Monday 23 February 2015

Wonky Log Cabin Blocks

I am passionate about log cabin blocks and log cabin quilts. At the beginning of 2015 I decided it was time to learn to sew straight seams so... the ideal place to start would be to sew traditional log cabin blocks, or so I thought. Indirectly, I was trying to create order out of chaos...

Anyway... I made a start using Amafu's Maluti Moments and Brazillia fat quarter packs. The following photo is of one of my first blocks.


Sewing square blocks, how boring my creative brain screamed. The rational brain argued back... you need to finish what you start and, it's good to create order out of chaos.. Ha!!!!! 32 or so squares later, I was very proud of myself... It's time to play with the blocks to see how they best fit together....Then I realised that somehow, predictably not all of the blocks are the same size and so their seams don't fit together in a line. Now what... Yippee shouted the creative brain - you see, you shouldn't try and create square log cabin blocks. Let's take what's left over of the same fabric and make wonky log cabin blocks.....


In the meantime, I started making a blue and brown Shweshwe quilt for a very good friend of mine - in the square log cabin phase - I have to continue because I can't make wonky log cabin blocks with this fabric. What happens if I make a lone star as a centre  panel and add log cabin blocks around the centre panel? No, no no, not more structured shapes shouts the creative brain....... But what to do? This quilt needs to be finished. To be absolutely honest with myself, the creative brain is still working on ways to make wonky log cabins out if this fabric.






I also took some of the square log cabin blocks that didn't fit and played with them. I added black crosses to the blocks - along the lines of what Nancy Crow taught me years ago. What people don't know is that sometimes creative brain gets very angry with the world. The block below is the start of a series which expresses the feelings of "I'm done" - not sure what I'm done with but here is the start......




















As for the wonky log cabins... that's a post for another time. Let's just say it's interesting working on 3 different quilts at once :)


4 comments:

Moira said...

Love how the Shweshwe quilt is starting out! And the wonky log cabin quilt is going to be great as well. Will look forward to seeing what happens next with them both.

Unknown said...

Thanks Moira......the next group of 16 Shweshwe blocks are in progress

Anonymous said...

I like both the log cabins, but then, I like log cabins! Is that Shweshwe quilt fabric something uniquely South African? I like the prints and the colors. The colors in the top block are amazing! In your bottom piece? I think that could be so freeing, and it could symbolize a lot of things with which one is done!

Unknown said...

Thanks Susan.

Shweshwe is uniquely South African. Interestingly enough it was brought to South Africa by the French Missionaries