Hi Everyone!

I have a question that I hope some of you may help me find the answer to. After some research, I recently decided to make a jellyroll quilt. I bought the book Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott, and bought a jelly roll on ebay.

My question is: Is there a definition for what a jelly roll is? I have thought it has to be either:
a) an assortment of 40 2.5-inch fabrics
b) 2.5-inch strips of each fabric from an entire fabric line.

I found these definitions through the internet. Is this correct?

The reason I would like to know whether there is a standard definition for what a jelly roll is and what it consists of, is because after I received my ebay purchase I started my project immediately. Halfway through, to my disappointment, I realized I only had 25 strips in my jelly roll, not the 40. I went back to my ebay page and re-read the item description carefully, and under details it did mention it has 25 strips. I think I should also mention that the jelly roll was a very low price at $15. When I bought it, I had read "Moda Jelly Roll" in the title and in the description, so I have automatically assumed it would have the standard 40 strips...
I emailed the seller about my disappointment - I don't think I overpaid (since it was only $15), but I asked them if calling it a "Jelly Roll" might be misleading, and their response is "there is no definition for a jelly roll" except that it is "an assortment of 2.5-inch, coordinating fabrics".

I feel a little mislead and upset, because I now have a partially finished project and (after researching the internet) know that I do not have each of every fabric in this particular Moda line (I am missing many of the other designs since I only have 25 strips).

The seller recommended me to just buy another jelly roll of the same line from them to finish my project...but I am in a dilemma. Should I feel upset about this? Or am I misinformed and it is unreasonable for me to feel this way?

Please help me!
And thank you all in advance for your help!

Sincerely,
kcat114

p.s. The book I bought assumes all "jelly rolls" have 40 strips. It mentions 40 in the introduction, and for each project it lists the supplies needed as "one jelly roll, or 40 2.5-inch wide strips." - this was also partly why I had assumed a jelly roll has 40 strips...

I always read the descriptions carefully on eBay. Even if there is a standard for how many strips should be in a jelly roll, the seller might not go by that standard. I'd just buy another from the seller and complete the quilt.

Anytime I bid on E-bay, I read everything, and ask questions about anything not covered there.

With E-bay you have to be very careful to read the fine print. But like you said it wasn't a bad price . Another way they get you is shipping :twisted:

Have you looked at your Local Quilt Store to maybe but some more fabric from the same line and make your own Jelly strips to finish the quilt ?

Although you may be disappointed, it is up to you to read the description. If you really like them, get some more! I did something similar with Steam-a-Seam. I thought I was bidding on the one with paper on both sides, what a shock when I opened that package. I also wrote to the seller, who pointed out a small blurb referring to only paper on one side. So it was my fault. No big deal except I had to go on a quest to find what I wanted.

Lately I've been looking into charm packs. Now those vary greatly! I found anywhere from 21-64 in a pack at various prices which don't necessarily correspond to the quantity of squares in the pack. I saw larger packs cheaper than smaller packs. Maybe it goes by what's popular.

Now I look for the fine print to be sure I know what I'm getting for the price. :) Don't be afraid to ask the seller questions. The only problem is if the auction is almost over, sometimes you don't get an answer in time. But many of those sellers have the same items back out there again.

I'm glad you brought this up. I have only bought one jelly roll and just checked mine and it has 17. I checked where I bought it and their rolls range from 17-33. After checking a few sites, the number it not set. It looks like it has to do with how many fabrics are in a particular collection.
Mary Ellen

Yes, ALWAYS read the description and contact the seller if you have ANY questions, not just on EBay but if you buy from an online QS too.

The amounts do vary by collection size and some jelly rolls duplicate prints too. The name "jelly roll" is more about how the shape of the 2 1/2" strips roll up and resemble the food product, not by any number contained.

I feel your disappointment and this is just one of those things that we (and our wallets) learn a lot from. I too have bought off EBay and not gotten what I thought. As to be expected, I didn't read the description thoroughly enough. Up side, it was still beautiful fabric that was a welcomed addition to my stash.

Hope you'll hunt down exactly what you need to finish your project. I know we all want to see it!

As others have said, jelly rolls do vary in the number of strips they contain. However, generally, they contain 40 strips, but that's not always they case. I've seen some 2.5" rolls which are less than 40 in count also referred to as "desert rolls" to avoid the confusion you had.

Charm packs (5"(usually) squares) fall into the same definition - they're usually packs of 40, but can be anywhere from 20 or so to more than 40.

Layer cakes (10" squares) seem to always contain 40 pieces, at last all the ones I have (about 30 so far) do.

Honey buns (1.5" strips) usually contain 40 strips as well.

BTW, that book you got is an excellent one, I have it as well, and have made several quilts from it. Those 2 authors have another similar book out called something like Jelly Rolls, Layer Cakes, and Charm Quilts, which has more great patterns using these packaged fabrics.

I bought some jelly rolls on sale at my fabric store and they had 40 strips, but there were some there that only had 25. You had to read the label carefully.

kcat -

Not trying to beat you up, but you do have to read the entire description on anything you buy on ebay. I think you have a right to expect 40 strips in a jelly roll, since that is the "standard." However, everyone doesn't follow the same rule. On the plus side, you only paid $15. I'd just look for the completer set and move on.

Darren