Originally Posted by
bearisgray
In that illustration, the red "hearthstone" is not centered - two sides have three more strips and two sides have four more strips. Does it matter?
bearisgray, Look at the illustration closely...the red square, the neutral square beside it, and the teal strip above them, all together form a square. Then each set of 4 strips surrounding that square unit to keep making larger squares.
dawilliamsrn, The width of your strips would depend on how many layers of logs you want in the block. For example, if you want a 16" block and you want your logs to finish at 2 in., you will need 7 rings of strips (cut 2 1/2 in. wide) around that center unit of 2 squares (finish 2") and one strip (finish 2 x 4") that I described above from dunster's illustration.
I only cut my log cabin strips to width and then trim the length as I sew them on, being careful to keep everything square and on track. (use a ruler and rotary cutter, not just cutting by eye with a scissors.)
(Someone please correct me if I'm wrong in my measurements and instructions!)