Jump into Patchwork & Quilting
A new book for beginners by Sarah Ashford
My review and ‘lazy days log cabin quilt’.
I’ve been teaching people how to make patchwork quilts for over five years. Many of those new quilters have asked me to recommend a book that would be perfect for beginners. Until recently, I wasn’t aware of one that I could recommend whole-heartedly. Many patchwork and quilting books, understandably, aim to appeal to a broad market of readers. They might include some basic information about how to make a quilt but not the depth and detail that a beginner is likely to need.
But then Sarah Ashford wrote the book that was missing and I have a recommendation for you at last!
Jump into Patchwork & Quilting is EXACTLY the book you need if you’re starting to learn how to make a patchwork quilt. Sarah has written down everything you need to know as a beginner and designed a series of achievable projects for you to practice on. The clever bit is how each project builds your skills. If you follow them in turn, not only will you make things you can be proud of – cushions, coasters and table runners - but you can bring what you’ve learnt together to create your first proper patchwork quilts in different sizes.
I was really touched when Sarah asked me to join her virtual book tour. Sarah and I work together to run her popular Great British Quilter Facebook group, so this is a lovely opportunity to give her my support. But it was also the push I needed to make a long-planned quilting project….
About 10 years ago, not long after I learnt to quilt myself, I’d had a baby and met a lovely group of local mums. Most of us became pregnant again at about the same time and I decided to make baby quilts for each of the newborns. One of the quilts I made was based on a traditional ‘log cabin’ patchwork design and it was my favourite. I just loved how the blocks came together. As I gifted that quilt to a new baby and his parents, I promised myself that I’d make another log cabin quilt one day but I never did. Until now!
When I saw that Sarah had included a log cabin design in her new book, I just had to make it for my stop on the virtual book tour. I’ve been looking for an opportunity to dive into my stash of solid scraps and I thought this would be the perfect project. I’ve made four blocks so far but will keep going because they are addictive to make and, let’s face it, I have plenty of the scraps!
Like many traditional patchwork designs, log cabin blocks can be placed this way and that way to create different overall designs. Sarah’s ‘Lazy Days’ log cabin quilt places the classic block design in rows which keeps the quilt simple – perfect for the beginner quilter – with a more modern look and feel.
I’ve kept as close as my scraps would allow to Sarah’s suggested colour scheme, especially the traditional red centre square representing the hearth – and heart – of the home and the classic dark and light sides of the block. As I’ve used scraps, the exact colours and shades vary from block to block but I’m excited to see where this quilt (and my scraps!) take me. You’ll definitely be seeing more of this quilt as soon as I can get back to it. The only question is, can you finish yours before me?*
* spoiler alert: you almost certainly will – my WIPs are out of control!