I have completed 64 scrappy log cabin blocks and trimmed them to 5 1/4 inches unfinished.
This is the perfect time to experiment with some layouts and I have discovered one thing already. It’s very easy to make a mistake in laying out your pattern. Taking a photo and examining that photo on your computer screen is a great way to check your layouts. Inconsistencies just seem to leap out in a way that they don’t when the blocks are laid out on your design floor.
Here are a couple of examples, with the problem areas circled. I could pretend it’s all part of the process pledge and that I left these inconsistencies in just to show you, but that would be a lie. In fact, I just didn’t see these problems until I had the images on the big screen.
Sunshine and Shadows Log Cabin Layout
Straight Setting Log Cabin Layout
And here’s Fields and Furrows, without any errors, as far as I can tell.
Fields and Furrows Log Cabin Layout
Suite 101 has five popular layouts that are a handy reference.
Over the next few weeks I plan to build another set of logs around these blocks to increase their size. The quilt right now would finish to about 40 inches square and that’s too small to be useful to anyone I know.
If you have a preferred log cabin layout, please leave a comment and tell me what it is.
A Journey with Fibre 
I love log cabin quilts! So many different ways to put them together…and all so lovely! :)
Thanks for stopping by again. Do you have a a favourite layout? Please share if you do. Taking the photos for this blog gave me a bit of an aha moment. I realised that Fields & Furrows is a lot more pleasing to my eye than I thought it would be. In fact, right now it’s looking like the layout that’s going to ‘win.’
Of the three you have laid out, yes…Fields & Furrows is my favorite. :) But I think I like the Barn Raising even better. ;)
I’ll take another look at Barn Raising. Right now I’m fully occupied adding another circle of logs around my 64 blocks. It’s a slow process.
I like the fields and furrows
Thanks for voting. As I agree with your vote I will accept it. This is an artistic process, not a democratic one, after all :-)
I really like the sunshine and shadows – but a lot depends on what you have planned in the boarder. I will be really interested to see how you finish this.
Thanks for the comment Deborah.
I must confess that I don’t really have a plan for the border at this stage. The two ideas I’ve been kicking around are a single narrow border (say 1 inch) in a navy blue small print or no border at all. I was planning to audition a few fabrics once I have the blocks together.
To paraphrase, I’ll be really interested in seeing how I finish it too :-)