Log cabin layout

deck of cards layout

Log cabins are such a cute way to use up those narrow strips and scraps.  A week or so ago I cleared out my 1-1/4 inch bag and made up 24 Log Cabin blocks that finish at 5 inches.

It's layout time! 

Recently I saw a 'deck of cards' arrangement that was intriguing.  It would make two small quilts once I add setting and corner triangles.  They'd make nice gifts.  I love how they make a pinwheel in the center.

Or, maybe put the blocks all together into one quilt.  Ooh, the possibilities!

pinwheel and barn raising layout

Just at the right time! Palmateer Point.

Have you ever stumbled upon just the right project at the right time?  Lori at Humble Quilts has a quilt-along that is perfect for some scraps I've been trying to use up.   I couldn't resist jumping in.

Palmateer Point parts one, two and three.

There are lots of projects that take 4-patch scraps.  Nearly every one has two light and two dark blocks.  What's left?  All those not-quite-light enough and not-quite-dark enough colors.  You know what I mean?  Those scraps where the color is never just right?  They get set aside every time.  And I had a bunch of them.

Well, those sad, overlooked blocks have found a home in Palmateer Point.  Twenty-five 4-patch blocks in soft almost-medium colors.  My scrap bag is nearly empty.  Ta-Da!

Here's the center portion all finished.   It's so hard to decide on a border!  The green keeps the soft antique look, but the blue gingham gives it a bit of a pop.  Which is your favorite?  Or something else entirely?

Clearing out the 1-1/4 strips

Every once in a while it's time to clear out a bag of scraps.  My scrap-user system involves putting pieces of the same width in gallon Ziploc bags.  When they get reasonably full, it's time to find a project to use them up. 

Well, this week the teeniest of scraps got the attention.  I dumped out and sorted the 1-1/4 inch strips by size.  Next came a little math and a prototype Log Cabin block to test out what I needed.  Strips were cut and put in small bags, all ready to sew up more Log Cabins.

The two smallest pieces in the Log Cabins are red and white at 1-1/4 inches each.  The shortest dark strip is 2-inches.  So, in the end, I had a bunch of dark strips that were smaller than 2-inches and couldn't be used. 

What to do?  4-patches!  Trimmed to 2-inches and cute as can be.  They might make nice cornerstones in a future project, or maybe the center of a Square-in-square block.  Possibilities....