Welcome to SewVeryEasy, my name is Laura. And log cabin quilts can be very quick and easy. And I have one that is even quicker because we're only going to make half a log cabin block. And I think you'll be very surprised on the outcome. I do hope you join me. So the fabric is from Vanessa Vargas Wilson and it is a very fresh and clean line with a bit of a modern look to it. It's from Timeless Treasures, and I'm going to use all the coordinates to make the log cabin. The center of the log cabin is going to be this nice red and I'm also going to do a border in that red. To make that log cabin go a lot quicker, I'm going to cut big triangles out of this very bold print. It's a nice light print, and it's gonna pull all of these colors together. With the red I would recommend starting with about a yard of fabric, and this big white start with three yards. Then you can choose nine fabrics that will go with these two main prints. And starting with a big print you're going to be able to pull in lots of other colors. So I have nine different fabrics, and they're going to be at ⅓ of a yard each because what I need to do is cut five widths of fabric at 2". And this is what's going to make the log cabin portion of the block. This is going to be the big part of the block. So we're only making half a log cabin and we're going to speed it up by using a nice big piece. And with that main red fabric, cut thirty-six 2½" squares. The rest of it you're going to be able to sew together to make a border. So cut the squares first and use the leftover to make a border. From the 2" strips that you've cut from each of these fabrics you're going to make the log cabins. So from each long strip you're going to be able to cut the sizes that you need. I would recommend that you cut largest piece first and then go down in size. It's always easier to find a smaller piece than it is to try to find a larger piece if you can't get enough from one strip. If your fabric is a generous 44" you're going to be able to get all of the pieces from one strip. If not, you're going to have to cut a second strip to get those pieces out of. You're going to need six pieces from that strip. The first piece is a 3½", a 5", 6½", 8", 9½", and 11½". You're going to need thirty-six of each of these sizes. All of these pieces with one of the 2½" squares is going to give you a half log cabin. I like to cut all of my pieces and stack them in order. ll of my piles are in exact order. I've done this because it's going to make it easier for piecing together. And I'm going to lay out how I want the blocks to go. We're going to start with that 2½" square, and it won't matter if you put the first one on the right side or the left side. Whatever side you are comfortable with sewing. The next one is going to go along this edge like that. And I'm going to continue to take them so it's every other one is going to match up to those corners. I lay them out like this just so that I know exactly how to sew them together. Now I'm not going to sew them together with all of the same colors, but laying them out this way is going to keep me organized, and it's going to make sure that I don't duplicate colors. I'm going to want each L to have the same color. So I'm going to leave the first stack. The second stack I'm going to use it like a deck of cards. I'm going to take one of the top piece and I'm going to just put it underneath the stack of both of those pieces. The next two pieces I'm going to be able to move two down. By moving two down, I'm not duplicating any. So I'm going to put the two down underneath that pile. Now all of my pieces are going to be different as I sew them together. I'm going to continue with the L shape the same but they're going to remain different as I go along because each pile started off identical. By switching those underneath I know that they're going to match up, and I don't have to worry about the colors intermixing. If somehow you end up with two gray's up in the top, you're going to be able to just switch that out as you're going to sew along. Now we just need to sew this half log cabin together. I'm going to take one pile to the machine and sew those two piles together. I'm going to match up that edge so I'm going to be able to fold that over and stitch down. So I'm going to do this entire stack first and I'm not going to touch any of the others until these are done. And as I sew I keep the stack in order. Now that red piece is not going to fit onto that longer piece, and that's okay. You're going to be able to stitch right off the end because this area is going to be cut off afterwards. When you have all of those pieces stitched down, you're going to be able to take that and press it to the red square. All of the pieces are going to be pressed to the red square. All of the seams have been pressed. Now I'm going to be able to add the next piece. So I'm going to match up the top piece and the edge. So I am going to have a little bit hanging over just like this edge. I'm going to match up the two edges and stitch a quarter inch all the way down and right off that fabric. I'm going to be able to pick up this next pile and bring it right to the machine, and I know they're all going to be in order. With that piece on you now have completed one of the L's of the log cabin. You have your red block and the L. You're going to be able to sew the next two on in the same way. So if you put this one on first, you're going to put that one on next. So they're going to go in an order. You're going to do one and two and three and four. And you're going to do five and six. By keeping them in order I don't have to think about it. I'm going to be able to just take this to the machine and sew those together. Match up the two edges, and you're still going to have some hanging over on the back. Every single arm that you put on is going to have some leftover hanging out. I'm going to continue in this manner until all of the strips are done,always pressing the seams towards the red. When all of the arms are put on we have half a log cabin. We're going to take this and finish the other half, but we're not going to do it in a log cabin; we're going to do it in solid fabric. And that is going to make this log cabin go together a lot faster. We need to start with eighteen 11" squares and cut those squares in half on the diagonal. So we will have a total of thirty-six big triangles. And thises big triangles are going to fit right on top of this half log cabin. We have lots of room with those edges sticking out, and it's important that your seams are going to be completely covered by this big triangle, We're going to sew this triangle on before we trim off these ends. And I would recommend pinning it. And following this cut line, sew a scant quarter inch. Make sure that the seams are all covered by pulling that fabric back. You'll be able to see it here also. Once that quarter inch has been stitched, we can trim off all of these edges. And discard those little pieces. And press this seam open so all of those edges are going into this big piece. It will keep it nice and flat. We need to make the square at 10½". If you use scant quarter inches, you'll have just a little bit that you're going to be able to trim off. If you find that you can't trim it to 10½", you can make it smaller. You're just going to have to keep that center line centered and make sure all thirty-six blocks are the same size. I'm going to use a square ruler with a 45° line right down the center. And I can match that up right along that line and trim off any extra. Turn the Ruler over and make it match the 10½". When all thirty-six are cut we're going to be able to put the quilt together. We're going to put the quilt together in quarters. So we're going to do the four corners and then we'll sew the four corners together. You can do it in rows if you prefer; I just like to do it in quarters. When we sew them together we're going to sew them in rows of three by three, so I'm going to have nine blocks. And I'm going to take and sew them so that all of the log cabins are going one direction and the solids are going to point in the opposite direction. I'm going to sew the three rows together first, and I'm going to press the seams each row going opposite. One will go in one direction, the other direction, and then that direction. That way they're going to nestle together when you get the three sewn together. You're going to be able to sew these rows together. Now do all four squares the same and press them the same way. Because I started with nine fabrics to do the log cabins, I was able to have each one of the nine be on an outside piece. But if you don't have nine, it's still going to be fine because the focus is not on the log cabins. You're going to notice these nice bright reds in the centers, and what's really going to make the quilt are these solid pieces. Now I can sew the quarters together. And I'm going to keep them going all in the same direction, so I want all of my log cabins coming out. Now you can choose to have your log cabins going in if you'd like. If your log cabins are all facing in, you will notice this log cabin shape right in the center, so that all the log cabins are now pointing in. If you do it the other way, a big center square is going to show up in the corners. You can take two of them and switch them so you have two of the solids coming in, and two of the log cabins coming in. So then you have a different shape altogether in the inside. There are so many different possibilities with just this square alone. So before you sew them in sections of nine, you can play with them and find a pattern that you like. And once you've decided what your corners are going to be like, you're going to be able to sew those quarters together. So you're gonna sew the two together and just have the seams pressed in the opposite way and then sew those two last rows together. When you're finished putting the four corners together you can end it there, but I want to add a cut 2½" strip all the way around. And I'm going to use the red. And that red is going to help make those little red triangles pop in the quilt. The other thing you can do is add one more big border. And I would recommend it in what pattern you had in that solid. By using the fabric that was in this main triangle, you're not singling out one of these colors. If I was to use any one of those colors, you're going to notice that color more, and I want those to play down and I want these corners to pop up. So this is the fabric I would recommend for the next border. So a half log cabin is really just that. You've made a half of a log cabin, added on that big triangle, and the outcome is a lot of fun. That log cabin actually makes that big piece of fabric be the main focal point. So you can see that large piece in the center, and you can see the direction of those big triangles in the back of the quilt. And with the red border on, it really makes those little red triangles sparkle in the quilt. That big border on really pulls it all together, and it really didn't take that long because, after all, we only made 𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙛 a log cabin. I do hope you give it a try and, as always, thank you for joining me today on SewVeryEasy. Feel free to subscribe and, as always, come on back. Let's see what we're sewing next time
in the sewing room. Bye for now!
