Log Cabin Quilt in a Day

I have recently started a quilting course, making a sampler quilt with a block a week as the focus. I have never quilted before, aside from a crazy patchwork bear that I made in the Girl Guides and an attempt to sew squares of fabric together at some point after that. I had wanted to try patchwork for a long time, so when I found the quilting course at a shop relatively nearby, Thread Bear, http://www.thread-bear.co.uk/, I jumped at the chance. And I am now addicted. Fabric is my drug of choice, and my only regret is that my little pink sewing machine is buried in storage, although I have to say that I am starting to think that I should upgrade to a porshe of the sewing world, a sewing machine that will quilt with amazing stitches. But as long as I can borrow a machine for the course, I can take my time researching.

I have included the block from my sampler quilt above, but this blog is to talk about the second course I signed up to one recent Saturday, to make a Log Cabin Lap Quilt in a day. The history of the log cabin quilt may even date back as far as the Ancient Egyptian period, but seems to have found it's own identity in pioneering America. The centre square represents the hearth, and is usually red or arange, with the strips considered to be logs of the log cabin. Traditionally, there is a dark side and a light side, perhaps to represent that the log cabins often only had windows on one side, although some consider it prehaps as a more moral message - the light and the dark side of life, or happiness and sorrow. Log cabins with a black centre where supposedly used by the Underground Railway Quilters to symbolise to slaves in North America the houses that were supporters and would help them with food, clothing and accomodation and further help them to escape. With such an amazing history it felt fantastic to continue such a beautiful and traditional craft.

The first, exciting part was to decide on the colour scheme of my quilt. Several days before, I had been driving to see a friend in the country, past rows of gorgeous Autumnal trees, turning from green to golden with splashes of orange and plum in between. I was decided. I wanted the quilt to have an Autumnal feel. So passed hours choosing fabric, with everyone at Thread Bear being so patient and helpful, giving great advice and even providing copious amounts of tea.

Originally, I had wanted to have a plum centre, with light to dark greens one side and yellow, orange and red strips on the other side. That didn't work, and so I changed my mind and decided to go with the colours below. A yellow leaf pattern to border the quilt, and an apple pattern on the back, with a binding of brown fabric with acorns dotted on it makes it more Autumnal than Christmassy.

Kate taught us a process of making log cabin blocks that was so quick and easy that it really was, incredibly, possible to make most of the quilt in a day. It was a lap quilt, so we made 16 squares, using what is called a washing line technique. You cut all of the 16 centre squares with a rotary cutter, and a number of long strips in your other colours. You then sew the first strip to the centre on all the squares, snip it to size, and then sew the second strip to all 16 squares, and so on to build up all the blocks. I didn't take any photos of this process but Lisa, who was also on the course, has some lovely ones on her blog Lisa's Stitching Life: http://lisa-iris.blogspot.com/

Perhaps my favourite part was when I got home. I laid out the blocks in a variety of patterns. Below were some of the choices and effects - you can see how it can totally change the look of the quilt:

A more tradiditonal pattern - I felt it worked well, but wanted something a little less structured to resemble falling leaves.

An overall star pattern - I just felt this looked too strong with the red, and too Christmassy as well.

A cross pattern - depending on how you place the squares- you could see the above would need a bit more playing with. It is interesting how the overall effect can be so different, even thought you are using exactly the same blocks.

In the end I chose a pattern that was rather unusual as opposed to the more traditional ones. It has a centre hourglass, with an almost wavy, slightly more organic effect. My choice made, I sewed up the front panel, added the back, and started quilting it by sewing through buttons of leaves in autumn colours. Tiredness did eventually send me to bed with my quilt all but finished, apart from some more buttons to sew on to quilt it together, and the acorn binding to add. I love it! I am now just wondering if I can bear to give it away as a Christmas present....