Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Civil War Quilt Block Seven—Log Cabin

Now, though the power came back on within a day or so (though, alas, not quickly enough to save the food in the fridge, well, except the ketchup which I never realized does not actually need to be refrigerated), the internet stubbornly stayed away till just last night.

I know, I know, oh the horrors of the modern age! Whatever shall I do!?!

Turns out I got rather a lot done without that habitual mindsuck. Funny, that.

But I couldn't look up the next block in Barbara Brackman's Civil War Quilt-a-long, though I knew it was called Richmond, and that it was complicated. I sketched a picture of the way I remembered it, but I wasn't sure (turns out I had it just fine, actually). So I skipped ahead a bit, because I knew there was a Log Cabin coming.

She connects the Log Cabin block with both Abraham Lincoln (it was his birthday week when the post was originally run), and with Uncle Tom's Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe, which was instrumental in fuelling the Abolitionist cause.

I changed my Log Cabin block around a little, as the version Brackman gives is a little too simple for my tastes. I made the center looking-down-the-chimney-at-the-fire-in-the-fireplace block smaller, though it is of course still the traditional red (sorry, Santa—not safe!). I also made it into a Courthouse Steps version, as I thought the usual half square triangle Log Cabin would look kind of odd and unbalanced all by itself. I guess I think of Log Cabin blocks more as pieces of things than things themselves.

Anyway, here it is:



I decided also not to do the usual light and dark, but just went with blue and brown, both about the same in value. I'm really liking this darkish color palette, and may have to adjust a couple blocks to fit. I guess we'll see.

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