Paper-Piecing is FUN! And so accurate! Its like quilting- by- numbers. When you are making the Pineapple block, it goes even faster than most Paper-pieced blocks, which is why we used paper-piecing directions in our new Hospitality Quilt pattern. Keep reading to find out how fun it is and why it’s faster.

Our Hospitality Quilt (50” x 50”) is such a bright, colorful quilt designed in hand-dyed fabrics by Cherrywood fabrics, 2020 (kits available from Cherrywood fabrics). In the center are 5 Friendship Pineapple blocks that are paper-pieced.  This blog is a tutorial with pictures that will cover a step-by-step how-to that supports the pattern’s directions.

(PP=Paper-piece; PPF=Paper piece foundation)

Friendship Pineapple: PP Blocks – Corner and Center

The Corner and Center Friendship Pineapple: PP blocks use the same PPF as they are the same block.  What makes them different are the fabrics used and their placement in the quilt. Refer to the pictures to help with color placement. Construction is the same for both blocks.

Paper-Piecing (PP)

1.       The pattern is a grayscale PPF pattern.  Start by making 2 copies of the 12” x 12” grayscale PPF for the Friendship Pineapple block.  You can then put the original back in the pattern to save for any future makings of the quilt. Using the fabric information under each block below, make note of the colors for the Corner Friendship Pineapple block on one copy and on the other make note of the colors for the Center Friendship Pineapple PPF and set aside for later.  You may even want to pull out crayons or colored pencils and color the spaces in. Now make 3 more copies of the Corner Friendship Pineapple PPF (12” x 12”) so you have a total of 4 copies.  

2.       I like to print my PPF onto the June Tailor Perfect Piecing Foundation sheets.  They are like a lightweight interfacing/ stabilizer material, and go right through my printer. They are easier to sew through and don’t dull me sewing machine needle the way paper does. If you’ve ordered a PDF digital pattern you have the option of telling your printer to print the PPF pattern pieces in poster tile format onto these foundation sheets and then tape them together. You can also decide to leave the June Tailor foundation sheets in your block giving more stability to it.

3.       If you followed the cutting directions in the pattern, your fabric pieces are 1” larger than the foundation shapes they will cover. This is by design to make it easier to position your fabric pieces. All foundation patterns have you cut your pieces larger than the shape for this same reason. As I cut my fabrics out I make labels that I pin to the strips with the following information: how many I’ve cut, the dimension of the piece, what block it’s for, what section and number on the PPF and the fabric color it is.  I find if I take the time now I get less confused later.

4.       Use a 90/14 needle in your sewing machine. Set the stitch length to a tight 18 - 22 stitches per inch. I usually set my machine’s stitch length to 1.6 mm. This needle size and stitch length will make it easier to remove the foundation sheets/ papers later.

5.       Look closely at your PPF pattern. The printed side of the PPF pattern is the back side. Once you have finished sewing on the fabric, it will be the wrong side of the block.  All sewing will be done on the solid lines on the printed side. Flip the PPF pattern over to the blank side. The fabric pieces will be laid on the blank side of the PPF. The blank side is the right side of the block.

As in the quilt pattern, let’s start with the Corner Friendship Pineapple: PP Block (12” x 12”).  You will make 4 of these blocks.  I gather everything I need to make this block.

Next to me on my sewing table I set up a small cutting mat, ruler of an appropriate size, rotary cutter, spray adhesive or glue stick and my pins.  Behind me is my iron and ironing board.  So although I have to get up and down to trim and iron as I construct my PP-ed block, I don’t have to travel far.

Corner Friendship Pineapple: PP Blocks: Make 4 Pic.9 cor

Needed: 4 copies of Friendship Pineapple block PPF; 4 Berry 1 – 3 ½” x 3 ½” squares, Corner Friendship Pineapple PP: (A1); 16 Berry 1 – 1 ¾” x 6 ¼” rectangles, Corner Friendship Pineapple: PP (A38, A39, A40, A41); 16 Yellow Orange - 1 ¾” x 3 ½” rectangles,  Corner Friendship Pineapple: PP (A2, A3, A4, A5); 16 Yellow Orange – 1 ¾” x 3 ½” rectangles, Corner Friendship: PP (A6, A7, A8, A9); 16 Yellow Orange – 1 ¾” x 4 7/8” rectangles, Corner Friendship Pineapple: PP(A18, A19, A20, A21); 16 Dark Orange – 1 ¾” x 4 1/8” rectangles, Corner Friendship Pineapple: PP (A14, A15, A16, A17); 16 Dark Orange – 1 ¾” x 5 ½” rectangles, Corner Friendship Pineapple: PP (A30, A31, A32, A33); 16 Dark Green – 1 ¾” x 4 1/8” Corner Friendship Pineapple: PP (A10, A11, A12, A13); 16 Dark Green – 1 ¾” x 5 ½” rectangles, Corner Friendship Pineapple: PP (A26, A27, A28, A29); 16 Dark Green – 1 ¾” x 7” rectangles, Corner Friendship Pineapple: PP (A42, A43, A44, A45); 16 Light Green – 1 ¾” x 4 ¾” rectangles,  Corner Friendship Pineapple: PP (A18, A19, A20, A21); 16 Light Green – 1 ¾” x 6 ¼” rectangles, Corner Friendship: PP (A34, A35, A36, A37); 16 Light Green  – 1 ¾” x 5 ½” rectangles, Corner Friendship Pineapple: PP(A46, A47, A48, A49).

Before beginning, I would look again at my PPF for the Corner Friendship Pineapple block, and familiarize myself with it, and organize my fabric and my tools.  The fabrics correlate to the numbers on the PPF as follows:

• Fabric Berry 1 – will be used for A1, A38, A39, A40, A41.

• Fabric Yellow Orange - will be used for A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, A18, A19, A20, A21.

• Fabric Dark Orange – will be used for A14, A15, A16, A17, A30, A31, A32, A33.  

• Fabric Dark Green – will be used for A10, A11, A12, A13, A26, A27, A28, A29, A42, A43, A44, A45, A50, A51, A52, A53.

• Fabric Light Green – will be used for A18, A19, A20, A21, A34, A35, A36, A37, A46, A47, A48, A49.

You will PP each Corner Friendship Pineapple block, sewing the fabrics in order, beginning with number 1.  However, I would simultaneously sew all 4 blocks at the same time.

1.       Lay fabric piece #1, right-side up, over the area marked A1. Hold it up to the light to make sure that the area is covered. Pin or hold in place with a dab of spray adhesive or glue stick.

2.       Place fabric #2 over fabric #1 with right sides together, and covering the sew line between A1 and A2.  Hold it up to the light to make sure the sew line between A1 and A2 is covered. Pin. You can also flip open fabric #2 over A2 to make sure it will cover A2. Because you are adding fabric pieces on the opposite sides of the block, you can pin and sew two pieces at one time. So go ahead and place fabric #3 over fabric #1 with right sides together, being sure it covers the sew line between A1 and A4. Pin. 

3.       With fabric pinned, turn the block to the printed side and sew on the line between area A1 and A2 and between A1 and A4. 

4.       Fold the foundation sheet/paper back toward #1 at the sew line between #1 and #2. Using your ruler and rotary cutter, trim fabric leaving a ¼” seam allowance.  Unfold the PPF. Then repeat at the sew line between #1 and #3.

5.       Turn your block to the fabric side. Open fabric #2 and #3 and iron. Trim threads.

6.       With right sides together, place fabric piece #4 on fabric piece #1 so that it covers the sew line between A1 and A3, and #5 on fabric piece #1 so that it covers the sew line between A1 and A5. Hold it up to the light to make sure that the area is covered.  Pin. Flip your PPF block to the printed side and stitch on the sew lines. Trim threads.

7.       Fold the foundation sheet/ paper back toward #1 at the sew line between #4 and #1. Using your ruler and rotary cutter, trim fabric leaving a ¼” seam allowance. Unfold the PPF. Then repeat at the sew line between #1 and #5.

8. Continue adding fabric pieces in pairs in sequential order. Add fabrics #6 and #7 on A6 and A8. Next adding fabrics #8 and #9 on A7 and A9. The next round is adding fabrics #10 and #11 on A10 and A12 and then #12 and #13 on A11 and A13.

9.   Once you get to A14, A15, A16, and A17 on the PPF add four pieces at one time. This makes construction go even faster. Just be careful as you are sewing that the strips don’t get folded under and caught in your sewing machine needle as you turn the block to sew. If you reach under and smooth the fabric as you rotate your block it prevents this from happening.

10. Continue adding fabric pieces in sequential order until your block is completed and you have PP-ed 4 Corner Friendship Pineapple blocks.

Square up and trim to 12 ½” x 12 ½”. 

Trimming tips: When trimming your block the center guidelines are almost more important than the outside edges of the PPF. I”m using a 12 1/2” square ruler in my pictures. Half of 12 1/2” is 6 1/4”. I line up the 6 1/4” marks through all four points of the center diamond, while sighting straight lines of my pieces and outside edges of the block. Then I trim at 12 1/2” x 12 1/2”.

Remove the papers now, or leave in as stabilizer for your block until after you have completed the quilt top. If you remove papers/ sheets now, stay stitch 1/8” along the outside edges of your block before you remove the papers.

You construct the one Center Friendship Pineapple: PP block you need for the Hospitality Quilt in the same way as the Corner Friendship Pineapple: PP block above, just with the different fabric colors listed as per the Hospitality Quilt XVII pattern.

Please take note: When you get to the corners of the Center Friendship Pineapple: PP block we treat the last two numbered strips as one triangular piece.  A46 and A50 are treated as one piece as in A46-50, A47 and A51 are treated as one piece A47-51, A48 and A52 are treated as one piece A48-52, and A49 and A 53 are treated as one piece A49-53.   (See side by side pictures below.)    

To read the story about our Hospitality Quilt click here. For pictorial information for creating the Crown Pineapple blocks for the Hospitality Quilt read the blog Reverse Applique with Applique and Under-coloring-Machine & Hand: The Crown Pineapple Block. The Hospitality Quilt was a creative collaboration between Cherrywood Fabrics and Siesta Silver Jewelry. Fabric kits are availble from Cherrywood fabrics. Siesta Silver Jewelry transcribed the Friendship Pineapple Block into sterling silver earrings and pendants.