smaller sized jelly roll quilt - can it be done?
 

I keep looking at the jelly roll quilts and a while back i attempted one but it was just too overwhelming to me. ( i did save it though in case i want to try it again!) but my question is would it be possible to make a smaller version (more like a lap size) using strips from my stash? I am talking about the one where you sew all the ends together and keep sewing and sewing and sewing and cutting them in half and then sewing them together again until its done. they all look so large and i was thinking it might make a cute one for a charity quilt but it would have to measure roughly 36 -40 inches square before adding borders to it. I am trying to figure out if i would cut the strips shorter and not use as many? any ideas would be appreciated.

Anything goes so try it and let us know how it turns out. You can always add borders if you want it bigger.

It would be cute!

jump right in and give it a try.

You can make the quilt any size you want. I made one of these and found it fun. But it is one long strip and takes some getting use to keep it all together. Do like the end result.

I did some calculations and the original with 40 strips comes out about 50" x 64"
This is using 40 strips at 40" long.
I tried other combinations by reducing the number of strips and they all come out much longer than you want
the closest was 31"x62" if you reduce the number of strips to 25. Seems the math and length works against precise sizes that is unless you want to do one the closest size you want and then trim some off the bottom.
This might not be a bad idea as you could use the strip to add to the backing fabric for a creative touch.
Smeone may have a better way to calculate but my grade school math just doesn't make it work. I might tend to just sew the long strip together and rather than double back for the next strip to cut it off at the size you want and add the other trips.

It's tough to dictate the finished size. The best I could come up with is 640" of 2 1/2" fabric. This would sew up in these rounds (considering finished size of 2" for length), with a finished size of 32" x 40". I'd start with some extra length, because when I did this I found it difficult to get clean cuts when I ended a seam. I had to straighten my edges.

Round 1 4" length x 320" width
Round 2 8" length x 160" width
Round 3 16" length x 80" width
Round 4 32" length x 40" width.

If I needed 36" x 40", I think I would make the above, and then add two additional strips.

If you wanted it smaller, why not cut the strips smaller (say 2 1/2" by 25 or 30"). That way you could use all 40 of the fabrics to get a variety of colors. Then you could use the cut off part to make a doll quilt, or use it in a scrappy quilt.

How about doing the 31 X 62 with 25 pieces just as you suggest, and then sew the remaining pieces together and add them to the quilt top down one side of the length? I am not a math whiz either, but estimating 15 more strips sewn together @ around 41" + 21" by 2"(when sewn), should add about 14" of width. 45" x 62" is a nice size quilt.

Is the effect you want to have the occasional changes in fabric in some of the rows?

I ask b/c the strips are what...40 inches long? You want a 40 inch square, why not just start sewing strips together along the length? That's what I would do...sew 2 40 inch long strips together, sew another set of two, etc, then sew those to each other to make foursies, and then together again to make groups with 8 rows...till you have a big enough piece. To me that seams easier then doing the jelly roll race quilt.

Thanks for this. I've played with the numbers, too, and it's surprising how making changes can completely make this project not work. I tried with 21" strips so I could use fat quarters, and I came up with some options, but it definitely took more thinking than I expected...

do any size you want. I'd suggest that if you do a shorter than 36" width, you simply cut your 40" strips in half. That would allow more motion/changes of color. It will work. I did one using my own strips from my stash. I cut them 3" instead of 2-1/2 (better for stash-busting).

The great thing about quilting, is that the quilter is boss. Make your top any size you want. Another advantage is that if you are using from your stash, cut strips any length you can to begin with, then cut after you string them together. If you have an extra long strip, maybe cut it into two pieces----------one 2/5's of total and the other 3/5s of the total. (or any other variable!)

I think some here are over-thinking this project. String together a bunch of strips. Cut the first strip whatever length you want---------40" is what you want. Keep adding strips until you reach 36" wide.

If you are using from your stash-----------you can make individual strips from just a few inches to however long you want-----------cut only after you've sewn a few strips end to end. When complete, they'll be sort of willy-nilly when sewn together.

just start making the blocks and quit when it's the size you want..... all quilters did this till the past couple of decades... i think GrannieAnnie has it right.... don't overthink it.... either quit sooner or use smaller strips...either will get you a smaller quilt.

Using one-half the jelly roll (or 20 strips), you end up with a quilt approximately 40 x 40, which is a nice size for a lap quilt.

Say, it's your quilt! Make it any size you want. I had a bunch of flannel samples that another quilter gave me. I cut them into 3" strips and sewed them end to end. I decided my sewing table was a good width, so I just cut them off there as I went along. Looked just fine and made a nice baby quilt. If I'd gone a little larger, it would have been a nice throw.

You guys have too much time on your hands.Just start sewing.When it's big enough,it's done.

I'm working on my jelly roll quilt now and what I like is you can make it any size you want You say you want it 36 x40 so make it 40 x 40 and then cut it down to 36 and you already have strips that you can cut down for a 9 patch for a doll quilt or whatever you may need it for. There would be a use for the part cutoff somewhere down the line. Just a thought

I like the idea of sewing side by side better than one lone strips. Seems easier to me. I sure want to try one. I have the jelly roll by my machine, now just need the time to do it.

Wow... thanks to the math wizards. Those calculations are a GREAT help

At our Project Linus National Blanket Day, we made these Jelly Roll quilts and had fun doing them. We used 30 strips and it was basically the typical size of crib size. So, I'm sure any number of strips would work depending on how many times you put the 2 ends together. We stitched ours 5 times (if that makes sense).

if you do a "search" for the 1600 quilt...you will find it there.

my friend just made one using varying lengths of black and white left overs from another friends strip quilt. she randomly added in bits of color (like 2-4 inch strips). it came out stunning. wish i had a pic to show you. she just sat down and pieced them all together, then started halving it until she had a small quilt top.

go for it. i think you will like it.

Our quilt group has made the jelly roll quilts a lot for charity quilts. We often separate the seam in the middle of the quilt, making two quilts. Just add borders to make it the size needed.

There's a book called "Two from One" jelly roll quilts. I made one with 20 strips and I think it's quite nice. Of course, I haven't basted or quilted it, but it will look neat when it's done. The idea of the book is that you can make two quilts from one jelly roll. Some of them are smaller and some are as large as a lap quilt. They depend on how much background fabric is needed.

I just did one that was 54X78 but I used strips that were cut 30" long so the rows come out like I wanted.

Here is how I figured out what size stripes to cut.
The length is 78" so divide that by 2" (finished size, cut size 2 1/2") you need 39 rows to make the length. This is an odd number so I dropped the last row and only did 38 rows. I added a 1" border to make up the 78" that I wanted.
Now the width I used was 54 - 2" for border= 52" so multiply that by 38 rows and you get 1,976 inches, this is how many inches you need to make the quilt.

so the length divided by width of strips (adjust for odd numbers), multiplied by the width of the quilt (minus any adjustments) equals the total length of fabric strips you need.

Next thing you need to do is divide 1,976 by the number of fabrics that you want in you quilt, that will give you an idea of how long the stripes should be. If the needed strip length is longer than your fabric then you will need 2 pieces of each fabric and I would divide the length of the needed strips by 2 so your strips would be equal in length but that is up to you.

For myself, I didn't want to use any fabric more then once and I didn't want the strips 40" long in the quilt either so I ended up using 69 fabrics cut 30" long (finished about 28 1/2") plus 1 strips about 12 long ".

I hope all this makes sense but it's all in the math.

For a smaller one why don't you cut the jelly roll strips in half so they are about 20 " and make it just like you would with the full length. I think you would get a better assortment of colors and designs that way. Just don't forget to cut your first piece in half (to 10"). I think I will give this a try with my left over strips, thanks for the inspiration.

I wonder if using narrower strips would work? Like 1.5" instead of 2.5"? I, too, am wrestling with Jelly Roll Race dimensions. I have one laying ony my ironing board that I may go & whack a hunk off of in a minute. That's why I'm messing around on the board right now... I don't want to face that silly quilt top!