Happy 2020, the Year of Hindsight,... Sewing Resolutions and Log Cabins

Another year, another decade, in hindsight, I shouldn't have purchased as much fabric as I have, but I really do love it, so it's not like I haven't enjoyed it.  The revelation this year, is that if I am to make space, I need to sew up what I have.  There are 5 complete quilt kits in the stash, organized in project boxes.  I feel very organized and almost virtuous, putting it in boxes was a really good idea.  The plan is to sew up the kits, slowly improving my skills, and increasing the complexity of the designs as we go.

The first is the log cabin quilt.  I had been assigned overseas and would be spending a fair amount of time alone in the evenings and weekends and decided I would do something productive.  This was in 1998, perusing the magazine rack at the airport, I fell in love with a log cabin zigzag quilt.  Two years later, I walked into a quilt store and showed them the photo, and the nice woman in the store loaded me up with yards and yards of fabric (aprox 12 yards), 45 different patterns, half dark, half light.

I first had to understand the pattern, so I drew it out.  Then calculated how many strips I would need to cut to complete a throw.  The quilt in the photo, I suspect, was made to finish in 3/4" or 1/2" strips.  Since this is only my third pieced quilt, better minds suggested I go no narrower than 1".

So far, I have learned that log cabins have a direction, and if you don't stick to that direction, your blocks won't be the same.  Fortunately this was caught early.

I am finally using my gravity feed iron, and a gifted Quilter's Pressing Pad, which I really love. Thank you!!!

There are a few things that I hope to achieve with this project.
- improving accuracy
- getting into a rhythm
- being organized while working
- improving my "scrappy look"
- concentration
- Applique experiment
- Hope to have a nice little throw in the end....


Quilting is not the only sewing goal.  Next will be a sewing project....