Hive #1 February Block Tutorial

Hopefully this is as easy as it seemed while I was doing it.... ;)  For February, Hive #1 will be doing a "Pineapple Log Cabin Block".  PLEASE read the whole tutorial before you begin as it will be easier if you haven't made a pineapple block before plus I did it a bit differently than other tutorials I've seen.

The block ends at about 9 3/4 inches.  Please do not square the blocks, allow me to do it.  Do not worry if your block is a little crooked or isn't exactly 9 3/4 inches.  Please use a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

You may make one or two blocks, it is completely up to each individual.  Signature blocks can be anything you want them to be and should be 5.5 inches when you are done with them so that they will be a 5 inch finished block on the back of the quilt.

Please use reds and blacks and put them in the sequence that they are in, in the tutorial.  You will need 1.5 inch strips of red and black fabrics and a 2 inch red square for the middle of the block.  You may use the same fabrics throughout, a different scrap for each piece, or you can do it the way I did, I'm not at all picky as long as you use red and black fabrics.

As you add strips leave 1/4 inch over the edges of the piece you are adding to.  You will be able to see this in the pictures.  Also press seams out as you work.  I will put the pictures first with the explanation below them.  If anything is unclear please ask in the comments and I will do my best to explain.

Starting with the center square sew a black 1.5 inch wide piece to one side, press the seam out or toward the black fabric, sew a black piece to the opposite side, press the seam out and then sew a black piece to each of the remaining sides pressing the seams toward the black fabric after you sew each piece on.  Notice how I have 1/4 inch of fabric overlap?  You will need to do this with each piece you add.

After each piece of black is added and pressed, turn the piece over and trim to square so that the back looks like this and the front looks like:

Next you will add red strips.

After you add the row of red making sure you leave at least 1/4 inch of overlap on each side you will again flip it wrong side up on your cutting mat.

At this point I used the 45 degree angle line on my cutting ruler.  Line the edge of the ruler up so you are cutting right at the point of the black and the edge of your block is on the 45 degree line if you wish to do it this way.

Here is the second cut.  Sorry about the glare, but again the black point is lined with the edge of the ruler where you intend to cut and the 45 degree line is along the edge of your block.

This is how it looks after you square it up.

Add another row of black 1.5 inch strips.

At this point you will want to start trimming along the edge of the previous addition.

Add another row of red once you get the black trimmed.

Trim along the edge of the black as you can see here.

Now you will continue to add strips and trim them as shown in the following pictures.

Remember as you add strips to make sure there is 1/4 inch over the edge on both sides.

Continue to alternate red and black until you have 4 rows of each NOT counting the center square.

Once your block looks like the above you are almost done!  The next step is to add a black strip to the last red strip like the picture below.

As with each time before, flip the block to the wrong side and trim after you press the seams outward.  Your finished block looks like the one below.  I know the corners are weird but that is how I want them, I plan to add another small triangle of an as yet undetermined color so that once the squares are all together that small bit in the corners will tie it all together.

Thank you everyone in advance, and I hope this tutorial makes sense.  Please if you have any questions I will do my very best to answer them and I'm sorry it is so picture heavy.