log cabin quilt layout

I am not a quilter. In fact, I joke I can only sew on paper. (It's totally true, by the way.) I had these fun photos from a recent visit to Laura Ingall's home in Mansfield, MO and wanted to do something special with them. The October Studio Calico kit was sitting on my desk and I thought...let's make a paper quilt. There was a quilt in one of the photos and this would tie it all together.

I'm all about not making things too complicated when scrapbooking and truly this background could not be easier. I decided to go with a kind of log cabin-ish pattern because of the simple straight lines.
So first off, pick the paper with coordinating patterns/colors. Using a kit for this step makes it even easier because the coordinating guess work is taken out for you. Make one pattern reddish in tone.
Once you have your paper picked out, cut rectangle strips out of two different patterns in 1x3 inch. Doing this for a 12x12 sized layout will make your pattern the exact size, with four blocks across each row and no trimming. For the center square, use a 1 inch square punch or simply cut a 1 inch square. Typically, the middle square of the pattern is a red color to mimic a chimney if you were looking at a cabin from an ariel view.

Take your first rectangle strip and glue it down. Then for the sides: one side will layer over that top piece, while the opposite side layers underneath. You can see this in the photo. The bottom piece is layered opposite the top piece. It is really a matter of over/under/over/under. Once that is finished, add your red square to the middle. Done! Now your next block will go opposite in terms of patterned rectangle strip used and the way it is layered.

Once you finish the row, start the process again on the next row, doing the block underneath opposite of what is done above it. So essentially, blocks that are diagonal from each other are copies, while blocks side by side or above one another are opposite. You can see that here.

For a 12x12 background you will have four rows of four blocks each, for a total of 16 blocks. That's if you want your entire background covered. I sewed over my blocks to give even more of a quilt feel...and because I can't help but sew on paper :)
So simple, or "sew" simple if I am being totally cheesy.
Now if only sewing an actual quilt with actual fabric were this easy! Because somehow I think curling up by the fire with a paper log cabin quilt would just end very badly.