Peckish- your scrappy Pineapple quilt is so pretty. I love scrappy quilts so much. Thinking seriously about getting the paper piecing pattern. I think Fat Quarter Shop sells that but don't know if they have the Pineapple pattern.

I think the pattern is busy enough that most of us never see any problem at all, whether it is a two color or multicolor.

The non-quilter especially is looking at the overall and not the particulars.

I think what happens with these is that yes, we square stuff up but each time it's just off a hair, a thread, and it all skews a bit. That would be the advantage with the paper piecing with maybe a stiffer paper than ideal.

So, if you've done the final trim and all the blocks finish to the same size, I'd just stack them up and put them together instead of sashing -- unless you can think of a cool way to reconnect those sashed blocks via the quilting (because my mind just doesn't go there).

I say (because it's true) that I find it somehow comforting that I never have to deliberately put in a mistake to my quilts to keep myself humble. Even the simplest, easiest thing ever -- there is something in there I'm not happy with.

What's our saying around here -- Finished is better than perfect? And then my other saying is I always have next time to achieve perfection. Still working on that...

Iceblossom-thank you too for your encouraging words and I put a small piece of fabric on the design wall between the blocks and it just cuts of the idea of the whole pattern concept. I seem to be a bit of a perfectionist and I don't like it at all. Thanks for the advice of just sewing the blocks together and don't worry about the finished product. Yes---I agree--finished is better than perfect.

Thank you! The pattern I used, if you wanted the same one, is by Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts, and is called "Hawaiian Delight". However, it's not a 12" block, it finishes at 8". If you can't find that pattern, she's reissued it with a blue theme and is called "Blue Hawaiian Delight".

The one I made I used a colored sharpie to make the blocks match up. The block was scrappy so no one ever knew. Not even the quilter and as she is a lifelong friend would have said something along the line of what did you do.

Thank you Peckish for the pattern information. I will have to check it out.

I have 43 blocks made so far. I’m going to use 1” finished sashing with cornerstones. Mine is scrappy. I’m using the ruler, not paper piecing. Can’t wait to see it finished, although I’m really enjoying the process. I’m doing a form of chain piecing my blocks so do 10-12 at a time. It takes awhile but when I’m done with them it really adds to my stack fast! :-)

This is the kind of pineapple quilt I want to make - love the fabrics! I have enough of the Lynn Graves foundation paper to make a king sized quilt and I've cut a huge bag of strips for it, already. Someday.

In the meantime, I bought this Creative Grids pineapple ruler and I should have watched more than one YouTube video before buying it.

After I placed the order, I watched several more and learned that first, the strips have to be 1¾" wide, not 1½" like with the foundation paper - and there is so much fabric wasted with this ruler! Watching these quilters whack off 30-40% of the fabric they've just sewn on every round is shocking!

I'm probably going to send it back when it gets here and go with my original plan.

I have a big bin full of specialty rulers still in their packages - some are at least 12 years old. :(

Remember fabric is fluid and will move as the machine foot acts like plough when sewing through it. Unless stabilized as with paper piecing the fabrics will always have variation especially the more seams sewn.

Watching these quilters whack off 30-40% of the fabric they've just sewn on every round is shocking!


Its sometimes worth the loss when you want a precise finish block with less fuss. Every now and then I like to make a quilt using the easiest way to get a complicated block. Its fun to have fabric scraps from a quilt so I guess it is all about outlook.