Coloured Cabins - Basic Log Cabin Layout

If you are playing along with my Coloured Cabins blocks, you'll have a few blocks pieced. Now it's time to start working on a layout. A 16 block quilt using 12" blocks will be a 4 block by 4 block arrangement (48" x 48"). A 20 block quilt will be 4 blocks by 5 blocks (48" x 60").

Let's focus first on the 16 block quilt. Have you noticed that these log cabins look like a Half Square Triangle? Yeppers! Any block that you can make using HST can be made into a quilt using Log Cabin blocks.

An OHIO Star layout looks good with 4 blocks in each row.

The BARN RAISING layout is another simple 4 x 4 quilt and a 4 x 5 quilt

A BARN RAISING layout with an odd number of blocks results in a slightly off-set centre.

A STREAK OF LIGHTENING layout creates some great drama when there is a high contrast between the light and the dark fabrics.

Adding an additional row to the length of the quilt helps to set off the zig-zag pattern

High contrast creates diamonds or squares on point.

Adding a 5th row of blocks helps to off set the diamonds a bit. This layout would work well in a much larger quilt.

A super simple pin wheel arrangement.

A FURROWS quilt layout looks good no matter how many blocks you use.

Now that you've got some blocks made, start laying them out. Take lots of pictures and see which "grabs" you and sew them together into a quilt!