Recently I sewed a pair of bee blocks in the log cabin style. They reminded me of this quilt by Annabelle Wrigley, which has been on my mind for many months. I had thought I would sew something similar from a curated color palette, but suddenly I felt the itch to go scrappy instead.

Here they are, my multicolor scraps in all their chaotic glory! With its heat and energy, summer is the perfect season for happy-go-lucky, scrappy sewing. Can I transform this wild abundance into something pleasing?

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At the back, on the wall, you can spy my first go at it. This is a rectangular log cabin block. It has a red “hearth” center, in the classic style, plus a dark and light side.

It’s nice, but it doesn’t breath. The multicolor prints squish together without definition. Making this first block was a learning experience. I realized that using all one print for the light or dark side somewhat obscures the log cabin piecing. Hmmm - - - punctuating the wild prints with solids might do the trick.

I’ve decided to go back to the basic square shape, maintain a red “hearth” center” and add in a helping of solids. For each log cabin block I’ll use two fabrics for the light side and two fabrics for the dark side. This is quite inspired by Annabelle’s quilt, and I am totally in love with the results!

I’m eager to to make another and another and another!

With the log cabin structure and an infusion of solids, my craziest scraps don’t look so chaotic any longer. I can’t wait to see this grow.