Scrap Strips for a Log Cabin Quilt with Attitude in March

In March, we'll be making this fun and easy variation of the log cabin block.  It will be:

BOLD - please include at least one black & white fabric or one white and one black fabric

COOL - add fabrics into the mix which are from the cool side of the color wheel: blue, green, purple

SCRAPPY - feel free to use up extra 4-patch or triangle square units as the center of your scrap square; the fabrics you include in your block may be solids or prints and multicolor prints may contain colors from the other side of the color wheel as long as they are predominately cool. You may also add neutral grays. Each block should contain at least 7 fabrics; you may use the same fabric in multiple blocks as long as they don't match and the overall look is scrappy.

. . . AND HAVE AN ATTITUDE - Sharon Rotz, whose directions we will be using calls this block Scrap Strips and uses them to make "Log Cabin Quilts with Attitude." Her pattern directions appear in three blog posts on her blog here:

1. Piecing the block  until it is between 10.5 - 12 inches square
2. Trimming the block (to give it attitude) to 9.5 inches
3. Putting the blocks together into a quilt

We will only be completing steps 1 and 2 for the lotto, but, for completeness, I included all three steps ... because these are so quick and easy, you may decide to make some for yourelf. While you're on Sharon's site, be sure to check out some of the quilts she's made using this technique, Log Cabin Quilts with Attitude.

Because half your blocks will be trimmed with a LEFT-leaning attitude and half with a RIGHT-leaning attitude (so our winners may create a Log Cabin quilt with Attitude), your blocks for the lotto will be entered as PAIRS (one left, one right) and you may enter a MAXIMUM OF FIVE PAIRS (10 blocks) in March.  

I truly believe that the biggest challenge this month actually is being mindful and making sure that you trim your blocks so that are half LEFT-leaning and half RIGHT-leaning.  When I was trimming my blocks, my mind (and ruler) kept leaning in the same direction (or ended up there, even when I started out the right way) and I know that at least two sneak peekers had a similar problem.

There is very little measuring in this block until you are trimming.  The center may be any size (and doesn't even have to be square), the strips you add to the sides (logs) may be any width and may be as even or uneven as the scraps you might find and decide to use.    However, I recommend that you take the time to press your seams as you sew and especially give the blocks a good press before you trim them with attitude . . . because when you trim them (with attitude), you will be creating bias edges and you'll want to be gentle with handling the blocks afterward.

HOW MANY BLOCKS? (Updated March 8)

Krista asked how many blocks the winner will get.  We'll aim at sets of 24 PAIRS (48 blocks), with no winner receiving fewer than 18 PAIRS (36 blocks).  In actual numbers:

1-41   pairs -> 1 winner
42-65 pairs -> 2 winners
66-89 pairs >  3 winners
... etc

SOME INSPIRATION

The result is very fun ... as you can see from these blocks from sneak peekers, Andra, Caroline, Ginny, Michelle, Rho and me.

Click any of these blocks for a larger image, but note that in the few instances where I sliced-up a photo of a group of blocks into individual squares, it might not be that much larger ;-) 

For this month, please label your posts about this block with the tag Scrap Strips, and if it is a post with photos of your blocks, add the tag March 10 photos.