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| Scrappy Rebuilt Log Cabin Quilt |
Anyone who quilts is familiar with the ambivalent reaction to a growing pile of fabric cuttings. While they are valuable and sometimes too small and/or too odd to fit into typical patterns, they are too valuable to discard. If you're seeking a project to bring a life to these beloved leftovers, this is a project to be discovered: Scrappy Rebuilt Log Cabin Quilt by Elaine Adair. Transforms into one of the most popular classical quilt designs of all time—the Log Cabin—with a modern and improv twist, and scrap busting is a lot of fun!
Traditional log cabins use the same, exact sizes for the logs. The genius of Elaine Adair is to turn this hard and fast rule on its head and use “rebuilt” blocks. This pattern is used to help you create larger fabric units, rather than the regular yardage, out of your smallest, irregular crumbs and strips. This new material is created into "slabs" before being cut and pieced together into your cabin logs. Out of it comes an extraordinary rich and beautiful texture that each individual block tells its own micro-story, combining colors and prints in a way that a structured line of fabrics could not.
Pattern at a Glance: This very flexible pattern is ideal for intermediate quilters or creative beginners wanting to learn about color value and value contrast. The design is a lovely combination of traditional light and dark log cabin layout, and since the logs themselves are cut from a variety of scrogs, the overall effect of the complete quilt is very depthful and reminiscent of watercolor painting. The PDF instructions also make it a very flexible project, so you can scale your blocks to fit with your scrap bin, it's an ideal long term project to chip away at your scrap stash!
This pattern is enjoyable because of the freedom of it. No stress at all over getting the seams to match as the fabric is organic, and therefore somewhat rebuilt. It's a meditative, highly creative way to making something lovely, warm and truly unique with whatever you have available, reflecting the history of quilting in which you would use what you had to create something beautiful.
Final Thought
The Scrappy Rebuilt Log Cabin is not just a pattern, it's a creatively inspired approach to building. It reminds us that we shouldn't view our smallest scraps discarded as waste but rather as the materials we will use to create our next masterpiece. When your scrap bin begins to fill up the next time, try out this method of rebuilding instead of the usual squares. Your quilt will be a beautiful heirloom quilt and a lot of fun to make!
Full Pattern: Scrappy Rebuilt Log Cabin Quilt Free PDF Pattern 🎁
