Of course Old Man Sun's beaming smile is always a welcomed event in Tassie......just not on photo shoot days. =D

I did suggest to my good husband if he could perhaps scale the walls Quasimodo-like, with my Cathedral Window quilt draped around his shoulders, to one of those lead light windows on high. Just imagine how very cool my Cathedral Window quilt would look dangling from one of those lead light windows. Alas, he said no!! Unbelievable!! Is his refusal grounds for divorce???? I mean really, I contorted my venerable body into the most interesting of positions, even to the point of almost lying prostrate on the pavement for that one, perfect shot. And....I might add providing much comic relief to many a passerby. Was it unreasonable to ask him to clamber up this towering building and swing from parapet to parapet???? I can only suppose his and my sense of the dramatic and theatre of a photo shoot are not on the same page! Oh, how I would love to climb the interior staircases of this building and explore all those quirky little nooks. Just imagine the architectural treasures that would abound!!

Just across from the church is a beautiful park filled with the most amazing, ancient trees with bent and gnarly, verdant branches enveloping everyone and everything; and, there just happens to be the most delightful of fountains as well....how serendipitous. Once again, the perfect backdrop for my little Cathedral Window quilt.

Another church, another backdrop; admittedly it somewhat lacks the gorgeousness of my favourite church building; nevertheless it is a fine structure.....and it just happens to be white. As you know I LURVE white. Oh, and there just happened to be a divine little cafe nearby, so all was not lost. At least that is what my good husband thought as he is always ready for cake and coffee.

When we set off early in the morning, I really, really wanted a glorious stained glass window for my photo shoot. As none of these churches were open, my good husband and I decided to call into our little family church on the way home and take a happy snap or two of the Cathedral Window, hanging pride of place in front of a little stained glass window. Small I know, but beautiful nonetheless. I have often asked the powers that be if perhaps I could take this window home with me, but they weren't terribly enthused with my suggestion. I don't know why not; surely they could insert another window.

I started stitching this quilt with the intention of making it big enough to drape over a queen size bed with the sides nearly touching the floor.....but....as you can see I have made it as a bed topper with just a hint of it down the sides. This quilt is very heavy and I found it punishing to add each finished strip of the windows to the quilt as I went along. For the sake of my shoulders, back and sanity, I decided a bed topper would be wonderful, thank you very much.

This is not the first time I have uttered these words......."with my hand on my heart, I am never, never going to stitch a Cathedral Window quilt, ever, ever again"! This quilt is filled with too many imperfections and was fraught with botheration the whole way through.  I will just have to consider the stitching of this quilt as a giant learning curve. I think upon reflection, I would fashion this quilt with no batting and a little trick I read somewhere (after I had finished the stitching) to sew down the offending corners so they do not move. Perhaps then, and only perhaps after a good many visits to a therapist and sinking into a red leather couch, revealing my dark and hidden secrets about all those stitching inadequacies of mine, would I ever begin to consider stitching another. BUT.....just between you and me it would be safe to say I have attempted one Cathedral Window quilt and that is one too many!! =D

I am so very, very happy to tick this pretty off that list which I don't keep. My next quilt is going to be a FUN one. Again, one filled with oodles of scrappy delight. One that doesn't exert the pea brain, strain the shoulders and one that is a joy to stitch. I am delirious with great joy that in the coming weeks I can now stitch some fun pretties.

So there you have it, my Cathedral Window quilt is finished. HALLELUJAH!! Let me leave you with a basket of beautiful dahlias. The dahlias will soon be but a beautiful memory. Jack Frost has reared his ugly and frigid head yet again and has taken out his displeasure on the dahlias, sprinkling icy shards everywhere! Yes indeedy, Autumn is in full swing and the grim and bleak arrival of Old Man Winter is not too far away.

Until the next time.......wishing you the loveliest of days.