2020 Get Funky With Log Cabins

Let's Get Funky with Log Cabins:

The Presidents' Challenge Virtual Exhibition

October 15 - December 31, 2020

We were so sorry that, due to Covid restrictions, we had to cancel our annual fiber exhibition at the Cincinnati Nature Center. But - we are delighted to virtually share with you some of the work that would have been on display at the CNC.

One fun part of our CNC annual exhibition has been our "Presidents' Challenge," which challenges our members to create small works of fiber art around a common theme. What is so amazing about the challenge is the diversity in interpretation of the theme, and the showcasing of a wide variety of artistic visions and techniques .

This year's Presidents' Challenge asked members to "Get Funky with Log Cabins." The Log Cabin Quilt is a very old pattern, which gained widespread popularity in the U.S. around the time of the civil war. Traditionally, log cabins were pieced by hand with strips of fabric around a central square. A red central square represented home, a yellow center represented welcoming light, and a black center indicated a safe stop on the Underground Railroad. Over the years, techniques diversified, and today's log cabins appear in a variety of patterns and fibers. (Click here for more information on Log Cabins from AQS).

Instructions to CQAFA members for the Funky Log Cabin Challenge were: "This year we decided to do a take on a very traditional block and ask you to have fun with it - slice it, dice it, turn it on its head! The Log Cabin block doesn't have to be old and stodgy - if you doubt us, google it and see all the fun people have had with it! In a nutshell, the Log Cabin is built around a center of any shape and strips or pieces are added around that center."

Rules of the Challenge:

At least one "Log Cabin" must be evident in your artwork - it can take up the entire piece

or be as small as a 1" square.

Size and Shape: Any shape you wish. Minimum size 12" x12" x 12"

Maximum 22" x 22" x 22"

p.s. - some of the log cabins are hidden! so look carefully to find the tiny ones!