Eleanor Burns’ Quilt in a Day log cabin pattern was the first how-to quilt book I ever purchased. I still use it over thirty years later. Burns is very straightforward with her directions. She begins the book with a brief history of the log cabin pattern. Then the detailed instruction begins.

Charts

Burns provides multiple charts to aid the planning of a log cabin quilt. First are worksheets to pin fabric swatches on. These sheets keep the sewing order on track. Also included are yardage charts. Each of the charts indicate the application of block arrangements. This is useful because only the Field and Furrow arrangement can always work. The many other arrangements require specific numbers of blocks. So if you want a Barn Raising Log Cabin quilt, you must make sure to use the correct block arrangement.

The yardage charts also provide the accurate amount of fabric to buy. The yardage varies by the size of the log cabin quilt and the placement of the fabric within the quilt design. I have made many quilts using these charts and I have yet to be short or overly long on fabric.

Log Cabin quilts key on color contrasts. Burns breaks up the charts between lights and darks. However, contrast can be between colors opposite each other on the color wheel. An example is using red and green in a Christmas themed log cabin design. In such a scenario, just assign one of the colors to the light chart and the other to the dark side.

Burns labels the next chart the tearing chart. She is big proponent of this technique. However, I am a rotary cutter fan. The tearing charts still apply. Preparing the strips all at once is key to this method of quilting.

Log Cabin Block Assembly

After all the fabric is in strips, the blocks are ready to sew. Burns provides the illustration in assembling the quilt. For a first time quilter, these diagrams are extremely helpful.

Once the blocks are made they can be previewed in the various log cabin variations. Burns includes diagrams indicating block arrangement for each log cabin variation. The book is a fantastic guide for the many designs.

The next section gives instruction on piecing the blocks together. Burns discusses the practice of butting the pieces together. This allows continuous sewing and saves time. Also, the technique avoids wasting thread.

The author does an excellent job of walking the beginning quilter through the entire process. The log cabin quilt is one of my favorites. I love the contrasts of both color and hue. Values of color really show off the different arrangements. If you are interested in learning to quilt, I highly recommend this book.