When I was a little girl, I devoured the Little House on the Prairie series.  I absolutely loved it. I proceeded to watch the Little House series on tv when I was a little bit older and have reread the books several times.  I really think that my 8 year old, Lily, would love the series.  However, anytime my husband or I try to get the kids to read something we think they will like, they automatically do not want to read it.  So, I devised a spur of the moment plan for this summer that feels genius!  I think it might work but time will tell.  I told Lily that after each book she read, we could design and sew a quilt block that has something to do with the book and then make it into a quilt for her.  She jumped at the chance and quickly read the first book, Little House in the Big Woods.

With a little help, she settled on the log cabin block for her first block. I told her the name of the block and she quickly saw how it related to the story since the Ingalls family lived in a little log cabin in the woods.  I thought it would be a good beginner block too.  She chose all of her own fabrics from my stash. She went with meadow flowers for the center, greens for the woods and grasses, and blues for the water and sky.  I did the cutting and ironing but she did the sewing. I told her that she could do the ironing too next time.  Some of the blocks she will be able to cut with the Sizzix and therefore do even more of it on her own.

I wonder if any little girls out there would like to sew along with us?  I can’t promise how frequently we will post but I am going to try my best to encourage Lily to finish this project.  We might do a little of the reading together too.

I have a couple of tips to pass on.  If you have the option of reducing the speed of your machine, turning it way down low helps greatly with accuracy for beginners.

It also really helped Lily to have a washi tape guide to help her keep to the 1/4″ seam, even with the 1/4″ presser foot.

Lily is reading Little House on the Prairie now and already thinking that she might want a horse for her next block but she isn’t far enough into the book to know for sure!

Edited to add:  This is just a traditional log cabin block.  Start by cutting a 2 1/2″ center square and build out with 2 1/2″ strips.  Finished block size is 14″ (unfinished is 14 1/2″).