From Small Things: Episode 83: Lots of Log Cabins

Welcome back! I was very busy in my sewing room this week, piecing log cabin blocks. I used my tracing template to make my foundation papers, and pieced close to 100 blocks. They are such a good block for using up your smallest scraps; they are also a block that I use to hide my "ugly" fabrics! These are fabrics which I find it hard to use, either because they don't appeal to me, or they are a specific novelty print, or they don't work easily with the rest of my stash. But, once cut down into just a little strip, they can find a home in these blocks easily, and all that fabric can be used. I pulled out a book from my shelves that showed a few log cabin layouts, and I made two small quilt tops. Each of these used 64 log cabin blocks, and I added borders to both to make them a little bigger. I also got to use some of my string pieced squares: my white ones for one quilt top, and my blue ones for the other. These are finished on my end; I will send them as tops to my sister's quilt guild, and they will finish them into quilts to donate to a charity. I'll also give you a look at CJ's progress on his log cabins. He is using mostly browns and blacks from my stash, and has about 16 blocks made... not without some struggle! After making those two tops, I got started on a third! I pulled out the butterfly blocks which were gifted to me by a viewer, and squared them all up. Since these are beautiful vintage fabrics, I went into my vintage stash to make sashing for them. I added green cornerstones to give it a more focused color theme, after previewing some other ideas. At this point, I have all 36 blocks with sashing on two sides; so the next step will be adding sashing down the lefthand side of the quilt, and across the bottom; then I will piece all of these together, and it will be a top! I don't have anything to hand quilt at the moment, so this one will be next in line. The quilt on the door this week is also log cabin themed. This one was made by my sister, probably in the late 80's, as a gift for me. This was before I knew anything about quilting, so I picked a picture from a magazine that I liked, not knowing how much work I was asking for. It is a beautiful quilt which I have loved for all of these years.