Half Log Cabin Block

However, the Half-Log Cabin block, another variation of the traditional Log Cabin design, places the center block at the corner rather than the middle. The block still ends up with half dark- and half light-colored fabrics. The Half-Log Cabin entails only half as many strips, and only half as much work as the traditional Log Cabin block.

This quilt uses two brown paper bags and those fabulous fabric scraps that you've got lying around. Join author Sharyn Craig and host Alex Anderson as they build the Half-Log Cabin block. Even a beginner can achieve dynamo results using this very basic technique.

Materials and Tools:

rotary cutter
cutting mat
ruler
fabric to make 24, 7-1/2" finished blocks:
- 11 assorted light color fabric strips with the length cut as wide as the bolt x 2" wide
- 16 assorted dark color fabric strips with the length cut as wide as the bolt x 2"

A crib-size quilt can be assembled using 24 blocks with a finished blanket size of approximately 28" x 40" with borders. All fabric patterns will work for the block. Fabric should be pre-washed, 100-percent cotton.

Steps:

Fabric cutting
When cutting larger pieces of fabric into strips, try this technique:

1. Place the fabric on a cutting mat and fold in half, positioning the folded side on the left or right side and the selvages on the top and bottom. Refold the fabric so the side selvages match up. Don't worry about the selvages matching across the top--this portion will be cut off.

2. Fold the fabric one more time, bringing the folded edge to the selvage edge. Turn the fabric around so the folded side is closest to you and line up the fabric fold on a horizontal line of the cutting mat.

Place the ruler at the end of the fabric selvage end and align the ruler on a vertical line of the cutting mat.

3. Cut the end off, throw away the cut piece and always remember to close the rotary blade for safety. Now the fabric is ready to cut into two-inch strips.

Fabric selection
On occasion, quilters have been known to impulse buy fabric. However, fabric purchases are sometimes more of the medium and dark colors rather than light colors. If your fabric stash lacks light-colored fabrics, a trip to the fabric store may not be necessary. Look at the backside or wrong side of the medium and dark fabrics as a source. One piece of fabric maybe used in two different ways, as a medium using the right side of the fabric and as a light using the wrong side of the fabric.

Into the bag
This paper bag method eliminates the worries of deciding which fabrics look best together. Using two paper bags, load one with dark fabric strips and the other with light fabric strips. No cheating or looking in the bags ! Select a fabric strip from each bag and what's pulled out is what goes together . Fun idea.

The 1/4-inch seam
Try this trick for achieving that highly sought after 1/4-inch seam, using a small piece of a Dr. Scholl's footpad.

1. Cut a strip of the footpad measuring 1/4" x 1".

2. Place a ruler under the pressure foot of the sewing machine and bring the needle down on the 1/4-inch mark of the ruler. Peel the backing off the footpad strip and place it next to the ruler to mark a 1/4-inch seam allowance.

3. A straight stitch foot can also help in obtaining the perfect 1/4-inch seam. This foot has an attachment known as a quilting bar guide. This guide is marked exactly a 1/4-inch from the needle position. This foot and the Dr. Scholl's footpad trick may be used together or separately.

Block assembly
1. Pull a fabric strip from the dark fabric bag and cut a two-inch square from the two-inch wide strip. The remaining strip should be placed off to the side and not back in the bag to help in the rotation of fabrics.

2. Next pull a fabric strip from the light fabric bag. With right sides of the strips together, position the dark two-inch square on top of the light fabric strip, about a 1/4 inch down from the top of the light fabric. Stitch in place.

3. Repeat the same steps through the whole process of block assembly. Cut, sew, segment, press and stack (see below). In this case, segment means to cut through the bottom layer of fabric so it's equal in length to the pieced strips on top. Segment the fabric and press the unit with the newest fabric strip on top.

Cut, sew, segment, press & stack
The assembly of this block is more of a sewing system. All steps are repeated. The next step is to stack the units face down. Here's the question. What was the last fabric used? If the answer is light, then stack the unit with the light color in the up position. Here 's a way to remember: lighten up or light up. If the answer was dark, then stack the unit with the dark color in the down position. Always stack from the largest units to the smallest units with right sides down. By stacking correctly the sewing will be done correctly.

Pull a dark strip from the bag and position the first unit, right sides together, on top of the strip and stitch in place, using the 1/4-inch seam allowance. Segment the unit. Also cut a two-inch square from the newest dark strip. This will happen every time a dark strip is used. This dark square will be the start of the second block.

Pressing tips
Sometimes ironing will distort the unit--heat setting it out of shape. To help prevent this, place the unit on the ironing board with the sewn edge away from the body. Set the stitches by placing the iron on top of the fabric unit in the closed position. Next, open the unit and in up right position, position the iron on the dark square and slide across to the light colored square .

Fabric check and balance
To make sure the fabrics are lining up correctly, position the largest unit on the bottom, position the smaller unit on top of the previous unit so the right-hand fabric matches and the last fabric used matches.

Pick up these units and place, one at a time, the units on the next fabric strip, which will be a light strip. Stitch in place, segment the units and press.

Eventually, four blocks will be worked on at a time. Once the two-inch square is cut for the fifth block, the fourth block will be completely finished.