Thread: Super Fast Jelly-roll quilt

I've made a quilt using this system and it was really quick and easy. In my particular case, I found I wasn't happy with the uneven distribution of color/pattern that happened with the jelly rolls I used (i.e. it didn't come out scrappy enough) so I used the seam ripper to make 4 horizontal sections which I then rearranged in a more pleasing way. I definately plan to do another one because the technique is easy and fast and I was really happy with the finished top!

Originally Posted by fromthenestdesigns

Super Fast Jelly-roll Quilt
Approximate finished size: 65” X 79”

This idea was shared with me by a friend. I’ve written it up so I can share it. Enjoy!!!

What you will need: 1 jelly roll
1st border: 1/2 yard
2nd border: 1 1/4 yards
Directions: Sew all the jellyroll strips end to end in random order. Cut the selvages off as you go.
You will have a very long strip of fabric approximately 1600 inches long. (40 strips x 40”)
Important: Cut 20” off of the beginning of the long strip of fabric and throw it in your stash. You won’t be using it. This will make it so your seams will be staggered as you sew them together.
Now find the 2 ends of the strip and put right sides together and start sewing!!! Sew down the long side of the strip to the end and cut the loop at the end of the strip. You now have a very long strip that is 2-jellyroll strips wide.
If you want to at this point, you can press them open, but pressing is really not necessary until you have the whole thing sewn. Remember this is supposed to be a fun and FAST quilt. Don’t stress over anything!

Next...find the two ends of this long strip again and put right sides together. Sew all the way down to the end and cut the loop at the end again. You will now have a strip that is 4– jellyroll strips wide.

Now... find the two ends of this long strip and put right sides together. Sew all the way down to the end and cut the loop at the end. You will now have a strip that is 8– jellyroll strips wide.

Again...find the two ends of the long strip and put right sides together. Sew all the way down to the end and cut the loop at the end. You will now have a that is 16– jellyroll strips wide.

For the last time…..find the two ends of the long strip and put right sides together. Sew all the way down to the end and cut the loop at the end.
You will now have a that is 32– jellyroll strips wide.

You are finished!!!
You now have the center of your quilt.
It should measure approximately 50” x 64”
Square it up.

Borders are next:
1st border: Cut 6—2 1/2 inch strips. Join together.
Measure and apply borders as shown.
2nd border: Cut 7—6” strips. Join together.
Measure and apply as shown.

On YouTube they had a show of a group of women making this quilt. It was a race. It was so fun to watch. It went so quickly. The winner jumped up and threw her hands in the air and then, one by one, each other woman did the same thing. I watched the whole thing. (They had already sewed the 2 1/2" pieces end to end before the start of the show) It was amazing at how fast this procedure went. Looked like a fun night at a "Quilting Bee" or something. I would love to do this with a group of women and race to the end.

Thank you for sharing

I made one of these at our local LQS a couple weeks ago. Yes it is very fast. We had a race too! I wanted to do another one and didn't want to spend another 42.00 for a Jelly Roll, all though I LOVE the Watermelon colors, so I picked up a stack of five fabrics for 22.00 and cut my own strips. They were purples and greens. There wasn't a lot of different colors, but it came out pretty enough. I do like this technique though.