Secrets of the Log Cabin Block

It's no secret that now I have a lot of scrappy strips!
Having a first project planned is a good way to easily switch from one huge activity (stripping my scraps) to another (actually sewing!). So as I was cutting the Pink fabrics, I decided to make a Pink & Brown Log Cabin quilt...and those strips went into a separate box, right from the beginning.

Better than a jelly-roll!

Log Cabin is the first pieced block I ever made...a good story for another time...and one I have often returned to. It's just strips, great scrappy or with planned colors, and can be arranged to create a wide variety designs: Barn Raising, Streaks of Lightning, Stars...even the sets have names! Any design you can make with Half-Square Triangle units can be done with Log Cabins.

The Truth About Log Cabin Blocks
It looks easy but it isn't!
If you've made this block, you know what I mean: All the strips are the same width...the seam allowance is 1/4"...why do they come out wrong?
The size is wonky, the strips are all mixed up...how can such a simple block not work?

Why, Oh Why?
It's because this block goes "round & round" from one side to the next. That pulls it out of square.
This is the same reason you don't put your borders on from one side to the next (do you?). Sewing borders on two opposite sides, then measuring through the middle and sewing the other two, will keep your quilt straight.
But the Log Cabin has to go "round & round"! 

How to Make It Work
One fix is to cut all the strips to the length they will be in the block...that works well, especially if all the blocks are colored the same, all the strips are the same length to start, and you keep everything in order.
I'm working very scrappy here (besides being immensely lazy). So I like to sew the strip on and then cut off the extra.

Let that strip hang out!

You can just chop it off with your scissors BUT give it a bit of extra...DO NOT cut it off even with the block edge because it will never end up square! I know it looks like it will, but it just won't.
You can see the extra bit, so when you line up the next strip don't use that part to match the raw edges.

Go ahead and sew 2 Lights and 2 Darks to complete a round, which makes the block look like a square. Don't count the center square, just the sides you sew on.
I made a Trimming List of the raw-edge sizes for each round. These are 2" wide strips, so my list was:
First Round- 5'
Second Round- 8"
Third Round- 11"
The finished block is 10.5", an odd size, but they only need to match themselves.
You can make blocks any size you want, wider or narrower strips, several more rounds.....figure your Trimming List by adding the finished size of each piece (include the center) plus the 1/2" seam allowance which is already there on the outside edge.
Here's how to trim:

First trim two sides...

This is my second round, but it works the same for each round. Just do this by eye...center in the middle, most of the seams pretty much parallel to the ruler lines, the edges under the ruler (light sides here) at or slightly beyond the Trim List (raw edge) size lines. Trim the excess on the right and top.
(Lefties! I love ya'! This is actually something you can just reverse "right" to "left" and it will work).

...then rotate and trim the other two!

Rotate the block so the trimmed sides are under the ruler...line them up exactly with the Trim List size lines, and then cut. Sometimes I like to mark the final size corner with a bit of tape, but didn't here.
Trimming at each round will help correct for the "not perfect" seam allowance. 

More Secrets!
Just two...I know you're ready to quit reading and start sewing!

1) Be consistent! It doesn't matter so much how you sew this block as that you do the same way each time: Light OR dark goes on first; last strip sewn on goes TOWARD you or AWAY; block OR strip is on top when sewing. This will keep the strips going around in the same direction...clockwise or not, they all do need to go the same way. And this keeps the direction from changing in the middle of the block!
Not being consistent will create many artsy or odd blocks...that's another choice, for a different quilt.

2) Press the seam before trimming. Open or to the side is your choice, continuing to be consistent either TOWARD the center or AWAY. If you have scissor-cut the excess strip length, this is where trimming evens it up to be exactly square (if it isn't already hidden in a previous seam allowance).

3) Chain-piecing is wonderful for these blocks. You really MUST press before trimming each "log" with this method. If you keep adding blocks until the strip is filled, the blocks start out the same, but eventually, as new strips are added, you end up with blocks at many different stages (rounds and values). See #1 above!

Very scrappy blocks are pushing the value placements!

Color choice can be a whole big deal, but I'd like to mention just a couple thoughts.
Quilt mythology has it that the center square is red for the warm hearth, or yellow for a candle in the window to guide someone home. You can make it whatever color you like, but its value will increase the amount seen on one side or the other.
I tried to stick just with using values, so the Pinks are both light and dark, as are the Browns. When using 2 colors, some people like to keep them on separate sides.
If you look at antique quilts, what seems "Pink & Brown" is usually loaded with additional colors. I think a touch of blue keeps it from being boring. For a scrap quilt, choosing prints that look mostly the color you want will naturally bring in additional bits of color to please the eye.

Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! There are lots of other ways to build a Log Cabin, and I'd like to hear your thoughts. too. 
And, of course, if you just want to avoid the whole "round & round" issue, you can make the block called Courthouse Steps...adding the strips to opposite sides!

Kooky Scrap Star Blocks

There are so many times a "scrap project" comes up, and in the end it has just created more scraps. The Kooky Scrap Stars may actually help you use some up! I am so excited!
This is a "sew & flip" method and wastes a bit of fabric...well, that's the good part because the pieces are not too large to start with, so you have a real chance of actually throwing them away!
(I cannot be held responsible for any trash basket diving later...in fact, I may meet you there...)
What is a Kooky Star?

It's related to the long-pointed star blocks like "54-40 Or Fight" or "LeMoyne Star" (also known as Lemon Star!). The skinny and fat triangles used for the traditional block were made famous by the late, great Doreen Speckman who called them Peaky and Spikey.
These amusing contemporary stars are similar to Jan Mullins patterns,so  if you'd like to do some more fun piecing, look for those!
The All Star Quilters made these blocks at my workshop yesterday. We like to start off the year with a "free" pattern class...the real cost is you have to donate the block you make so it can go into a charity quilt (more on that later).
Here's how you can make one, too. This is for a 12 inch finished block.

Cut 8-- 4.5" squares for the background (4 are the corners and 4 get the star points on them).
Cut 1-- 4.5" square for the center of the star
Cut 8 rectangles 3" x 5.25" (that's 5 and a quarter inches...fractions behind whole numbers are tricky to typre here!).
As you can see, the points are different because they came right out of my scrap basket. What you can't see is that the four corners are also a different white from the ones with the points! Mix it up, that's what I say!

Fold one side of a square and finger press to mark it (use chalk or pencil if you need to).
The first rectangle goes on with the bottom corner just to the right of the mark.
The top corner can go off the square anywhere down the left side. The closer to the bottom, the shorter & fatter the point will be. Don't over-think this! They can all be different!

You have to turn this around to sew it.  Aim for a 1/4" seam allowance, but it doesn't have to be precise.

Press over the first rectangle, then repeat for the second. You don't have to turn that side around.

I am sure there's a smoother process, but this is the way I learned it and honestly, I just have not bothered to figure it out. It doesn't really matter which point you sew first.

Here it is from the back. The two points don't even have to overlap at the fold mark, either!

The square is the size of the unit. Use it to trim off the extra fabric....then you can leave the square in, or trim it out, too, but first trim the points fabric to be the correct size.

These points are more traditional-like, because there actually is a method for doing this in a precise fashion (for those who do not like to cut triangles) but it involves lots of measuring & marking of where 1/4" seams cross...much too fussy for me!

Make 4 units...each should have 2 star points, unless you are designing another block. If you are, send me a picture!

As in any nine patch block, sew the units into rows, then sew the rows together. I pressed each row with the seams away from the points, as there are lots of layers there.

Well, you may notice that these are some mixed up points! I trimmed off all my sample pieces to set this up.

In fact, the rows are not even sewn, just stuck up on the board. But I will finish this, and add it to the mix.

I like this B&W star made by one  memeber, She went with the all-the-same-fabric method.

Another person was inspired to make two blocks in reverse fabrics/ values:

These go pretty fast once you get used to how those rectangles lay on the squares. Wouldn't this make a beautiful quilt, with just these fabrics?

Here's how the class ended:

I think a few starts went home, too...and many promised to make more and bring them to the next meeting.
With  12" blocks you can make a nice size quilt. Setting 12 blocks 3 x 4 we'll get two tops (I know you are counting, and there are only 22 starts here! I have one more and I'm sure there was another not up on display). With some 2" sashing and a 4" border, a 12 block quilt would be about 52" x 66". That's a big enough lap quilt for almost anyone, and a nice big quilt for a child....and about the limit most people want to quilt on their own home sewing machine!

The All Stars had a fabulously generous donation of over 500 yards of fabric, mostly juvenile prints and a lot of flannel. So we've been passing it out like crazy. Here's what was left on Monday:

The main project is quilts for children going into foster care, and sometimes those have a pillowcase, too.

Then there are quilts for Safe Harbor (teenage boys) and this year they have added Wounded Warriors' retreat in the Fall. Not to mention placemats for Meals On Wheels!

There is no shortage of places where quilts can be comforting gifts.