Preliminary Cutting

• 1). Cut dark, light, and red center fabric into 2 1/2-inch strips across the width of the fabric (selvage edge to selvage). Cut one strip from center fabric, 18 light strips and 22 dark strips.
  
  
• 2). Cut eight strips from each of the border fabrics in the following widths: three inches for the first border, four inches for the second border, and five inches for the third.
  
  
• 3). Cut the center square strip into the 2 1/2-inch squares. You will need 15 of these. Cut 15 light squares to the same size. Use one of each for the first block, and set aside the rest.
  
  

Sewing the Blocks

• 1). Sew a center square to a light square with right sides facing and using a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Press the seam toward the light square. Use 1/4-inch seams throughout the rest of the quilt.
  
  
• 2). Measure the long edge of this unit. It should be 4 1/2 inches. Cut 15 rectangles, 2 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches, from the light fabric. Sew a rectangle to the top of the square unit with right sides together and the edges even all around. Again, press the seam toward the last piece added.
  
  
• 3). Cut 15 dark 2 1/2-inch-by-4 1/2-inch rectangles. Sew one of these to your pieced square so that the dark rectangle will be next to the seam joining the center square and the last rectangle. Press the seam toward the dark rectangle.
  
  
• 4). Cut 15 dark and 15 light 2 1/2-by-6 1/2-inch rectangles. Sew a dark rectangle to the bottom of the pieced unit, press, and then sew the light rectangle to the right side of the unit and press. Note that the new rectangles are added in counter-clockwise order around the center, and always two light alternating with two dark. The second light and the first dark are the same size.
  
  
• 5). Cut 15 dark and light 2 1/2-by-8 1/2-inch rectangles and sew the light rectangle to the top and the dark to the left of the unit. Press each seam before sewing the next.
  
  
• 6). Cut 15 dark and light 2 1/2-by-10 1/2-inch rectangles and add to the block as previously directed. Next cut 15 light and dark 2 1/2 by 12 1/2-inch rectangles and add.
  
  
• 7). Cut 15 dark rectangles, 2 1/2 by 14 1/2 inches, and sew to the bottom edge to square up and complete the block. The block should measure 14 1/2 inches square at this point. Sew the other 14 blocks the same way.
  
  

Sewing Together the Quilt Top

• 1). Lay out the finished blocks and decide how you would like to position them. All blocks can face the same way, or secondary patterns can be formed by meeting the dark corners in horizontal lines or zig-zags.
  
  
• 2). Pin the blocks together once you've determined the layout and sew them together in rows. Press seams toward the dark fabric.
  
  
• 3). Pin the rows together, careful to match the seams joining the blocks. Sew and press the seams to either direction.
  
  
• 4). Sew the narrowest border strips to the sides and then to top and bottom of the pieced quilt. Continue in this order to sew the medium-width and widest borders to the quilt. You may have to piece the border strips together with 1/4-inch seams to make them long enough to attach to the sides of the quilt. Press the seams to the outside after adding each border strip.
  
  

Finishing the Quilt

• 1). Piece the backing fabric with one seam (horizontal or vertical) so that it is big enough to cover the quilt top. Place the backing fabric, wrong side up, on a table or the floor. Place the batting on top and smooth out any wrinkles. Place the Log Cabin top, right side up, on top of the batting so that the batting and backing stick out at least one inch on all sides. This is the quilt sandwich.
  
  
• 2). Baste the quilt sandwich together using large stitches or safety pins. Make sure there are no wrinkles in any of the layers.
  
  
• 3). Trim around the perimeter so that all of the layers lie even with the quilt top.
  
  
• 4). Cut 2 1/2-inch strips of binding fabric so that there are enough to go around the perimeter plus a half-yard. Sew the strips together. Fold the long binding strip, wrong sides together, lengthwise and press. Pin the binding to the edges of the quilt sandwich with the edges even. Stitch through all layers, pivoting at the corners.
  
  
• 5). Flip the folded edge of the binding to the back of the quilt and stitch with a slipstitch. (A slipstitch shows as a tiny stitch holding the binding to the backing, and a longer stitch hides in the layers.)