Beal - Modern log cabin quilting: 25 simple quilts and patchwork projects for sewists

Copyright 2010 by Susan Beal

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Potter Craft, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.pottercraft.com

POTTER CRAFT and colophon is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Beal, Susan.
Modern log cabin quilting: 25 simple quilts and patchwork projects
Susan Beal. -- 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
eISBN: 978-0-307-58679-7
1. Quilting--Patterns. 2. Patchwork--Patterns. I. Title.
TT835.B2925 2010
746.46--dc22
2010033698

Cover and interior design by Rita Sowins / Sowins Design
Cover and interior photography by Alexandra Grablewski
Cover author photo by Andrew Dickson

Photos on pages 2, by Marcus Trullis.

Tech Editing by Sue Kopp
Assembly Diagrams by Daniela Caine
Illustrations by Alexis Hartman

v3.1

Ive always been crafty and had been sewing, making jewelry, screen printing, and teaching and writing about all kinds of crafts for years before I ever tried quilting. I was selling my handmade skirts, handbags, and jewelry at craft fairs and stores nationwide; contributing to magazines like ReadyMade, Bust, Adorn, and Craft; and had even started a craft collective, Portland Super Crafty, with my friendsbut I still found quilting intimidating. I was eager to make a real quilt and had so many ideas in my head (and so much fabric in my stash!), but cutting and following a complex pattern seemed overwhelming, and I wondered if those fabrics I adored separately would really look as good stitched closely together.

Fortunately, deep into designing the 150 jewelry projects for my second book, Bead Simple, I hosted a craft night for some of my friends and got up the nerve to quilt for the very first time. I chose a handful of prints in blues and yellows and started cutting wide strips of fabric to try my very first log cabin block. I kept my center square large enough to spotlight the fabric design: a vintage repeating print of tiny birds in nests on a sky-blue background. On an impulse, I mixed in thinner rows of corduroy reclaimed from an old pair of pants to frame the patterned fabrics I liked so much and then I suddenly had a finished quilt block, ready to turn into a pillow cover. I was in love! I finished a second version of what I decided to call my Recycled Cords Pillows the same night. This sweet pair of pillows still adorn my couch six years later, and they make me happy every time I see them. Since then, Ive designed and sewed lots more quilts, exhibited some of them in shows, studied improvisational piecing with my quilting hero Denyse Schmidt, and even taught at Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portlandand log cabin has found its way into nearly all of my quilting endeavors.

Log cabin quilting, a simple and artful way to piece strips of patterned or plain fabric around a central square to build a geometric block, is the perfect way to get started quiltingor to bring quilting techniques into your sewing and other crafts. The log cabin block pattern is intuitive, easy to understand, and only uses straight-line stitching, so there are no tricky angles or finicky seams to navigate. The basic idea is incredibly adaptable, and your color, pattern, and arrangement choices ensure a very personal outcome.

In this book, youll learn the general technique of piecing and quilting blocks, and then put those skills into practice by using these handmade squares to adorn or construct very modern quilts, bags, gifts, and essentials for the home. Ive included ten quilts and fifteen other projects, from full-size bags to tiny camera cases, using some of my favorite log cabin styles for a streamlined, modern take on this old-fashioned art form.

So what does modern log cabin quilting mean, anyway? Making a modern quilt doesnt mean you need to follow a minimalist or super-specific aesthetic. Instead, modern quilting simply seeks to impart a fun, fresh look to the crafts venerable and lovely traditions. For some sewers, its all about fabric choice; for others, its changing the size, shape, or scale of log cabin blocks or using improvisational piecing or lively colorwork. For me, modern log cabin quilting focuses on the aspects of quilting I love the mostmaking a project that is structurally simple, but meaningful and fun to craft, that conveys a message through design and embellishment choices, and is quilted simply so the design and piecing can live together happily.

This is such an exciting time for modern quilt-making, with developments including (of course) new log cabin designs, and amazing fabrics, battings, and other high-quality tools and materials much easier to find. Modern quilt guilds have sprung up worldwide, and swaps of fabric, blocks, and quilted projects (both online and local) bring the venerable quilting bee beautifully up to date. The fresh, accessible sensibility and energetic spirit that defines modern quilting feels especially apt for log cabin, which has always been a quilt pattern for the everyman and woman.

In Modern Log Cabin Quilting, youll find what makes your projects uniquely modern, following the traditional rulesor not. Along with basic sewing and quilting techniques, there are plenty of ideas and instructions for personalizing your log cabin projects with printing, photo transfer, embroidery, appliqu, and other methods. Ive also shared all the tips and handy shortcuts Ive learned from years of quilting and making other crafts, which I hope youll find super helpful too! I love searching for vintage and new fabric (and buttons, and embroidery floss, and felt), so I included a resources guide for finding all the materials youll need (. I hope youll add some of your own pictures thereI would love to see what you make!

Happy quilting!
Susan

Log cabin is one of the most accessible and beginner-friendly quilt-block patterns, and its a lovely and versatile technique to mix into sewing and patchwork projects, too. You wont need many tools or materials beyond basic sewing supplies, so you can get started quickly. In , some general log cabin quilting and sewing techniques will prepare you to make every project in the Quilts, Home Decor, and Bags + Beyond chapters.