Log Jam quilt
Log (cabin) Jam (session)
A funny play on words to describe this quilt! My intention for this quilt design was to use a log cabin block pattern, and play with a variety of colours (from a set palette) throughout. I would consider this design a partial improv - I designed and printed my own log cabin block patterns at 10" (finished) and when it came time to selecting colours for each section of the block, I mainly pulled strips of fabric at random.
My base/background fabric was the Speckle Essex Yarn Dyed in Mocha, and I selected a few other natural coloured fabrics to accompany it. It wasn't until I got my order of fabric home (it was ordered online at Mad About Patchwork) that I noticed the blue fibre speckles in the fabric! I had a bunch of off-cut strips of this blue Peppered Cotton and it was a perfect match, so decided to include it - the blue definitely adds a needed break from the natural colours and really brings the blocks to life.
The strips of fabric didn't always span the entire section – occasionally I would sew an off-cut scrap to another piece of fabric and use it as-is. I was also inspired by the angled piecing that Carolyn Friedlander put into sections of her recent Ray quilt, which is how the blue triangle piecing came to be.
The other unexpected surprise that I included into the design was the selvage of the Essex - it was woven with a lighter coloured fibre and I made sure I used it at random. I included a sashing between the blocks, and that strip of selvage really broke up the visual lines of the sashing and helped to provide a bit of movement amongst the blocks in the grid. Including the background fabric in the blocks helped with that as well.
I sent this quilt off to Jessie Roussel in Montreal to long-arm quilt it and I love the texture that this pantograph gives to the quilt. He used a matching beige thread on the top, and a red thread in the bobbin, and the two blend perfectly into both sides of the quilt. I can't wait to wash this quilt before its gifted and see how the texture changes!
I made this quilt for my dad. This is the first quilt I've made for him. He just built himself a log cabin house a few years ago and the colours will match his living room. I'm hoping he gets plenty of use out of it after long days working on the farm.