BOM - February 2016 retro log cabin block

I just had a look at my BOM list and I realised that it has been a short while...ahem...months since I posted a new block of the month for you!

I am looking back in time to the 1970s for inspiration this time. I turned 10 years old in 1979 so this was the era of my childhood and some rather fond memories.

Log cabin blocks have been done before I think you can agree and in all shapes, ways and forms. I am giving it my spin this time by magnifying it and using the centre two rows only. There are no laws about going  bigger though so if you want, say an over sized floor cushion or a quilt with a few very large blocks, this is the way to go.

Sometimes, all you have to do to give a block a modern look is to make it bigger than usual. 

Well, enough chatting and let's get on with it!

You will need four retro looking prints and one solid for this particular trick. Here are my choices.

Begin by cutting a 10 cm x 10 cm square of your solid and another 10 cm x 10 cm square of one of the prints....

Sew them together....

Now we do something weird. We work with 10 cm wide strips but we pay no heed to the length. This is a beautiful method of making blocks which require strips. As long as the strip is LONG enough, you trim the excess away when you have finished. Do I detect smiles and cheers because measuring is at a minimum now? Thought so!

Cut another 10 cm wide strip and make sure that it is long enough and sew it to the top of the first two pieces....

Now trim the end...

Do it again with another strip....

And trim....

You are getting the idea now! As you can see, sometimes you have less off cut. Keep the decent bits anyway and add it to the stash box. Finish up with one more strip to ensure that the centre solid is perfectly enclosed and you are done!

Normally, there would be more of this and you can continue in the same way until it is as big as you want it to be. you can do 'normal' log cabin like this too by the way.

Next week, I will show you how to make this into a mat and a matching runner.

See you then and thank you so much for stopping by! I am off now to start filming and photography for my new eBook with Vivebooks so wish me luck - it has been a bit of time since I fronted a camera! I shall let you know how it all goes next time. eBooks are a fab idea for crafters because they have video tutorials embedded in them so it is like having a teacher with you at all times - and one that you can rewind. Cannot do THAT with a human very many times!

Hugs and kisses
Debs
xxx