Hey there!  Today I want to share a really fun,

scrappy quilt I finished recently - my Kaleidoscope quilt!

I started with a bunch of random fat quarters from my stash...

And turned them into this finished quilt top!

The pattern I used is a free paper-piecing pattern called Kaleidoscope

by Sharon Holland.  Click HERE for the link.

I'm a HUGE fan of Sharon's work.  

She designs fabric for Art Gallery Fabrics and I swoon over

everything she creates!  Her Instagram feed is gorgeous and inspiring 

so be sure to check her out at @sharonhollanddesigns.

Sharon's Kaleidoscope pattern is for a mini quilt that finishes at 27-1/2" x 27-1/2"

(a 4 x 4 block layout).  The pattern has complete instructions and diagrams

 so it's a great project to practice the technique of paper-piecing.

The steps are repetitive and the project is small

so I highly recommend this for any paper-piecing newbie out there!

I LOVE paper piecing so I decided to make my Kaleidoscope quilt bigger 

with a 12 x 12 layout.  My quilt finishes at about 78" x 78". 

Because I multiplied the number of blocks to make by 9

I also multiplied the required background fabric by 9.

I had a LOT left over (I think I bought about 11 yards!) but unfortunately,

I don't remember how much was left over so I can't recommend 

how much to buy for this size quilt.  So sorry friends!

I started this project in February 2022 so I was thrilled

to get the quilt top finished just over a year later, in March of 2023.

A reminder that not every quilt comes together in just a few days

(like it sometimes seems on Instagram!)

I had the hardest time deciding on backing and binding fabrics

but I finally ended up with this rusty orange stripe for the binding.

It's called Morning Ray #187 by Edyta Sitar for Andover Fabrics.

The aqua floral backing (that you can see peeking out in the photo below)

is #9874 by Giucy Giuce for Andover Fabrics.

They don't really go together but the quilt is so scrappy that I don't mind.

Do you see the cute little heart that my quilter

Jen Ostler quilted into the design?  If you've been

around long enough, you know that she always quilts

an extra little shape into the quilt for the quilt recipient to find.  It's

a fun little game of hide and seek!

Jen used the Swivel Circles pantograph on my quilt and I love it!

A few friends joined me in this endeavor so I hope to get a 

picture of all of us with our Kaleidoscope quilts someday.

It was a fun project and I'm really happy

it's done so I can enjoy the finished quilt now!

Thanks for stopping by today!

I hope you feel inspired.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Blue and White Pineapple Quilt

I hosted a Pineapple quilt Quilt-Along 

on Instagram that started January 31st, 2022.

We made 1 Pineapple block a week for 36 weeks.  

Today I'm FINALLY sharing my finished quilt!

These blocks finish at 12-3/8" x 12-3/8" and take me

about an hour and a half to make.

Each block has 57 pieces in it.

57 x 36 blocks is 2,052 pieces overall!

The method I used to make the blocks is 

called foundation paper piecing.

I sell packages of the papers in my Etsy shop

which you can check out HERE.

I did an ombre effect on each block;

starting with light blue fabrics in the center and

working my way out to my darkest blues.

The background is all neutral low-volume prints.

I debated on which fabric above

to use for the backing fabric.  I had bolts of both.

I put a poll up on Instagram and an

overwhelming majority voted for the navy plaid.

I cut some of the navy plaid on the bias for the binding.

I had my longarm quilter, Jen Ostler, in Highland, Utah 

do grid quilting on it for a classic, timeless feel.  

I never tire of grid quilting!

She always quilts a small object into the

quilting for a fun game of hide-n-seek.

This time she did a tiny 1" x 2" pineapple.

This is the second Pineapple quilt that I've made.

The first one was pink and green and had

an appliqued border with vines, leaves, and birds.

Click HERE to check it out.

They really are so fun to make once you

get the process down.  I'd love to make another

completely scrappy one someday.

If you have never paper pieced before, this is

a pretty good block to start with because it's the same steps

over and over. It's all strips (no triangles or curves)

and there are not multiple sections you

have to put together.  The Pineapple block

has a lot of bang for its buck since

it looks a lot harder than it really is.

I call my method of foundation paper piecing

a "grab 'n go" method as you don't have to precut

or prepress any of the fabrics.

I would say the skill level for this block is "confident beginner"

and I have created several tutorials to help you

if you decide to make a Pineapple quilt using my papers.

Click HERE for a YouTube tutorial I created for this block.

Click HERE for the printable instructions.

And if you finish making all the blocks

I've got all the quilt finishing instructions HERE.

My quilt finished at about 74" x 74".

It took me about 54 hours to make the blocks,

4.2 hours to remove the papers, 

a few hours to make, attach and hand-stitch the

binding for a total of just over 60 hours.

Kind of crazy but I love it.

It was a true labor of love!

Please let me know if you have any questions

and thank you for stopping by today!

Happy holidays, friend!

Pineapple Quilt QAL Finishing Info

If you participated in the Scrappy 

Pineapple Quilt QAL this past year this post is for you!

We are at week 33 out of 36 so it's time to start

thinking about how to finish your quilt!

1. Trim blocks.

Trim 1/4" from the black line/square

going around your "slices" as shown below.

2. Remove papers.

I prefer to remove the paper right before I sew the blocks together.

It would be very cumbersome to remove them after!

The only parts you have to worry about when doing this

are the stitches around the perimeter of the block that aren't 

crossed over with another line of stitches to secure them in place.

To ensure the stitches don't come undone right there,

simply hold down the stitches (with one hand) where you're about to start 

pulling off the paper and pull the paper off with your other hand.  I have

some videos on this saved in my "Paper Piecing" highlight bubble on Instagram.

This is going to take some time so put on a good movie 

(or let your kids work off some of their chores!) 

3. Sew blocks together.

Lay out your blocks in a 6 x 6 layout.

Sew the blocks together into rows.  Press the 

seam allowances in one direction, alternating with each row.

Sew the rows together and press the seam allowances 

in one direction.

[This photo was taken a few weeks ago so I didn't have all 36 blocks done.]

Note: when you sew the blocks together, you will notice that the seams are going 

in the same direction (they aren't able to nest, which is ideal in quilting).  

There is no way to avoid this on this particular block.  But don't worry!  Just go

with it.  You won't notice any bulk when your quilt is finished.  Also, I didn't pin anything when

I sewed my blocks together.  Everything is pretty exact due to the nature of

paper piecing - sewing on the lines, trimming the completed blocks 

1/4" from the lines, etc.  Just be gentle and try not to stretch your fabric/blocks.

FINISHING FABRIC REQUIREMENTS

I will share 3 options...

Note: WOF = width of fabric.

** Disclaimer - I did not have my editor review any of the above

fabric/batting requirements like I usually do for my wholesale/retail patterns.  

I think they are all 100% correct but if you find any miscalculations 

please email me at gigisthimble@hotmail.com so I can make the corrections.

1. No border.

This will finish at approximately 74" x 74".

Backing: 4-2/3 yards (cut 2 pieces, 84" x WOF)

Binding: 2/3 yard (cut 8 strips, 2-1/2" x WOF)

Batting: 82" x 82"

2. Inner and Outer Border.

This will finish at approximately 89" x 89"

Inner Border: 2/3 yard (cut 8 strips, 2-1/2" x WOF) 

Outer Border: 1-7/8 yards (cut 9 strips, 6-1/2" x WOF)

Backing: 8-1/8 yards (cut 3 pieces, 97" x WOF)

Binding: 7/8 yard (cut 10 strips, 2-1/2" x WOF)

Batting: 97" x 97"

3. Inner and Large Outer Border for Applique.

This is for those of you that want to do something similar

to my original pink and green Pineapple quilt.

Note: if you decide to do this you will be on your own

for designing the applique pieces themselves.

Also, I did a 5 x 5 layout in mine.  The following info is for

a 6 x 6 layout so you can use all of the blocks made in the QAL.

This will finish at approximately 96" x 96"

Inner Border: 2/3 yard (cut 8 strips, 2-1/2" x WOF) 

Outer Border: 3 yards (cut 9 strips, 10-1/2" x WOF)

Backing: 8-2/3 yards (cut 3 pieces, 104" x WOF)

Binding: 7/8 yard (cut 10 strips, 2-1/2" x WOF)

Batting: 104" x 104"

QUILTING IDEAS

I will share 3 options...

1. Custom quilting.

This is the most expensive and time-consuming option.  

Prices range depending on the design, density, and whether it's done by 

computer or free hand.  Sometimes, the turn-around time can be long too!

So get a price quote and estimated turn-around 

date from your longarm quilter beforehand.  

Work with him or her to choose some custom quilting designs

that suit you and your quilt.  Or let them surprise you!  Here are some 

close-ups of my pink and green Pineapple quilt quilted by 

Melissa Kelley (@sewshabbyquilting on IG) in American Fork, UT.

It was all free-motion quilted (not computerized).  Her prices now start at

.06 cents per square inch and go up from there!  She's an incredible quilter!

You can check out the rest of the details for that quilt HERE.

2. Semi-Custom Quilting.

My friend Susie Smart made a pink and green

Pineapple quilt recently and she gave me permission to share these

pictures of the semi-custom quilting she had done on her quilt.

Semi-custom is when a longarm quilter quilts one specific

design in each block and then possibly does something different on the border 

and/or sashing.  It's not an edge-to-edge design but it's simpler than 

full-custom quilting.  These 2 designs were done by computer.

Susie's longarm quilter was Camille Mendel in Sandy, UT and 

she charges .04 per square inch for this type of project.

I think it turned out beautiful Susie and Camille!

If you're looking for more semi-custom quilting ideas,

I think this could be really cute as a block design on a Pineapple quilt:

Glam Block by Karlee Porter Link

3. Edge-to-Edge Quilting.

This is the least expensive option when it comes to hiring out your 

quilting and it's what I usually do on most of my quilts.  The standard

price for this in my area is .015 cents per square inch.

Check with your quilter for pantograph suggestions and prices.

Here are some ideas that I think would be lovely on a Pineapple quilt.

Most any kind of Orange Peel design would be really cute, 

especially on a small scale.  I like that it emphasizes the diagonals

of the pineapple block and that it's not directional.  

Here are a couple of Orange Peel ideas or google,

"Orange Peel Panto" for other variations.

Orange Leaf by Karlee Porter Link

Diamond Peel by Quilting It Link

Cross Hatch Quilting would be another swoon-worthy

idea for your Pineapple quilt!  It's simple yet so striking and classic!

Crosshatch Link

Or straight grid quilting would be just as good!

I love this quilt so much!  Photo used with permission

from @frannyharrington on Instagram.

This could be cute if you want something a little loopier:

Hoopla by Karlee Porter Link

Cat Eyes could be fun!

Cat Eyes by Karlee Porter Link

I've used this next one before on a quilt and loved it!

I would just discuss sizing with your longarm quilter and have him or her

make the space between the lines of the pantograph bigger 

or smaller than the "slices" on your blocks so they don't compete with each other.

Stud by Karlee Porter Link

This next one reminds me a little bit of the custom quilting

that was done on the blocks of my pink and green Pineapple quilt.

It's called Garland.

Garland by Karlee Porter Link

 Those are just a few ideas but I'm sure there are lots more out there!

If you click on the links you can sometimes see them quilted out.

Or just google those names to find similar-looking pantos.

Tell me, what are your plans for quilting your Pineapple quilt?

Well, friends, that was a lot of information!

I hope that answered all your questions on 

how to finish your Pineapple quilt.  Please let me know if you have

any other questions and good luck finishing yours!

I can't wait to see it.  If you post about it on Instagram, please tag me

@gigis_thimble and use the hashtag #perfectpineappleqal

or you're welcome to email me photos at gigisthimble@hotmail.com.

RELATED LINKS:

Pineapple Papers

Original Pineapple Block Paper Piecing Blog Tutorial

Pineapple Block Video Tutorial

Pineapple Block Printable Instructions

Start of Pineapple Quilt QAL Instructions and Fabric Requirements

Happy quilting!

Itty Bitty Log Cabin Quilt Blocks - A New Start

I'm always snapping screenshots from my phone of quilty inspiration I see on Instagram.  Do you do that too?  They're usually pictures that inspire me because of a color palette or because it's a beautiful version of a pattern I want to make someday.  So I started an IG hashtag called #quiltyscreenshots to keep track of all of them and let the makers know they've inspired me!  You're welcome to play along too, if you're on Instagram.  Tag me @gigis_thimble if you decide to do a Scrappy Screenshots post.  Below are some pictures of solids quilts that I posted on there recently that really caught my attention.

Photo credit (using their Instagram names)

From top L to R: @claudiashearerquilts, @jeliquilts, @cabbagequilts, @bitsandbobbins, @adeeholcomb, @adeeholcomb, @tarafaughnan, @tarafaughnan

 

As you can probably see, the second quilt down in the right-hand column really spoke to me.  If you look close you'll notice that the maker, Tricia Royal of Bits and Bobbins had fun playing with color.  I love how she used varying shades of one color in certain areas.  It really gives it a playful "Tetris" feel!  I can't stop looking at it!

With some leftovers I recently acquired from a new "solids" pattern I'm working on, I decided to start a new project inspired by Tricia's quilt.  I decided to go small.  These blocks finish at 3.75".  Since I had a lot of strips already cut and I love paper piecing, I decided to paper piece these little babies.  Some people ask why I would paper piece something so simple?  I just like that I don't have to pre-cut anything with paper piecing!  I just grabbed my strips and my pattern and dove right in!

They whip up in no time!  And I'm having so much fun playing with color!

I have no specific plan of how big I'm going to make this quilt and in what layout I plan to put them in.  But I do know that they're fun to make and I'll try to use up most of my leftover strips!

If you want to sew-along with me, I am attaching the free Itty Bitty Log Cabin Block PDF pattern HERE.  There are two on a page!  Enjoy!

~ Amber