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!

Quilt - Along: Scrappy Pineapple Quilt

I'm happy to announce that I am finally ready to host

a scrappy pineapple quilt quilt-along!

I've had the itch to make another pineapple quilt for a while now

and I think January 31st, 2022 is just the time to start!

 

This pineapple quilt is a great stash buster!

We'll be using my paper-piecing papers to make this quilt so

this will be a great opportunity to learn a new skill!

My paper-piecing papers are oversized which make for big,

modern blocks.  They finish at 12-3/8" and come in a pack of 36 

(plus one master copy).  One package makes a quilt that finishes at

approximately 74" x 74" (a 6 x 6 block layout).

You can purchase them HERE.  Be sure to use the code

"QUILTALONG" at checkout for 20% off.  The code is good until

midnight on January 31, 2022.

This will be a slow and steady quilt-along.  We'll be making 1 block a week for 36 weeks.  

I'll post my blocks on Mondays on Instagram as a reminder for you to make yours for the week.

There won't be any sign-ups.  Just follow along with me on Instagram @gigis_thimble.

If you stick with me, by the Fall of 2022 you will have a finished quilt top!

There won't be any prizes either (haha, is this sounding really enticing???)

But no really, the prize is your beautiful quilt top!

And I'll be here every step of the way to answer questions and give moral support!

FABRIC REQUIREMENTS

For ease of mocking different options up in my EQ software and figuring out fabric requirements

I will give you fabric requirements for non-scrappy quilts (plus I know some of you want 

those requirements anyway).  If you want to make a scrappy version just add on 

20% to the amount required.

Referring to the block below you will notice that there are dark and light

 fabrics needed for this block.  You can place them as shown below or do the reverse 

(with the light fabrics on the sides and the dark fabrics in the corners).

If you want light fabric in the corners of your blocks you will need :

1/4 yard for the center squares

7-5/8 yards of light fabric

4-1/4 yards of dark fabric

When all your blocks are sewn together it will look something like this:

Or, if you want light fabric on the sides of your blocks you will need :

1/4 yard for the center squares

4-1/4 yards of light fabric

7-5/8 yards of dark fabric

That layout will look something like this:

Or, if you want to do two different colors in the corners for a layout 

that looks something like this, you will need:

1/4 yard for the center squares

4-1/4 yards of white fabric

4 yards of  color 1 fabric (navy)

4 yards of  color 2 fabric (light blue)

The above layout is very similar to my original pink and green pineapple quilt 

(except mine is scrappy).

Please note: I use a "grab-and-go" method of paper piecing.

That means I do not precut strip lengths. I think it would take up a lot of space

at my workstation to have all the pieces laid out and try to keep them in order.

It also takes a lot of time to precut everything.

So I cut as I go.  I'll show you how to do that in a YouTube video

I'll be airing on January 31st.  It will be a video tutorial showing the entire Pineapple

block paper piecing process so stop back by my blog that day for a link to that video.

HERE is a link to a Pineapple Quilt

coloring sheet in case you want to mock up your own version.

This is the inspiration for what I'm going to do.

My friend, Esther Avila made these blocks with my papers and I think they're gorgeous.

Blue and white - such a timeless look!

In case you're asking yourself if you can do this project, I would say the skill level 

required is a "confident beginner".

Each block takes me about 1-1/2 hours to make as there are 57 pieces.

Sounds a little intense right?  It's really not; it's just a little time-consuming!  

The good news is, the same step is repeated over and over so this is

a great pattern to learn/practice paper-piecing.  You'll get the hang of it really fast 

and you'll be a paper-piecing pro in no time!

I plan on doing a video tutorial the first week of the quilt-along 

to teach you how to make the first block.  In the meantime, you're welcome 

to check out THIS tutorial I did several years ago for the Pineapple Block.  

Note: I like to use 2" wide strips in varying lengths.  Start cutting/accumulating strips now 

so you'll be ready to start sewing on January 31st!

If you've always wanted to make a pineapple quilt now is the time to do it!

This quilt is classic and a real showstopper for sure!

Let me know if you have any questions about this quilt along or the project!

I can't wait to quilt along with you!

Pineapple Quilt [Finished]

I just realized that I never showed you my Pineapple quilt!  It's probably my most favorite "make" to date and (if I'm allowed to say this) the one I'm most proud of - only because it took about 100 hours to make so it was a really involved, time consuming project and I love the way it turned out.  I can't believe I haven't posted about it yet...sheesh!  :)

So, let's go back to how it all began...

 

~ THE INSPIRATION ~

One day, I was looking around on Pinterest trying to find a good pineapple quilt pattern to work on at a quilt retreat I was about to go to.  When what to my wondering eyes did appear, but the most beautiful pineapple quilt I ever did see.  I tried to contact the maker and get the information so that I could make the pattern too.  All she told me is that it was a pineapple block.  But I needed more.  I needed this quilt.  I needed the pattern!  I just HAD to make this quilt.  Exactly like it.  100%. 

Photo cred: MerryMary10/Flickr

I'm attaching the picture (and the link) that inspired me.  Because in no way, shape or form, am I trying to take credit for this quilt.  Also, I have to preface all of this by saying that I think the original quilt (above) is far better than mine.  I just love it so much.  I hope (I think) this is where the adage comes into play, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery".  

 

~ THE JOURNEY ~

 So, I set out to find a pineapple block that was extra large and where all the slices continued out evenly into the corners.  That was a lot harder to find than you would think.  In fact, I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for, so I designed my own.  Each block took me about an hour to paper piece.  And I loved every minute of it!  Do you like to paper piece?  My tutorial for paper piecing these exact blocks is HERE if you'd like to try it!     

I eventually decided to sell these paper patterns in my shop because I thought others might want them too.  They finish at 12-3/8" x 12-3/8" - so they're quite large and make a big impact.  You can purchase the set of 36 papers HERE.

After I got the blocks made, I began working on the outer borders.  I got two sides finished before I realized that the white background I had used was the wrong color!!!  Does stuff like that ever happen to you?  Well, that really set me back.  I had to put the project away and regroup.  Finally, I pulled it back out, gave those two borders to a creative friend (who I knew could come up with some fantastic way of how to use them) and started over.  I just didn't want to have any regrets, ya know?

Finished quilt measures approximately 90" x 90".

I finally finished in time to show it at a retreat I was teaching and presenting at last February.  And I have to admit, I had a little help at the last minute.  I was trying so hard to get all the applique done in time and came to find out that each side was taking me about 10 hours to do.  The thought of doing 40 hours worth of applique in a span of a week had me totally overwhelmed.  So, my sweet friend Aniva came to the rescue.  She appliqued one side of the border so I could get it to my quilter quicker.  What a great friend, huh?!?

Melissa Kelley (@sewshabbyquilting) quilted it for me within a week with some of the most amazing hand-guided long-arm quilting I have seen.  Seriously, breathtaking.  Here are some closeup shots of the quilting...

The back: 

For the life of me I can't remember who the designer is of that fabric.  Anyone know?  I thought the colors were perfect for this quilt and then the birds just put me over the edge!  I had to get it!

~ THE LESSONS~

I think sometimes you learn life lessons from creative endeavors, don't you?  I started this quilt in February 2014 and finished it two years later.  Almost one year later, I blogged about it.  So here's what I learned: I never claimed to be 100% on the ball and sometimes set backs come our way.  But if we keep plugging away at things (life) and give it our best and surround ourselves with good friends and family that lift us up, things always have a way of working themselves out.

Well, thanks for letting me share this journey with you. 

Have a great weekend!

~ Amber