Cabins ....

... of the log variety.

On a whim, I stopped at an estate sale on my way back from the bank Friday (have to pay the mortgage, after all). It was a house I'd always wondered about when passing. I wonder about a lot of houses, "I wonder what it looks like inside?", "I wonder what the floor plan is, It looks so big from the street?" Etc., etc. So I stopped. I'd seen an ad in the paper earlier stating that the entire contents of the house would be for sale. By the time I arrived the furniture was all spoken for. I picked up 2 books on weaving (!), and a large box of quilting scraps that I found in the attic. $20 for the scraps, $5 for the books! $20 may seem like a lot for scraps, but when considering the cost of new cotton (upwards of $10/yd.), a box of scraps does seem a bargain at twenty.

Wonder of wonders when I got home and quickly set to unpacking the box. Hidden within the tangle of accumulated discards were 2 completed quilt tops. The first one is large--very large, it will fit my queen size bed with ease and it is entirely hand stitched. Someone put a lot of time into piecing this bit of eye candy together. There are a few squares--near the edge, thankfully--that I will need to replace because they've deteriorated, but otherwise it's in good shape. As soon as I get the repairs made I'll have it quilted. It's quite an heirloom I think. The other top is smaller, just the right size to use as a cloth for the kitchen table. It's machine sewn.

I love making scrap quilts. I find them infinitely exciting to work on; they're an adventure based on only the sparest of plans and are full of wonderful surprises with every square. I decided to make log cabin (the title of this post) squares. They're a classic and hugely fun to make. No intense planning required, simply cutting 1.5" strips and getting them under the presser foot.

I managed to make 11 squares this weekend. (I should go off now and make it an even dozen!) Saturday and Sunday were hibernating days--snow and wind like crazy! It was pretty wild sounding last night. I love it. Most thankful the electric stayed on and heat was produced throughout the duration. It was not snowing today, still a bit windy but very sunny and bright. If it hadn't been for the cold temperature (just above 0) it would have been just like an early summer day, a kite day! I got most of the drive cleared of drifting mounds before running out of gas and finished the rest off by hand. My old shovel fell apart last week (however could it be!?) so I had to purchase a new one and it's an ergonomic design. What a difference that makes! I'm amazed at how the design takes so much stress off the lower back. How very wonderful--and relieving!!

Unpacking the box of scraps:

The large hand-stitched top:

The smaller top:

The living room floor looking like laundry:

The 11 squares I managed over the weekend: