Candied Pineapple Free Pattern

When I was little, we had a punched copper pineapple in the entryway with “Welcome” painted across the bottom. I always wondered why a pineapple? What makes it so welcoming? Well, according to my mom, and a quick google search, pineapples have been symbols of hospitality since colonial times. As one of the quirky cool discoveries from the New World, everyone wanted to be seen with one. Royalty even had paintings commissioned to commemorate the occasion.

The pineapple turned into a status symbol, for it was of limited supply and high demand, which became an artistic movement. If you couldn’t rent a pineapple (yes, really) for your centerpiece, then by golly you could show your guests you cared by carving one at the end of a bannister or painting one on your door. Or if you really wanted to let the world know how hospitable you were, you could turn your entire house into a pineapple.

And after a quick tour around my local Target, I can say that the pineapple is still very trendy. Not turn-your-house-into-a-pineapple trendy, but close.

So in honor of trends old and new, and to say a big welcome to everyone, let’s have some Candied Pineapple.

When I went looking for fabric for my Candied Pineapple, I knew I need to keep track of four things:

• I need three separate shades of green, whether that meant a gradation (which is what I went with) or scale, I didn’t want them to mush
• I need three separate yellows, I wanted to keep the tones similar but the patterns different
• I need a background that wouldn’t bleed into the yellows, so if it was a low volume then it needed something other than yellow for the print
• I want a pink that has lots going on, so it can pull double duty and look like it’s more fabrics than it is

I’m pretty pleased with what I turned up. I like to mix designers and collections from all over the place, and use fabrics in different ways. For example, I bet you’d never guess that the pink is a giant Philip Jacobs tulip print (yes you can chop up giant prints, it’s fun!). I will admit that I specifically searched for the background, it’s a Cotton and Steel basic sprinkle in jelly bracelet, aka neon pink, and I have a mild obsession with it.

The block is based on flying geese, so it goes together in a snap. Then just add on more of your luscious background as spacers to square up your block, and you’re all done.

Easy-peasy-pineapple-squeasy. Get your Candied Pineapple Pattern here.