I'm planning a light cream and deep blue/green straight furrow log cabin quilt, but am perplexed regarding selection of the initial/center square fabric. Does one select the light or the dark fabric for this center piece; perhaps one half of the centers are light and one half are dark? Perhaps one uses a middle-of-road range color? ( I do not plan to use red or black.) I've glimpsed at the web for examples, and even saw one that looked like the quilter used two fabrics (i.e., each a triangle cut) for the one square center. Suggestions, ladies? P.S. I hope there are some male members of the board, but haven't noticed any yet; speak up too guys, if you are out there! Is there a traditional strategy (other than red or black) for the center selection, or just a matter of personal preference?

I think it's just a matter of preference. Personally I prefer a darker center.

Personal preference

Can you post pic of fabrics to see the prints ? The first thing I thought of was a rich brown . It really is a matter of personal preference .

Brown was the first thing I thought of as well, since you are using creams on the light side.

Traditionally red or black was used because the center square represents the hearth. Yellow is also a traditional color...meaning there is a fire burning in welcome. In reality, it can be whatever you want it to be. :D

I think the original log cabins had a red center square to symbolize the hearth as being the center of the home? I have seen all different centers and I seem to prefer a dark one but do what looks good to you.

yep, totally personal preference.

Here are 4 examples made with a random LC block (I don't know the dimensions of yours):

Light center - Dark center - Lighter value of the darker side - Accent (orange) color center

Again, your logs and center have different proportions than the sample I used, so they might look a little different.

Fabric is going to be Beautiful Peacock/Timeless Treasures new fabric for the design darks; the lights creams are just from a variety of brands. Perhaps the near solid gold? (Sorry I haven't yet received the blue/green peacock fabric and don't presently have access to the creams.)

Thanks so much! That really helps. I like the dark.