PICK A PETAL -- MONTH 4

 PICK A PETAL is the 2024 Block of the Month quilt designed by Jen Kingwell exclusively for The Quilt Show. It is FREE to Star Members, join today to take advantage of this great bonus. WATCH Jen's Show to see how she makes this quilt--it is FREE for EVERYONE all of 2024: Jen Kingwell Show 3401

This month we make the Log Cabin blocks from light neutrals/low volume prints. They will form a border that gets lots of applique and embroidery embellishment. 

Jen's blocks from her quilt:

The idea is to use very low contrast fabrics for the log cabins so the embellishments can really show. For those using the Kit, there is a large supply of very lights for this purpose. I used 28 of them. A few others I used on some of the Month 2 and 3 blocks so I didn't use them here.

The center square is cut 2.5". There are 20 blocks so we need 20 2.5" squares. I started with 7 fabrics and cut a 2.5" x 9" strip from each, lengthwise grain, parallel to the selvedge. This gives 3 squares from each strip so you will have one extra square: 

Using the fabric that remained, I cut 7 strips 1.5" x 9" for some of the Logs from EACH OF THOSE 7 FABRICS.  Since they were already on the table for cutting the squares, I cut them now. This gives 49 strips, that's a small start. 

Next I used 21 more Neutral/Low Volume fabrics to cut lots more strips, 1.5" x 9". Again, lengthwise grain. How MANY STRIPS? 7 strips from EACH of the 21 fabrics--I cut 4 layers at a time. This gives 147 strips--now you have about as many strips as you will need for all 20 Log Cabin blocks:

The pattern instructions give the specific size of each log needed for a block. That is how I chose to do it, cutting two blocks at a time, not repeating a fabric within the block. 

NOTE: I DID NOT  cut all the strips up into all the sizes needed AHEAD OF TIME. I cut for TWO BLOCKS at a time, using any "leftover" pieces as I could. For example, cutting a 5.5" log from a 9" strip leaves a 3.5" x 1.5" log leftover--perfect! You can use that in another block.

The two at the top are ready to sew, the two at the bottom are complete:

A few of the fabrics are directional, like the one with words. Try to keep them all the same or just "wing it"--whatever makes you happy. I am a "symmetrical" kind of girl, so I kept them all "readable" in the quilt. You do you.

Yes, I know there are other ways to make Log Cabin blocks, like chain piecing all the squares to a long strip of fabric 1. Do whichever method you like that gives you the result you want--accurately sewn blocks. 

By cutting accurately  using the instructions, you will quickly see if your seam allowance is off. Remember the 3 things we can do wrong in piecing a block: the CUTTING, the SEWING, and/or the PRESSING. Each of these steps is very important in making these blocks.

Occasionally, I was off a little bit. I see it while pressing the newly added log. Upper right corner is not quite there, off by less than 1/8":

When I added the next strip I was careful to keep the block straight--the missing part is in the seam allowance and only I know it's there. The problem would come if I insisted on keeping the block raw edges aligned with the newly added strip--this would cause the block to be more "out of whack" with each new round: 

I measured each block as I added EACH round--with 1" finished logs it's easy to know what size the blocks should be as each log is added. For example, when the first log is added to the center square, it should measure 2.5" x 3.5" including seam allowance. When the second log is added, the unit is now 3.5" square. And so on... Yes, I checked every seam, every time. 

When the block is done, it is 8.5" square, including seam allowance. Make 20. No rush, you now have several months to make them as we start embellishing the first FOUR log cabins next month: 

IMPORTANT TIP: even if you make ALL 20 BLOCKS RIGHT NOW, do not sew them into borders and add them to the center as soon as you have the center all done. The embellishing with applique and embroidery is done while the Log Cabin borders are NOT YET sewn to the quilt.

Here is how far I have gotten. The borders are complete, (except the final small fan borders) but are not sewn to the center yet. Each border is labeled Top, Bottom, Left or Right:

On the FORUM I posted a photo of how much Kit fabric I now have left for the appliques--find that TOPIC HERE

I will do the Facebook LIVE broadcast Wednesday April 3, 2024, noon Central Time. It will also be on YouTube on The Quilt Show channel. And as always will be recorded to watch whenever convenient, find the links to all the LIVE broadcasts HERE.

This can be a fun "leader/ender" project if you have to be working on another quilt at the same time. I was doing Ricky Tims' virtual class, Papaw's Choice, while making these. It was nice to switch between the neutral blocks and the deep/dark blocks. Here is my Papaw's Choice, 82" square:

I hope this helps as you make the Log Cabin Border blocks.

Next month we start embellishing them, FOUR of them!

Let's quilt.

Barbara