Although I am fascinated by the idea of making a quilt top this "easily", I do think it would be sooo boring to sew those first few seams.

I would like to try one - for the backing I would get a large scale print and quilt it from the back. These sound more and more interesting!

I have never enjoyed these. But they look great with batiks

I have made three of them and thought it was a fun diversion. Not much thinking involved. You don't have to iron it until you are all done. I didn't race on any of them, but I did like it.

How do you lay them out before hand to figure out where they will lay/end up on the top?

Caroloto ... I too am wondering ... if it's a true "race" quilt ... I'm not sure how one would be able to predict the end result.


CWQuilters ... please do share! Thanks!

Ugh, I love jelly rolls but I do not like horizontal or vertical strips just pieced together, it turns me off totally. You're a better woman than I. LOL

You don't really plan which piece goes next. The trick is to cut 20" off the first strip. That way the seams will be staggered. I also saw someone make one with a 2 1/2" square between each strip. The squares were all made out of the same fabric. It made a nice variation.

Ok I used 42 strips 2 of each color/same fabric, grabbed the first one of the same color/type and put the second one off to the side. Did this with the whole pile, then turned the pile of same color type and turned it over so I restarted with the same colors on the next 21 strips. Once I finshed sewing the 1600 give or take inches I did cut the 20" off the first (beginning) strip. I then grabbed the one end and the other end and started sewing those two together right sides. It ended up that several of the same colors ended up being sewn together producing a 4' strip, some only having a few inches where the other color strip started. Plus even with me thinking I had the dark colors and light colors divided apart enough when I first sewed the strips together, I ended up with the dark colors grouped together. I was thinking maybe you had away to plan it out so that wouldn't happen towards the end. Many of us had the same colors on top of each other and focus in one spot.

I ended up cutting mine apart due to the focus be drawn to one area. I decided I didn't want to rip out many many seams and since it would be like redoing most of the quilt I first cut about 6 1/2' off each side, then ripped out the center left, folded them in 1/2 and did a 60 degree cut. Then layed it out in a diamond pattern, placing the colors from the ones I cut off to the other end. Sew it together, place a 2 1/2" border, placed a 2nd border of the 6 1/2" strips which now I cut each to 3" so it would go around the whole border. and I put on a 3rd border of 4 1/2". Instead of re-sewing lots of seams and ripping I ended up sewing only 5 not counting the borders which would of been needed anyway to finsh the Jelly Roll quilt. Many of the other in our group (most) on Monday night meeting when we showed them to the group that didn't make it to the race said they ended up taking them apart and rearanged them.

As fun as it was to get together for the Jelly Roll race I myself don't think I would make another one.

Same thing happened to me but it was an OBW and I have to say it was a boring experience to piece, possibly because all same size. The fun was arrangement.