Jelly Roll Race
 

Here's a picture of one of my jelly roll race quilts. It took me @ 3 hours to sew all the strips together & do the 5 seams. I made 3 of these in under 2 days.

I have made MANY of these with variations. I now have discovered I like them better when I use the strips cut in half instead of the full 40". I don't time myself, because I am like many of you, a little bit of a perfectionist to try to do it speedily. They go faster if you don't do the angle seam thing. I made several one weekend. I have a couple I still have to find backing for.

I've done several Once the strips are sewn together(the bad part), I knock them out in about an hour and a half or a bit more. The twist doesn't matter. At the end just cut it and go on about your business. They are fast and easy and it is always a surprise when you are done. Have fun.

Oh, and as far as trying to keep from getting the strip twisted, I try to let the strip drop neatly into a basket under my table; then I match up the ends and take out any twists before I ever start stitching. This is where the race slows, but keeps things less frustrating.

Did one of these. It took me 5 days to get it done. Sewing about 4 to 4 1/2 hours a day. Was I slow or whar????

my sil and I took a class had most of it done in the class came home finished that one and did another top that evening so I have to quilt tops ready to finish. My sil and I bought the fabric for the borders and just waiting for another weekend off to finish. Bought three jelly rolls at tuesday morning, the bigger ones were 14.00 the small one was 5.00, sewing all my strips last night when I got home from work, after awhile counted strips together there were 80 in the strip, with 20 more to go, someone at the store must have combined a couple of jelly rolls together and didn't notice. there you take a gamble sometimes there unrolled and the staff just put them back together and put a rubber band around them. I think its going to be a big top with all those strips I have together. It's the don't bug me jelly roll with all the bugs on it, with some solid pink and green

Please show pictures

I did this in a class and the Race was for who could get finished within an hour. Now, granted this was after all the strips were laid out and ready to go after stitching them end to end. Whoever finished in an hour won whatever prize was up, I think this was 50.00. The class took about three hours, but was a lot of fun, because you are visiting with folks and chatting it up.

In the class, you cut off 14 inches from the first strip, so it staggers the colors/prints.
In the class, if you are twisted at the end of the strip, you lose 2 minutes. :)

I had bought a saltbox Jelly Roll, I think they have 8 different fabrics in the Jelly Rolls. When class was over, I bought a packet of five purple and green fabrics. I cut my own strips at home and made another one, because I did enjoy it. Of course at home I can cut the fabric when it twists. lol, but yeah in class I had bad twisting after sewing all the strips together, when sewing I just took a bit more time to try and keep it untwisted before I'd sew the next strips. I didn't win the main prize, but I still enjoyed the class. I forget what we came up with to stop the harsh twisting on the first 1600 inch piece.

And I'd be right there along side you! I'm not fast either, doesn't make any difference whether I am quilting, making baskets, crocheting, knitting or what ever, I'm always last. But like you, I say my husband and family is happy with what I do and that's all that matters.

I did one earlier this year. It took me a the better part of a Saturday afternoon. I did not try to sew as fast as I could. I got the strips twisted once, then I started laying the the material out on my floor to be sure there were no twists. I enjoyed doing it and like my end product. I have another jellyroll that I plan on doing the same way. It was fun to have an almost finished product in less that a day.