Log Cabin

Making a pieced tablecloth (log cabin)

Try to work with the width of the fabric somehow, since having the selvage on helps maintain shape while applying the pieced strips.
Use borders, unless it is essential that the entire cloth be pieced. The borders are the frame for the pieceing and also cover a lot more real estate (since they are on the edges) than the piecing does. Big time saver!
In order for the border to function as a frame, you need to have a color in the pieced strips that is reflected in the border color. This ties it all together.
Example: to cover two 2' x 4' tables I would log-cabin-piece a piece of cloth 36" long and 42 - 44" wide. Then I would cut the pieced fabric in half the long way to create two 18" x 42" pieces. With a 15" border all around, the tablecloth is now 38" x 72".