Inspiration
I have always wanted to make a log cabin quilt, and when Quiltcon announced that one of the challenges for the 2023 show entries was to create one, I was immediately excited. I enjoy quilt show challenges because of the limits they provide. They provide a valuable jumping-off point and important constraints. This is the sweet spot for my creativity since it prevents me from trying to incorporate too many ideas into one concept. Sometimes the floodgates open, and ideas feel endless, but that can lead to a chaotic and overwhelming end result. These days, editing is my dearest companion when designing.
Though I had always wanted to make a log cabin quilt, I knew I would have to create something truly innovative to have a shot at being accepted into Quiltcon. It's one of the most competitive shows in the US, particularly for modern quilters with only 20 - 25% of entrants being accepted. At the same time, I wanted to stick closely to the traditional log cabin block layout because I love the simplicity and balance.
I set myself up for an interesting journey since these two goals seemed blatantly opposed: be innovative yet also completely traditional. At the outset, my mind was drawing a bit of a blank. So, I set aside some time at an upcoming quilt retreat to begin some sampling and see where my creativity would lead me.
EXPERIMENT #1: BATIKS
At the retreat, I bought fat quarters of some stunning batik fabrics from a quilt shop down the road. I began assembling them randomly just to see what was working and what was not.
EXPERIMENT #2: SOLIDS
When I got home from the retreat, I was so inspired by my discovery of having the seams on the "wrong side" of the quilt, but the effect was utterly lost in the busy pattern of the batik. So, I wanted to try again, but this time make blocks out of solids only. To make the effect even more prominent, I would press the seams open and then stitch either end down in the opposite direction which ended up creating a spiral effect.
EURIKA!
While pressing the pure white blocks, I noticed a subtle transparency, revealing the ironing board beneath. Curious, I placed a black fabric swatch underneath and immediately saw the potential—this was something I had to explore further.