Log cabin blocks have to be one of the greatest classics. Not only are they beautiful in their most basic form but there is so much you can do with them when you play with fabric placement and layout. This quilt is made of wide and narrow strips to create "curves", I used the Creative Grids Curvy Log Cabin Trim Tool to make 8" blocks. Honestly this makes it so easy and the result is perfectly precise blocks. A beautiful selection of Liberty prints and a variety of greens makes for a quilt with a gentle spring vibe.


While sewing the blocks I went for a completely random look, choosing fabric strips as I went. I love this scrappy style even when cutting from metres of fabric. It also makes sewing easier as I didn't have to concentrate on fabric placement, beyond whether it was a narrow or wide strip. I arranged the blocks into groups of four to make the illusion of six circles. After all that piecing, pressing and trimming I kept the quilting very simple, letting the pattern of the blocks remain the focus, by just stitching in the ditch.



Also following the spring theme is another recent finish, is this Bebé a la mode quilt - pattern from the book Quilt Traditions by Devon Lavigne.


I made a slightly smaller version of the quilt that's in the book. The background of the quilt is pieced and the petals are sewn with machine applique. I decided to do a blanket stitch, one of my favourite applique stitches, whether by machine or hand.


Again I used various greens and greys within the quilt and mixed the purple and fuchsia petals. I'm thinking this could be called intentionally random patchwork - that scrappy look when not actually using scraps! This was a lovely pattern to sew, actually there were a couple of other quilts in the book I fancy making because they have a traditional feel and interesting piecing.


I did cheat a little with this one because it should have three borders and I only did two. I kept the proportion of the outer border, reducing it by 1/2". There should be two because those green shapes in the border are appliquéd, there should be a seam which they are resting on. They aren't pieced in the border otherwise I would have. My husband did suggest I quilt a line of stitching to give the illusion of the seam but I actually quite like the shapes resting on the purple border as they are.


I quilted wavy lines using a decorative machine stitch (mode 2 #1 width 9 length 3 on my Elna 680). I can't recommend experimenting with stitches enough! You only have to look at my most recent quilts to see how I'm making use of my machine's decorative stitches for quilting. Tell me your favourite stitch to use for quilting or appliqué!