Log Cabin barn quilt pattern
The Log Cabin barn quilt has 18 shapes in 3 colors, laid out from marks along the edges of the board.
Four rounds of logs around a center square, light on two sides and dark on the other two. Each log is a tenth of the board wide: 4.8" on a 4 × 4 board.
By Editorial Staff
Measurements for 2, 4 and 8 ft boards
| Board | Marks across the top and bottom | Marks down the sides |
|---|---|---|
| 2 × 2 ft | 2⅜", 4¾", 7¼", 9⅝", 14⅜", 16¾", 19¼", 21⅝" | 2⅜", 4¾", 7¼", 9⅝", 14⅜", 16¾", 19¼", 21⅝" |
| 4 × 4 ft | 4¾", 9⅝", 14⅜", 19¼", 28¾", 33⅝", 38⅜", 43¼" | 4¾", 9⅝", 14⅜", 19¼", 28¾", 33⅝", 38⅜", 43¼" |
| 8 × 8 ft | 9⅝", 19¼", 28¾", 38⅜", 57⅝", 67¼", 76¾", 86⅜" | 9⅝", 19¼", 28¾", 38⅜", 57⅝", 67¼", 76¾", 86⅜" |
Each mark is measured from the top left corner, rounded to the nearest ⅛". Mark both opposite edges, then join the marks with a straightedge and a sharp pencil.
Paint for the Log Cabin barn quilt
Two coats of exterior latex on the front, at 100 square feet a quart for each coat (labels say 300 to 400 square feet a gallon). Reds and yellows often need a third coat to cover evenly, so buy the next size up for those. Exterior paint starts at a quart, so on a 2 × 2 ft board 8 oz bottles of outdoor acrylic craft paint go further; what is left is for touch-ups.
| Color | Share | 2 × 2 ft | 4 × 4 ft | 8 × 8 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Barn red | 52% | 1 quart (2 oz) | 1 quart (6 oz) | 1 quart (22 oz) |
| 2. Cream | 44% | 1 quart (2 oz) | 1 quart (5 oz) | 1 quart (19 oz) |
| 3. Harvest gold | 4% | 1 quart (1 oz) | 1 quart (1 oz) | 1 quart (2 oz) |
| Exterior primer | Front, back, edges | 1 quart (3 oz) | 1 quart (11 oz) | 2 quarts (42 oz) |
Ounces are what the paint takes; the size is what to buy.
Paint the lightest color first: cream, then harvest gold, then barn red. A darker color covers a lighter one that creeps under the tape, but not the other way round. The full method, from priming the board to hanging it, is in how to make a barn quilt.
The Log Cabin as a fabric quilt
The Log Cabin quilt block page has the cutting for four block sizes and the piecing steps. Quilts made with it: Log Cabin, Barn Raising Log Cabin, Straight Furrows Log Cabin, Jelly Roll Log Cabin.
Try the colors before you paint
Quiltspiration draws any block in any colors, and gives the cut list when you sew it in fabric.
