Log Cabin Sightings!

Why is it that sometimes you look for something, and you can’t find it to save your life – and then – they show up in droves!

Such is the case with the abundance of log cabin quilts seen at the Factory Antique Mall in Verona, VA the other day. Everywhere I turned….Log Cabin, Log Cabin, Log Cabin!

And I love log cabin quilts – they just call to my heart. And I haven’t made one in a while, and I’m thinking – maybe it’s time!

What I love about the log cabin block is that there are ENDLESS ways to twist and turn and decide on a setting. It excites me every time! From Courthouse Steps to Straight Furrows to Barn Raising…and everywhere in between, Log cabins just capture my heart.

So I thought I’d write this post on the variety of log cabin quilts I crossed paths with --- a THEME post. Imagine that!

I loved the one displayed on this table made of wools and set in Straight Furrows. The centers of each block are the traditional solid red..and this one is tied. It was also pieced on a muslin foundation, so it’s a heavier beast ---add the backing to it, and there is a good reason that tying was used for this one. The fabrics in it are AWESOME!

How about a 1960s logt cabin, also in straight furrows --- displayed on a ladder! Can you see how it is quilted in straight diagonals across the blocks? ((Jill, if you are reading this -- I'm thinking that it's quilted on the Di-Angle! LOL!))

I love the block that has the black/white houndstooth fabric….zowie!

This is a very early one, and it was shredded so badly! I didn’t dare take it off its hanger ---some of the fabrics are completely worn away, but oh – what a treasure! The blocks are small, the strips are narrow. It’s set in Barn Raising. I looked at each fabric and imagined it as a dress, a skirt, a shirt waist ----and the quilt came from all the remnants of clothing construction. Imagine this quilt brand new, the binding just completed ----I’m sure the maker was thrilled with how graphic this quilt was!

Courthouse Steps!

This one has AMAZING fabrics ((Yes, try not to be freaked out by the evil looking Santa – I should have moved him from the photo, he just jumps right out at you! LOL!))

Look at these terrific fabrics! Her red centers are scrappy ---and I love how the pinks fluctuate, appearing both on the dark side of the block, and the light side of the block. Yep, looks like those “Medium” fabrics created havoc for quilters long ago too!

Courthouse Steps on a bench….this one where each side of the block is ONE fabric, with 4 fabrics per block. I love those turn-of-the-century burgundies…YUMMY!

And because we are in a log cabin mood – I want to share with you the show-and-tell that one of my students brought in to class in North East!

WOW!! I just love how graphic this is. She said her strips were 1” to start with and finish at 1/2”. The addition of the applique is just so eye-catching. It’s in the process of being hand quilted – she is in-the-ditch-ing every log cabin seam. The texture is SO nice, and you should see it from the back of the quilt!

Have you made a log cabin lately? Maybe that would be a great NEXT year’s Leader/Ender challenge? Start with 100 centers ----cut the logs for one side at a time….and build them that way? Hmmm…wheels are turning!