How about a tutorial today? Get your 2 1/2" strips of lights and darks and let's make some half log cabin blocks!
Traditionally, log cabin blocks start with a red square in the center, but here I changed it up and made it green. You can use any color you'd like, just make sure you have lights and darks for the entire block.
From green 2 1/2" strips, cut to make 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares. Do the same with the light strips. Sew them together like this:
From both light and dark (I used dark red) 2 1/2" strips, cut 4 1/2" and 6 1/2" rectangles. From only the dark 2 1/2" strips, cut 8 1/2" rectangles.
Mix up your pieces within each size stack by moving the top piece to the bottom occasionally. That way, there won't be identical blocks appearing.
To the 2 1/2" unit made before, add a dark 4 1/2" piece. Keep the first unit oriented in the same direction throughout the block.
Press the seam, and add a 4 1/2" piece to the unit, keeping darks on one side, lights on the other.
Press, and add the 6 1/2" piece to the unit, next to the previous dark piece.
Press again, then add the 6 1/2" light unit onto the light side.
Press once more, and add the final dark 8 1/2" piece.
This unfinished block measures 8 1/2" x 8 1/2". Once there's a stack of blocks, start playing with arrangement, as there are many ways to place these blocks.
Have fun!
Another quilt to snuggle under this season, as I'll be Home for Christmas.
In trying to come up with a name for this quilt, I tried to consider it's makeup, so bear with me on the logic. The setting is an offset barn raising of half log cabin blocks. Now a barn could be considered a home, to animals at least, and of course, the Christmas birthday we're celebrating supposedly occurred in a barn. Though a barn is usually not constructed like a log cabin, the barn/home in this quilt is composed of half log cabin blocks, further establishing that this is 'home'.
And what 'home' would not be complete without a tree? Whether it's the wood that makes the home, provides shade for the home, or decorates the home, as does this Christmas tree, a home is not complete without a tree.
Thus, the log cabin barn raising and the tree combine to make Home for Christmas.
Quilted in gold with the panto Holiday Garland, it was the perfect topping for this double sided quilt - the panto looks beautiful on both sides.
Front closeups:
And back closeups:
There's still more Christmas fabric to use up - stay tuned to see what I come up with!
Happy Quilting!
I wish this were one of those instances of not knowing what to give someone for Christmas. When all else fails, give food. But no, here we're talking quilt backs. Ugh.
On my latest Christmas quilt, I thought I was being all smart by stitching together small scraps to make big enough pieces for more blocks to go on the back.
And by the small scraps and a bit of yardage that's left, I'd say I was successful in using up what I started with.
But here's the problem.
22 blocks. Not enough to make a square, rectangle or complete a design. And those scraps are not going to squeeze out two more blocks. Ugh.
I'm totally stumped. I've stared at this problem since Saturday afternoon, and still haven't come up with a solution. Blocks have been rearranged, spaced apart, and put in funky settings. To no avail. And it doesn't help that my personal challenge is to use all those blocks and make the back look somewhat planned. I didn't go to all that work stitching Christmas scraps for nothing!
So if anyone has any ideas to help with this Christmas conundrum, feel free to leave a comment. In the meantime, I'm off to make some cookies to give away!
