Monday, January 19, 2009

another block for jenny

i finished jenny's block today. i loved working with these fabrics. i think i've decided that (at least for me) the secret to sucessful "wonky blocks" is to cut the pieces freehand with scissors instead of trying to use a rotary cutter and straightedge ruler. are there really two ways to do log cabin blocks, or is this something different? aren't log cabins more like a spiral? instead of this which is more like concentric squares? i was actually inspired to go back and really look at some older DS quilt designs (especially her "drunk love in a log cabin" design) and study how she built blocks--what made them uniquely her style--and i'm pretty happy with how this one turned out. especially the mix of skinny and fat lines. thanks for these simple fabrics that allow the piecing to stand out!

7 comments:

Rebekah said...

I love this! You have successfully created a DS block. Thanks for sharing your tips, especially the thick/thin and hand cutting.

Marina said...

Hi, I don't remember how I found this blog, but I love seeing everyone's blocks. I think that the block you did is Courthouse Steps, which is a variation of Log Cabin. At least, that's what my mom (the real quilter) told me--when I learned Log Cabin, I kept losing my place and adding to the wrong side, so I ended up with a lot of Courthouse Steps blocks.

Robin (RsIslandCrafts) said...

Your block looks great! I don't think I would have put grey and red together, but they are stunning together!

I like this style of log cabin.

bettyninja said...

I did mine with the scissors too!

abcgirl said...

thanks, marina! it looks like the construction of the block is the same as "courthouse blocks." i wonder if the way that you arrange the colors in the block has any effect on how the pattern is named? thanks for the info!

Unknown said...

Your block looks fantastic! I love the think/thin stripes, and I will have to start using scissors to make some of these wonky blocks!

jenny said...

I like this a lot - very subtle yet interesting! Thanks!