Originally Posted by smitty
I'm in the same boat, but a little different----I have saved cut 1 1/2" strips for years. prefer logs already cut to size.
but when you start on a whole box of them, have to decide which size you cut out of each, etc it becomes one large headache. so I am going to use the Eleanor Burns method & check each block carefully & square up as I go. I probably have enough strips for 4 quilts ! but I have never seen an ugly log cabin.
What I do is I cut strips 1.5" wide, stacking them if possible. I have bins already set up for every length I will need from 1.5" to 9.5". I cut various size logs from this strip, placing them in the bins immediately. (I have one set of bins for light, another for dark.) I might start with a 9.5" log, then an 8.5", then whatever else I can get from this strip. On the next set of strips I start with a different length - maybe 7.5", 6.5", and then whatever fits. As I progress, I can see which of the bins are getting fuller and I try to keep them about equal. If I plan on using only red and gold for the centers, I only cut red, gold, and lights in the 1.5" length. Usually I will have several strips from each fabric, so I can cut all lengths from each fabric. Other times I only have enough of a fabric to cut a few 3.5" or smaller logs. This method works really well for me, and I think it's also easier to mix the fabrics up when you're sewing them on than when you're doing the Eleanor Burns method.