Barn Raising Log Cabin

 

When I finished my first quilt, I fell in love with quilting.  I excitedly told my mom that I wanted to make another one.  She took me the next day to buy fabric for my second quilt.  We selected another quilt from this book. 

 



 

 

Because I had loved my original log cabin block, I decided to make a log cabin quilt. 

 

 

 

I finished piecing this quilt in 1994, and decided to hand quilt it because I didn't want to tie it.  (Machine quilting wasn't as common back then.)  But before I did quilting on a real quilt I practiced on this baby panel. 

 



 

Once I felt comfortable with hand quilting, I began the long process of hand quilting my Log Cabin. 

 



 

 

I used two different colors of thread.  Pink for the centers and lights and turquoise for the darks.  I just quilted it in the ditch around the "logs."  It took me six years to finish the hand quilting.  I finally finished it in 2000, the summer after I got married.  

 



 

 

Here is the back of the quilt.  The way the light shines through the quilt is pretty awesome. 

 



 

I love this quilt, but if I ever make another one it will be machine quilted!  Because of the hand quilting, it feels more like an heirloom quilt. 

 



 

Quilt Stats #6

Name: Barn Raising Log Cabin (very original)

Pattern:  Log Cabin from Quilts! Quilts!! Quilts!!!

Size: about 84 by 84 inches

Batting: low loft 100% polyester batting

Date finished: 2002

What I learned:

• I will only hand quilt something if it will really show.  Why put that much work into something that isn't seen?
• I really don't like the polyester batting.  It beards and the fibers work up through the quilt. 
• Hand quilting a bed quilt takes a LONG time!
• A Log Cabin is a very good beginner quilt and there are so many things you can do with them. 

 

Do you have a harder time using the quilts that are hand quilted? 

 

XX,

Jasmine