Jelly Roll Side Quest
I was planning to write all about the next steps on my Handloom project this week. However, I have not touched it. I’m so distracted by so many things. I’ve got house painters in and out, and nothing bothers me quite as much as having strangers in my house. So, I’ve taken a little side quest.
Part of setting up my new studio space is cleaning out and downsizing. It is a joy to have a dedicated space again. But, I have all of my stuff from 20 years of quilting, and also all of my Mom’s stuff, too. I gave away so much, but I still have a ton or two to get rid of.
I’ve been going through my Tula Pink stash and selling it on Facebook. That’s fun. If there are any old Tula prints you are looking for, drop me an email. After finishing my clam quilt, I ready to let some of it go.
This week a few things have come together for me. I sent out a newsletter asking if folks would rather spend the day slow stitching in a garden with me, or doing a jelly roll race in the studio. It was meant to be a silly question. However, I have gotten a ton of responses. Surprisingly, a lot of folks want to do a jelly roll race. I don’t love jelly roll races, but it did get me thinking. I’ve got several jelly rolls in my stash. I used to love them, and Mom certainly loved them. Also, Mom had one that is Japanese fabrics that have a fantastic hand. While I absolutely will not do a jelly roll race, I will play with jelly rolls. I give you: my unnamed jelly roll project.
I haven’t been focused on writing patterns, mostly because they don’t make me any money. But, this one is fun. It came to me like magic and is a super fun make. I stitched up half of the blocks in one easy afternoon session. As much as I hate the philosophy of fast quilts, I think you could easily make this one in a weekend.
I’ve only planned out some of it so far. But, if you want to play along before I go through the effort of formally writing up a pattern, here you go.
You will need
1 jelly roll (2 ½” x WOF strip set, usually 40-42 pieces)
1 fat quarter for block centers (a regular quarter would probably work just as well)
*I am using 2 rolls of Cosmo Twist, which is a Japanese fabric Mom found somewhere.. Each roll has 20 pieces of fabric, so 2 is equivalent to a traditional jelly roll. I’ve got the brown one. My fat quarter is a brick red something I have in my yarn dye collection. I think it looks nice with the brown. Also, I’m planning to do some hand quilting and wanted all soft fabrics.
Cutting instructions
From fat quarter
Cut 40 - 2 ½” squares.
From Jelly Roll Strips
Cut 1 - 2 ½” square
Cut 2 - 4 ½” x 2 ½” strip
Cut 2 - 6 ½” x 2 ½” strip
Cut 1 - 8 ½” x 2 ½” strip
Piecing blocks
Start by stitching the two squares together. Press after each seam. So - add a side, press. Add the next side, press, until finished. I pressed mine to the side this time. Sometimes I’m an open seam presser, and sometimes I’m not. No judgement from me either way. Just be consistent on this project.
There is a pretty good sized bit of the strips left over. I’m debating how to deal with them. The options are - make the front bigger with some other blocks, use them for binding, or sew them together to use on the backing. What do you think?
I’m going to do some of this stitching live. So, if you were excited about doing a jelly roll race in your studio with me, this is your chance. I’m calling it a Jelly Roll Dance, rather than a race. Race is a loaded word for me - I’m super competitive. Sunday, July 5 at 10am Eastern. I’ll be working on my blocks and chatting for a couple of hours. Register here. I will be recording, and possibly using the recording to create an on-demand offering and/or a YouTube tutorial.