Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Half a Log History and Free Pattern

Housetops by Deb Rowden
2010
Deb's wall quilt is one of my favorite quilts.

Vintage quilt top---1950s
Her inspiration was a four-block quilt based on the half-a-log cabin
much like the one above.

Wool Half-a-Log, about 1910
Now a Half-a-Log is actually a quarter of a log cabin block.

The pattern doesn't have a BlockBase number because I indexed
published patterns and nobody published a name until after 1970
after I stopped indexing.

But the pattern did exist back into the 1880s or so.
Here's a top I own from the 1940s or '50s

And a similar shading arrangement from perhaps the late 19th-century.
It's one of the vernacular patterns or folk patterns
that was passed around outside the commercial pattern network.

You don't see many vintage half-a-log-cabin quilts
although it's an easier pattern than the traditional full log-cabin block.
No set-in seams.

This one looks to be about 1890

Here's a fabulous example from around the same time.

A great asymmetrical composition from the 1940s or '50s with extra-
wide sashing strips.


 
Chrome orange and white, 
a tied version from about 1900 in which she
actually used a ruler.

The pattern is very popular today because we've all been inspired by the Quilts of Gee's Bend,
Which is why we call them Half-A-Log. 
That's what they call them in Gee's Bend, Alabama.


The pattern seems to have been a favorite of the Pettway family.
The quilt above was made by Lillie Mae Pettway.

Here's one by Rita Mae Pettway,
about 1975

And a full-size quilt made of one block by
Lucy Pettway in 1945


I have a lot of 2-1/2" strips so I am thinking of making one using my
Civil War Jubilee repros for the darks...

 and adding lights from the Moda line Mill Book Series Circa 1835,
plus a Turkey red repro from Moda's Bella Solids line
(Christmas Red #9900-16).
My inspiration is Becky Brown's log cabin below.


Courthouse Steps by
Becky Brown

Each month Becky comes up with a block for her quilt group to stitch. She made up 30 kits (2" cut strips) so her friends could make 4 blocks each for their quilts for vets project. Yay, Becky! Yay, Friends!


14" Finished Block
Add the logs in the order shown beginning with the square 1

Here's the cutting information---if you wanted to use a ruler.
You cut the strips one width (2-1/2") or use a Moda Jellyroll precut pack.
There's a formula here. You add to the length of the strips in 2" increments (6, 8, 10 etc)

1 - Cut 1 square 6-1/2"
2 - Cut 1 strip 2-1/2" x 6-1/2"
3 & 4 - Cut 2 strips 2-1/2" x 8-1/2"
5 & 6 - Cut 2 strips 2-1/2" x 10-1/2"
7&8 - Cut 2 strips 2-1/2" x 12-1/2"
9 - Cut 1 strip 2-1/2" x 14-1/2"

Rather than measuring you could just add the 2-1/2" strips and trim.
And keep going the way Lucy Pettway did for her one-block bed quilt above.


A mid-20th-century version from the Quilt Complex

See a contemporary version by Linda Nussbaum here:

And for a whole different direction see this collage by Sandy Donabed:

Here's another post I wrote about the Half-a-Log here:

5 comments:

  1. I think that would drive me nuts, would want to finish it all around, lol. I am trying to decide what to do with my jean pile, like the idea of doing mixed sized strips and then a sailboat on some, since it is for my husband.

    Debbie

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  2. Oh! These are all so inspiring. I especially love your 40's to 50's one with the red centers scattered throughout. May have to make one of those!

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  3. I don't believe traditional log cabins, courthouse steps or otherwise, have set-in seams. Possibly you were thinking of the wonderful 5-sided log cabin pattern you gave us about 2 years ago, which was a bit (!) more difficult and required the use of partial seam technique. Those were great, but these are going to be so much easier!

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  4. How inspiring, makes me want to go make some of these blocks right away!

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  5. Would love to win the hand dyed fabric pack... I can use them to finish my blocks!
    Thanks,
    Karen

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