Log Cabin patchwork was named after the early American tradition of building houses from logs. The central square is usually red, alluding to the fire that always burnt in the cabin. The block is half dark and half light to represent the effect of sunshine and shadow on the house, or the side of the room lit by the fire and the side in darkness. The design is made up of strips of fabric – the logs that were used to build pioneer homes.

There are many variations of the Log Cabin block and many different ways of putting the blocks together, each of which has its own name.