Jelly Roll fabric
 

Hi, I have never been game to sew a jelly roll quilt, but would love to try. My question is do I have to purchase jelly roll pre cut fabric, or is it possible to use up all my bits as long as I have cut them to the correct size. Any help would be appreciated.

Idle Di

I bought a jelly roll last week where the strips are 4 1/2 inches wide. Although typically jelly rolls are 2 1/2" wide, they can be any width. I've made my own also when it suits me. It's your quilt, make it anyway you like. I look forward to see it as you progress.

Cut your own and put it up on a board to see how the pieces go together. You can use the 45 degree cut on the straight cut at the sides. Have fun with it.

I make quilts from strips I cut myself. You can use them for fence rail,basket weave, paino key borders. Many ways to use strips whatever width.

I think the reason to use (or buy) a jelly roll is to have one or two strips of a designer's new line of fabric without having to buy yardage of it. If you don't care that they won't coordinate then simply make your own. I have plenty of times for scrappy JRQs

I would cut my own, I don't buy pre-cuts.

Oh thank you everyone for the help. I will have a go, as I have found that I have a lot of bits, that are too small for dresses, but too large to throw out.

Idle Di

MaryMo, where did you find a jellyroll that is 4/12 inches wide?

The secret to the jelly roll quilt is to have as many different fabrics as possible. The precuts usually have 2 or 3 of each color in the line. The main complaint that our group had was the repeat colors sometimes ended up next to each other in the next row. You can't really audition this quilt, as you sew til the end, then cut apart and sew to the end again! So if you have 40 plus strips of ALL DIFFERENT prints/colors, that won't be an issue. I have seen them done with bias cut ends and I like that, but also a 2 1/2" square of a consistent color (black or white, etc.) between each strip is stunning! It requires a bit of prep work to make that happen, but most "races" start after all the strips are sewn together anyway. Good luck, they are fun and really beautiful when finished!

I agree with Linda, the jelly rolls have too many of the same. I love the look of shorter and longer pieces.
Here is one that I made, using up my scraps. (just disregard the stars :o) )

If using a jelly roll, cut maybe a third in half, and another third in thirds and rat full length...mix up and grab and sew....also look at on Pinterest - jelly roll Quilts for some ideas...I like the one that has a vertical insert of staggered flying geese added after strips are sewn together....

Of course you don’t have to purchase jelly rolls. You can use any fabric you want, cut into any size you want. As long as the strips are all the same width. Be adventurous!

Plenty of fabrics coordinate without being part of the same line.

Jelly Rolls that are supposed to be 2 1/2 inches wide have come to me cut very wrong. I still have one mess I am trying to deal with. I had bought it on ebay from an individual. Check it if you buy the roll.

I cut my own from my scraps and it is amazing how they go toghether and look good even though seperate they are questionable. I use them a lot to make my project linus quilts. The more colorful the better.

I made a quilt for our bed using 3 Dudes Amazing Jelly Roll Quilt pattern and just cut my own strips. It worked out great.

Hi I am confused what is a 'rat'

idle Di

Oh the quilt is beautiful

Idle Di

Oh I forgot with my last post, can I use different fabrics, or the same sort e.g. cotton.

Idle Di

Chester the bunny yours is very pretty. The addition of the stars really adds to it. I prefer addition of appliques.

I don't really like the plain jelly roll race quilts.

Go ahead and cut your own. It costs less than buying them and you have the control of what colors you will use.

Chester, your quilt is wonderful. I really like the stars. It adds so much to the design.

My first Jelly Roll Race I could not afford to buy a Jelly Roll, so I cut 2 1/2" strips from lots of large pieces of fabric, I cut so many strips, I shared with another who didn't have a Jelly Roll. It was lots of fun to see how different our finished quilts looked.

I understand that the pieces should be 2 1/2 inches wide, but is there a rule for how long they should be.

Di

Love the stars. :-)

I like to vary the length of the strips, scatter a 2 1/2 " block here and there and use the "stitch and flip" QAYG technique. Not the exact Jelly roll race instructions, but they always turn out nice.

Chester, I love the idea of the stars and the varied length of the strips. Brilliant!

The jelly roll race quilt is sometimes also called the 1600 inch quilt. All your strips of whatever length you use should add up to approximately 1600 in when sewn end to end. Otherwise you might not end up with the size you expected.

Are you making the jelly roll race or another jelly roll pattern?

From a friend who bought remaining items from a quilt shop going out of business. Upon examining it, I found that it contains a variety of fabrics from different manufacturers so it might have been hand-made but they all complement each other. I plan to make jelly roll race quilt soon.

Our quilt group makes charity quilt tops from 2.5” cuts. Length is random and we use up leftovers. Also have containers of 3” and 4” and 5”.

Loving that jelly roll quilt! Those colors are amazing!

Thank you ever so much

Di

Oh I don't know, what is the difference, and with the jelly roll race do I need running shoes. Lots of laughter, not sure what the difference is

idle Di

There are a few jelly roll patterns. I made the Amazing Jelly Roll quilt. I really liked the pattern