LOG CABIN SEW ALONG – WEEK FOUR

FACEBOOK GROUP PROGRESS

We have more and more progress – and even a few finishes – from members of our FACEBOOK GROUP! I know I’ve already said this – but it has been so fun to see so many of you sewing along with us for our American Patchwork & Quilting (APQ) February 2024 feature. And in case you missed it, we will be having a feature in each of the 6 APQ issues for 2024 to help keep you sewing all year long!

THIS WEEK

The assignment for this week is to finish up any remaining blocks and finalize your layout. I shared our layout options back in our WEEK 2 BLOG POST, but I am sharing them again here in case you are still deciding.

FACEBOOK GROUP: FIG TREE FRIEND FEATURE

Last week, we featured Carol Shriver, who has completed a gorgeous log cabin quilt in the classic Fig Tree orange colorway, and also shared about her quilting journey, sewing space (organization goals right there!), and even a few valuable quilting mottos! Be sure to visit the FIG TREE FRIENDS FACEBOOK GROUP to learn more! You can follow along with her on Instagram, too (@cshriver870).

NEXT WEEK

Next week’s task is to work through assembling your quilt top. Although we will likely share a few more helpful hints next week when that is our main focus, here’s a few tips if you are eager to get started…

• LAY OUT YOUR BLOCKS! You can use a design wall…or even the floor. I’ve been known to use a temporary design wall by tacking/pinning quilt batting to the wall, too. Whatever works!
  • Although this is a scrappy log cabin quilt, laying out the blocks can help to ensure you don’t have too much of one print in a particular area, especially if you have a wide variety of hues in your fabric pull – some much darker, some lighter – that may “stick out” in the end.
  • Another reason it is important to lay out your blocks is to ensure your layout is correct. There’s nothing worse than sewing several rows together only to find you have a block turned incorrectly! Taking the time now will save you time later…trust me.
  • Once you feel your layout and blocks are prepped, step back and look at it once more from a further distance, ask a friend to take a look, and/or snap a photo on your phone. These are all helpful ideas to assist you in viewing your quilt in a different way.
• If you are afraid that your blocks are not all the right size, you may find pinning helpful. Do your best to center the blocks together, but don’t pull too hard to get them “perfectly” lined up. This quilt is very forgiving, and there are no points to match up (YAY!).
• If you are planning to send your quilt top to a long arm quilter, you may want to consider a stay/basting stitch around the entire perimeter of your quilt after assembly. This helps keep all those edge seams strong and prevent them from pulling apart once placed on the long arm.

See you back next week for the final blog post in our LOG CABIN SEW ALONG! As always, sew at your own pace. These posts will stay on the blog if you’d like to refer back.

-Joanna