Log cabin is nice, easy, and mature looking. My wife and I did a log cabin based on Eleanor Burn's book for our first quilt and it turned out really nice. Our gracious hosts also have a great how-to video about doing this block. The block she makes in the video is a little different from the E.B. way but both are beautiful and offer a lot of options.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEKqk45eXFc


Here is some eye candy to show some other possibilities with this block...
Log Cabin Quilts