Hey everyone. Today you will learn how to make quilt-as-you-go log cabin blocks with denim on one side, joined together with batting strips.
Here is the big idea. You quilt each block while it is small. Batting, cotton strips on the front, denim on the back. Then you join the finished blocks. No wrestling a whole quilt under your machine.
Denim is the star on this one. Old jeans make a backing that takes a beating. Picnics, truck beds, ball games, the porch swing. This quilt can handle all of it.
We're not reinventing the wheel here. It's still a log cabin. We just build it one sandwich at a time. If I can do this, y'all can do it.
What You'll Need
- Log cabin strips cut 2½ inches wide, plus center squares in a strong contrast color
- Retired jeans or denim yardage, seams and pockets removed, cut into backing squares 1 inch larger than your finished block
- Low-loft 80/20 cotton-poly batting, cut the same size as your denim squares
- Narrow batting strips, about 2¼ inches wide, for joining the blocks
- Sashing strips for the front joins, cut 1 inch and 1¾ inches wide
- 50-weight cotton thread for piecing
- A size 100/16 denim needle — this matters, folks
- Walking foot, sharp rotary blade, clips, and a hot iron with steam
One word on batting. Go low-loft. Denim already brings plenty of weight. A puffy batting makes joins your machine will argue with. An 80/20 blend stays flat, quilts smooth, and still crinkles soft after washing.
How to Make It
- Prep the denim first. Cut your jeans open along the seams. Cut away waistbands, pockets, and thick felled seams. Save flat leg panels. Press hard with steam. Flat denim now means flat blocks later.
- Build your mini sandwich. Layer one denim square wrong side up, batting on top, smooth from the center out. This little sandwich is the foundation for one block. The denim is your backing, so no extra layer.
- Start the cabin. Place your center square right side up in the middle. Lay the first cotton strip right sides together along one edge. Stitch a ¼-inch seam through all the layers. Stitch length 3.0 — denim likes it longer.
- Flip, press, and travel on. Flip the strip open, finger-press, then hit it with the iron. Add the next strip the same way. Work around the center, light strips on two sides, dark on the other two. Here we go.
- Quilt as you piece. Every seam is also your quilting. It locks the batting to the denim. By the time the block is built, it is already quilted. Want more texture? Echo about ¼ inch from each seam. Slow down where layers stack up, or the needle snaps. Ask me how I know.
- Trim each block square. Trim so denim and batting are even on all sides. Check twice. If one block is 12½ inches and the next is 12¼, your joins will fight you.
- Butt the blocks together. Set two blocks side by side, batting edges touching, not overlapping. On the denim side, center a batting joining strip over that joint. It bridges the gap and keeps loft even.
- Secure the back, cover the front. Stitch along both long edges of the joining strip with a wide zigzag. Then flip over. Center a folded sashing strip over the front join and stitch in the ditch on both sides. Just like that.
- Build rows, then join rows. Join blocks into rows first. Then join the rows the same way, with longer batting strips. Clip, do not pin, at the thick spots.
- Bind as usual. Your quilt is already quilted, so binding is all that is left. Denim offcuts make a tough binding too. Cut them 2½ inches wide and go slow at the corners.
Tips and Variations
Keep one pocket. Leave a jeans pocket on one denim square, right in the middle of the back. It holds a phone or a remote. Super duper handy.
Watch the bulk. Trim batting out of seam allowances where four corners meet. Your machine will thank you, and so will your needle.
Mix your denim shades. Light wash, dark wash, even black denim. Laid out in a pattern, the denim side becomes a second quilt top. Completely up to you which side faces up.
Make a test block first. One block tells you everything. Needle, stitch length, press, and how your joins lie.
And remember, it doesn't have to be perfect. You're your own worst critic. Denim is forgiving, and a wobbly seam just looks like a well-loved pair of jeans. Take your time, it's not a race.
Alrighty, thanks so much for sewing along with me. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 Batting Package at Linda's Electric Quilters.
