This may not be what you want to hear, but I was looking at a Nancy Zieman & Natalie Sewell book (Landscape quilts) and there was two pictures vases with flowers. I was struck by how immediately I loved the one while the other was only OK (to me). I asked DH (who is my critic and helper) which he liked best and he chose the one I was drawn to. The big difference..... one had a carefully measured vase that looked somehow sterile, and the other had a vase that was a wee bit off shape, as if it were hand crafted, perhaps on a wheel, but by human hand. It was graceful and somehow more lovely. Maybe log cabin quilts don't have to be so "careful"; maybe a little off adds to their charm. Or maybe I'm a weirdo (married to a weirdo) and everything should be absolutely perfect and keep the quilting police happy.