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- 1). Choose whether or not to quilt, or use the knot and tie method, as this is a decision to make before beginning the quilt. If you want to display your quilting skills, do not use foundation piecing techniques as they will make the quilt too thick to make small stitches. Foundation piecing uses muslin or a background fabric for each block and the design is drawn and sewn on the muslin backing. The log cabin quilt is often made without the muslin backing.
- 2). Select fabrics for the log cabin quilt and sort by light and dark colors. Choose a fabric to use for a center square in each block. According to the Illinois State Museum website, the center square represents the hearth or fireplace and this starting square was red in vintage quilts.
- 3). Decide on a size for the blocks of the quilt. The size of the center square determines the size for all the strips. Refer to the Illinois State Museum site for a line drawing of a log cabin block. Make a sample to see how it works: a 2 by 2-inch finished patch for the center will require a 2.5 by 2.5 inch cut square.
- 4). Place another patch that is the same size to the side of the center square and use one-fourth inch seams.
- 5). Add a strip to the side of those two squares and that strip must be 2.5 inches by 4.5 inches.
- 6). Cut strips the width of the fabric and 2.5 inches wide and add strips clockwise around the square to complete a block. Use ten strips in addition to the first three patches to make a 14-inch block. The 2-inch center patch is standard, but the size of the blocks and colors of the fabrics as well as the assembly of the squares makes the personality of the quilt.
- 7). Complete putting the quilt together. Twenty blocks will make a quilt with strips between the blocks. If this task seems overwhelming, use the sample block for a pillow and move on to something you like better. Remember that quilts are for pleasant memories and quilting is a hobby to enjoy.
- 8). Add quilting or use the tie and knot method to finish the Log Cabin quilt. Wash and use.
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