Hi friends!

Today I am sharing a project I made

from my friend, Jessica Dayon's new book,

Precut Parade.

Jessica's book includes 9 precut-friendly quilt patterns;

3 for Jelly Rolls, 3 for Layer Cakes, and 3 for Fat Quarters!

All of the patterns in the book are beautiful, traditional designs.

I chose to do this fat quarter-friendly pattern called Sparker!

[Photo courtesy of Martingale Publishing]

If you know me at all, you know that I love red, white, and blue quilts

 They're classic, striking, and never go out of style!

So Jessica's Sparkler quilt really spoke to me. 

I wanted to try something completely different though

so I tried a more colorful version using an assortment of 

colors and fabric lines from my stash.

There are two blocks in this quilt so it was really fun to make!

I used the border fabric

(which is from the fabric line, Summers End by

Alison Janssen for FIGO) as the jumping-off point

for my color palette.  I am a big fan of

Alison Janssen and I love the colors in that print -

oranges, pinks, lavenders, golds, and browns.

Perfect for this time of year!

For the back, I used Solar in Lavender 

from Ruby Star Society's Warp and Weft Heirloom collection 

by Alexia Abegg.  For the binding, I used Stitch in Saddle 

from the same line.  They're both wovens so they're very soft!

I had my awesome quilter, Jen Ostler in Highlalnd, UT

quilt it for me using the Interlocking Orange Peel design by Karlee Porter.

I always add one of the simple quilt labels

that I get from Ever Emblem on Etsy.  You can choose any of their labels

and customize them to your liking.  I get the 2" cotton fold-over, sew-in labels.

It's a big quilt; it finishes at 75-1/2" x 88-1/2".

This was such a fun project!  Jessica always writes

fantastic patterns and there are lots of other

quilts in the book that I would love to make!

Including this Layer Cake pattern, called Two Step:

Don't we all have some precuts in our stash that we

want to turn into a quilt? Precut Parade is just the ticket there!

My Sparkler quilt is actually for sale right now

along with a bunch of other quilts!

Visit my Etsy shop HERE to check it out!

UPDATE: This quilt is sold.

Box Elder Trail Quilt Finish (Multi-Color Version)

 Hello!  I finally snapped

some pictures of the multi-color version

of my Box Elder Trail quilt.  

For reference, here is the original version:

[ Photo courtesy of  Martingale Publishing]

It's the green quilt in my new book,

Quilt the Rainbow.

There are 10 projects in the book to help you whittle

down each color of your stash.  Nine are monochromatic

quilts and one (the cover quilt) is multi-color.

Box Elder Trail is a great scrap buster project!

The only fabric I specifically bought for this quilt was the floral

background - a Tilda fabric from the line Daiseyfield.

For the small rectangles, I used fabrics from my stash

that coordinated with the colors in the Daiseyfield flowers.

Box Elder Trail is probably the easiest

and quickest pattern to make in the book!

It's very beginner-friendly!

I wanted to show you that you don't have to just do monochromatic quilts

(like I showed in the book) if that's not your jam!  I designed patterns

for the book that would be cute for anyone and in any colorway.

It kind of looks cute here on our landing, don't you think?

Our sectional is navy blue so I think I'll keep this quilt here for a while.

It's nice to change out quilts every now and then!

The quilting was done by Jen Ostler in Highland, UT.

She used the Terracotta pantograph.  I think it adds some

nice movement to a pattern that is all rectangles!

The binding is a navy blue woven with light blue stitched pluses.

Unfortunately, I bought it as a remnant so I don't know what line

it's from.  The back is from the line Stitched by Fig Tree Quilts

for Moda (color 21).  I have a bolt of it so I've already used it as a

background and this back.  You will be seeing it in a lot of 

future quilts from me, I am sure!

Of course, I had to add one of the simple quilt labels

that I get from Ever Emblem on Etsy.  You can choose any of their labels

and customize them to your liking.  I get the 2" cotton fold-over, sew-in labels.

Here, you can see the whole quilt.

In my opinion, it's more of a modern design but

I used traditional fabrics.  You can make each quilt your own

just by your fabric selection!

If you'd like to purchase this pattern

you can find the Quilt the Rainbow book 

in my Etsy shop HERE.

There is lots of beautiful photography + tips on

cutting scrap quilts efficiently, storing scraps,

choosing fabrics for beautiful scrap quilts,

instructions on how to make a scrappy binding and a

scrappy back, the meaning and symbolism

of each color and so much more!

If you want to see the other projects in Quilt the Rainbow click HERE.

Or check out the Quilt the Rainbow Book Tour recap

post HERE to see my friend's versions of the projects in the book.

So much quilty goodness that's sure to inspire!

Have a great day!

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!

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