The Pineapple quilt block is a variation of the Log Cabin block, but with eight “logs” or strips around a center square instead of four.

How to get eight strips around a four-sided square? Sew each round at a 45-degree angle to the previous one. Sound complicated? It can be, but there are great tools to help you sew a Pineapple quilt pattern!

Sewing on a muslin foundation – which stays in the quilt – or a printed paper foundation – which is removed after stitching – can help you stitch accurate blocks. A muslin foundation adds stability to the block, but also adds some bulk which might be a consideration for quilting. Foundation paper piecing gives you very accurate blocks because you stitch on the printed seam lines. While some find the process of removing the papers meditative, others find it tedious. You know which kind of quilter you are, so choose what works best for you. NOTE: If you choose foundation paper piecing, reduce your stitch length a bit to make it easier to remove the paper after stitching.

Another option is to use one of the great Pineapple quilt rulers now available. The Creative Grids Pineapple Trim Tool is a special ruler just for pineapple blocks. It has clear markings and non-slip grippers as well as clear written instructions for a free Pineapple block pattern. It’s one way to sew a Pineapple quilt block without paper piecing. The Creative Grids Pineapple Trim Tool is the ruler I used in this tutorial.

You can make Pineapple quilts blocks planned or scrappy, modern or vintage, bright or low volume. The piecing for the Pineapple variation is a step up from other Log Cabins, and alternating rows of lights and darks create a vibrant visual effect.

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Pineapple quilts appeared after log cabin quilts in the 1870s and they are a form of log cabin, They sometimes have red centers, like traditional log cabins have. As with many quilt blocks, this block has alternative regional names, such as, Maltese Cross and Windmill Blades.

One (1) Pineapple Quilt Block

Make the Pineapple Quilt Block

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Difficulty: Intermediate

Learn how to make a Pineapple quilt block with the Pineapple Trim Tool.

A variation of the Log Cabin block, it has alternative regional names, such as Maltese Cross and Windmill Blades.

Materials

Fabric:
2-1/2 inch square or larger scrap for center (I used a pinkish-red batik)
1/4 yard dark fabric for pineapple rounds (I used 4 assorted blue batiks)
1/4 yard light fabric for alternate pineapple rounds (I used 4 assorted yellow batiks)
1/4 yard for corner pieces (I used half black and half white Kona solids. You can choose fabrics that continue your original colors.)
Thread for piecing (I used a neutral gray.)

Tools

Sewing machine with 1/4-inch foot (#37 or #57 for Bernina)
Pins
Stiletto or awl (Optional - helpful to guide fabric through machine to match points.)
Fabric scissors
Thread snips
Rotary cutter and cutting mat
Quilter's ruler
Recommended: Pineapple Trim Tool from Creative Grids
Iron
Pressing Surface
Wooden Clapper (Optional - helps set crisp seams when pressing.)

Instructions

Gather supplies as listed above. I used a planned color palette for this block, but pineapple quilts are spectacular when made with scraps! The important thing is to maintain value contrast between lights and darks. This is a wonderful pattern to help you use up fabrics left over from other projects or those strip rolls that you don't know what to do with.
Here's a closer look at the Pineapple Trim Tool made by Creative Grids that made the block construction smooth and accurate. There are registration lines for cutting every step. The rounds finish at 1-inch, so cutting strips at least 1-3/4 inches wide allows room to square up the block as you go. There is a little waste, but the accuracy makes up for it. A mini version of this tool makes smaller blocks.
Cut your fabric for the block. For the center square (red in my block), cut a square 2-1/2 X 2-1/2 inches. For the logs, cut four (4) strips of light fabrics (yellow) and four (4) strips of dark fabrics (blue) at least 1-3/4 inches wide. For the corners, cut two (2) squares (black and white) at 4 X 4 inches, then cut in half diagonally.
Cut four (4) 3-inch pieces from your dark strips. Sew one (1) to the center square with 1/4-inch seam, right sides together.
Press toward the dark strip.
Sew another 3-inch segment of a dark strip to the other side of the red square and press toward the strip.
Add 3-inch segments to the remaining sides of the square and press toward the strips.
Place the white centering square on the Pineapple Trim Tool over the center square on your block. The dashed white lines should "kiss" the corners of the center square, and the solid white line should connect the other two corners.
Trim along the cutting edge. The ruler leaves a quarter-inch seam allowance for accurate stitching of the next round of strips.
Repeat for the other three sides, resulting in a square-in-a-square block that is ready for the next four pieces.
From the back, you can see where the seams cross each other. You will want your next seams to go through these intersections.
From your light strips, cut four (4) segments at least 3-1/2 inches and lay them out with your pieced center.
Right sides together, join one strip to the center. Sew with the center unit on top so that you can see where the seams should intersect. A stiletto or awl (not shown) can be useful here to guide the fabric under the presser foot. Repeat to add a light strip to the other side.
Press toward the strips you have just added. A wooden clapper helps set a nice, flat seam. You can see that the strips are a bit oversized as I add them. That is because it is easier to trim a bit more that it is to unsew a too-short strip.
After all four (4) light strips are sewn and pressed, use Centering Square Round 2 on the ruler to prepare for cutting. Align the square on the ruler with your center square, as shown. The white line on the ruler should go from one corner of the center square to the other. The 1/4-inch Seam Allowance line at the outside of the ruler should meet the corners where light and dark fabrics meet. Using multiple registration marks increases the accuracy of your piecing and cutting.
Trim the light fabric away on two sides.
Turn the block and use the same registration marks on the ruler to line up the block for cutting. Trim away the excess light fabric.
From dark strips, cut four (4) segments at least 3-1/2 inches long. and arrange around your block.
Sew right sides together with 1/4-inch seams, intersecting the point formed in the previous round. Press toward the strips.
Using the white 45-degree angle trim line on the ruler and line it up with the edge of the first dark round. Use the dashed white lines on the ruler to align with the perpendicular edges of the first dark round. In addition, there is a solid white line that should line up with the corners. Cut of the excess dark fabric. All of this lining up may seem fussy, but it really helps to keep the block square so that seams will match if you decide to make multiple blocks into a quilt.
Repeat for the other three sides of the block.
Cut 4-1/2 inch segments from light strips, lay them out as desired and sew with 1/4-inch seam. Beginning with this round, you no longer have to worry about intersecting crossed seams. Press towards the strips.
Using the Centering Square Round 4 on the Pineapple Trim Tool and the additional registration marks, cut away the excess light fabric from two sides of the block. Turn and repeat for the other two sides.
Cut four (4) 4 -/2 inch segments from dark strips, arrange as desired and sew a strip to each side of the block, right sides together. Press towards the strips.
Like you did in Step 20, line up the white 45-degree angle trim line on the ruler with the previous round. as shown. Use the other markings on the ruler to fine tune your placement before cutting.
Trim all four sides in the same way. You have finished round 5.
For round 6, cut four (4) light strips at 5-inches each and sew to the four sides of the block. Press toward the strips. Use Centering Square Round 6 and the additional registration marks on the ruler and trim as before.
Cut four (4) dark strips at 5-inches each, sew and press. Use the 45-Degree Angle Trim Line and other registration marks to trim. Repeat for the other 3 sides.
Cut four (4) segments from light strips at 6 inches, sew to all four sides of the block and press toward the strips.

Not shown: Line up the white 45-degree line on the seam line of the last round added and trim away the excess fabric on the light strips just added.
Center the triangle pieces (cut from 4-inch squares) on the just-added yellow strips right sides together and pin. (They are oversized to allow for squaring up later, so they will extend beyond the block at this stage.) Handle these pieces very gently, as the bias edge can easily stretch and distort.
Sew with 1/4-inch seam allowance. I like to sew these pieces with the triangles on the bottom, next to the feed dogs. The feed dogs help the bias edges feed evenly. Press toward the corners.
Use Centering Square Round 8 to trim the corners.
Here is the final trim. (And if you notice that the last yellow round on this block is wider than the others, good eye! I forgot to do Step 30, so I did some unsewing and recutting and resewing and retrimming.)
Here is the finished Pineapple Quilt Block. (Before I noticed my mistake on the last round of yellow.)
Here is the Pineapple Quilt block in the finished quilt with all of the rounds cut to the correct size. 🙂
And the finished Pineapple Quilt wall hanging, 30 inches X 30 inches. The alternating black and white corners of the blocks form a pinwheel where the blocks intersect.

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When Pineapple quilt blocks are set together with high contrast fabrics, they begin to form prickly pineapple shapes. These bright blues and yellows look like they were just plucked from a tropical garden. And, the bright red center squares help set them off.

What’s the best way to make a scrappy Pineapple quilt?

Sometimes I just want to power stitch without having to stress over intricate design and precision piecing. Scrappy Pineapple Quilt makes days like this sweet. All I needed was a pile of 2 ½-inch squares in compatible colors and random strips separated into lights and darks. Then I made a dent in the scrap bin and got a colorful quilt that required very little planning.

The first 20 blocks on the design wall, above, hint at what this quilt will become. Other than lights and darks and trying to not repeat fabrics within blocks, I did not plan fabric placement. When it was time to place a dark strip, I just reached into the bin of dark fabric strips. Whatever I grabbed declared itself the next piece. The style of fabric didn’t matter, resulting in interesting juxtapositions. Civil war reproductions next to juvenile prints next to contemporary designs next to florals, etc., etc. Because I didn’t agonize over which fabrics were good neighbors, I could just have fun sewing and being surprised. The blocks kept on coming until there were 100!

Ugh. Basting. My least favorite part of the process! But I was with good friends all working on various projects, so the time passed quickly!

Quilted and bound! I even stitched down the corner miters of the binding! Take that, quilt police! Now the Scrappy Pineapple is ready for a new home!

The Trash to Treasure Pineapples Quilts and the Colorful Stitches Pineapple Tool helped guide my planning and trimming the pineapples.

What is a Pineapple quilt block?

A Pineapple quilt block is a variation of the log cabin block. It has a center square, traditionally red, but it can be any color the maker wants. The big difference is the number of “logs” in the block. While a log cabin block has four “logs” or rounds surrounding the center square, a Pineapple quilt block has eight. How do you get eight sides on a square? By cutting each round at a 45-degree angle, creating eight “sides” on a square quilt block. When the angled sides come together in a quilt, they resemble prickly pineapples.

How do I use a Pineapple quilt ruler?

There are several Pineapple quilt rulers, and each has instructions unique to that particular tool. What they have in common is that they start with a center square and have placement markings that show you how to trim each step of the way. The Pineapple Trim Tool from Creative Grids makes 6-inch, 8-inch and 10-inch pineapple blocks. It’s important that your ruler not slip while you are cutting (that could ruin a block!), so if the pineapple quilt ruler you choose does not have built-in grips like Creative Grids rulers have, I recommend that you add quilt ruler grips such as True Grips.

How do I sew a Pineapple quilt block?

To sew a Pineapple quilt block, start with a center square. Add a segment to each side and trim at a 45-degree angle, leaving a quarter-inch seam allowance at the corners, making a square-in-a-square. Add a segment to each of the four sides you just cut and trim at 45 degrees as before. Continue adding segments and trimming until your block is the size you want. Fill in the corners with triangle pieces and square up the block.

How should I make a Pineapple quilt for a baby?

A Pineapple quilt is a great choice for a baby quilt because of its vibrant, high-contrast design. Baby quilt size is a matter of preference. Crib size battings are generally 45 X 60 inches, so that is one guideline. (But remember that for safety reasons infants should not have any loose bedding in their cribs.) 36 X 36 inches is a good tummy time size for a wee one, and you can make it a bit larger to allow for growth and/or later bedtime use. Using the Pineapple quilt blocks in this tutorial, making 16 10-inch blocks would make a 40 X 40-inch baby quilt, a good size for playtime as well as cuddle time.

Browse through more free quilt patterns on Create Whimsy.