The Self-Mitered Log Cabin

Supply List Self-Mitered Log Cabin

In progress, Detail 2016

Reality Check, 1997

The unique Make It Simpler® Self-Mitered Log Cabin Quilt below is a fabric lover’s jewel box. Anita developed a streamlined technique based on her prizewinning entry in Jinny Beyer’s 1997 “Basic Realities” contest. The 6" finished blocks are simple to sew and the quilt construction is straightforward.  Without using pins, 1 1/2" strips of fabric intersect on their own to form a precise miter. Expect Anita to have a trick up her sleeve. The book Rotary Cutting Revolution is required for the Self-Mitered Log Cabin.  It is a paperback available from the usual sources. It's also included free in my Craftsy class as a downloadable bonus eBook (PDF)

Advance preparation (cutting 16 different 1.5 x 8 inch fabric rectangles: 6 light, 4 medium, 6 dark) is necessary for the workshop. There are always some students who are able to bring more than 16 selections. Please cut the rectangles from starched fabric for class.

Don't over-think the fabric. A student once told me it didn't take her very long to gather the supplies for my class. She explained "I just grabbed whatever was on top of the pile."

When offered, a kit contains vellum and opaque foundations for the workshop.

The Self-Mitered Log Cabin, Boulder 2010  exhibited on "The Quilt Show" episode #905

Laura Yellen Catlan, Huntington (NY) Quilters Guild Blog Post, May 2012:

“Anita demonstrated how the Self-Mitered Log Cabin block is assembled using her Make It Simpler methods. She emphasized the importance of color and value when selecting fabric for this block, and we spent a good part of the morning sorting our colors and moving from one station to another to watch Anita analyze the scraps and strips we had brought. Anita used her own Log Cabin Quilt to illustrate the importance of the color concepts we were learning about. 

We used the afternoon to construct two sample blocks, learning not only the MIS self-mitering technique, but also applying the color concepts Anita taught us earlier. Quilters were up to their elbows in fabric, enjoying the many possibilities that this block presents. It was another wonderful day spent with Anita. HQ members hope to build on what we learned, so we are planning a strip exchange and quilting day to work on our newly learned self-mitered log cabin blocks.”

Houston Quilt Festival 2016 Everyone's class block set on tabletop in Barn Raising layout