How many quilts can you get

out of one jelly roll?

Okay. For my non-quilting friends; a jelly roll is a group of 2.5 x 44 inch fabric strips...one strip of each fabric in a coordinating line. Between different colorways, etc; there's often upwards of 45 different pieces! When I saw the Celebrate Spring line by Sandy Gervais for Moda Fabrics last year I just had to have it all! and jelly rolls make it affordable to own the whole line.

Ahhh. Those colors just make my heart sing! Luckily, I was thinking ahead and I bought a charm pack (one five inch square of each) as well. The downside of so many groovy fabrics being designed these days is they don't have very long runs. Once they sell out they're gone! Well, after just enjoying looking at the roll for nearly a year I decided to crack it open and see what all I could make from it. First I made this baby quilt.

I had 42 five-inch squares which I used as the centers combined with the 2.5 inch randomly cut strips to make seven inch squares . I backed this quilt with yellow dot Minky (super super soft!) and hand tied it. Next I had to come up with a strips-only pattern.

I know I saw something real similar to this somewhere recently but right now it's escaping me. I'm saving this top for when I want to try machine quilting again. I guess I'd call this a toddler quilt. I still had a few pieces left and when I saw this yellow 'leaves' quilt mentioned on SewMamaSew's blog I knew I had to make one, too.

I have a Sizzix die for those leaf shapes so it came together super quick. Each square is 5 inches. Since taking this pic I backed it in the yellow dot Minky as well, and edged it with the green dot border. This is the smallest of the three quilts. I love how that green dot fabric from JoAnn's matched the line so nicely! And I love LOVE LOVE the blanket stitch on my new Bernina

I swear; I'd have bought the machine for that stitch alone!  So, with what very little I had left I pieced the strips together to edge the first quilt I made (with the squares) and that's that. I'm now on the lookout for a new jelly roll that I love so much I just have to have it, and then have fun coming up with different ways to use it, too. :-)

Comments

[jenn]

I am in love with jelly rolls. I have a great tote bag pattern that uses them. I can't believe you got so much out of one! I am off to the fat quarter shop site to pick up some new ones!! such inspiration!

[nancy]

oh my gosh! each one is even more beautiful than the last (though I don't think I could choose a favorite). i need to go back and find the post about your Bernina because I'm getting one and I need to know the very best model!

[Vanessa]

Love all the quilts! Such beautiful spring colors. I think the leaf quilt is my favorite, but I like them all.

[pam]

Wow those are all so great and so different. Love that you used the Sizzix tool.. I love all those thing but didnt' know it would work on fabric. I can't wait for you to get your room done and we can see all this stuff in action. Maybe you should have a retreat where we all come and you show us how to do stuff or we just hang out looking at your cool stuff and shopping.

[Kate]

Wow, fantastic use of a jelly roll! Your post made me chuckle because it reminds me of one of my kids' favorite books, Joseph Had A Little Overcoat, except when you had nothing left you wrote a blog post about it! I have a Jane Sassaman jelly roll I need to finally untie and get to work on and really enjoyed the ideas.

[Stacy A]

Those 3 really did turn out nice. And I loved the one in the last post too. I just cut out the squares for my first quilt (a mini) today. It will be a bit before I get to circles and appliqué but you have to start somewhere right, like with your Bernina. I'm really enjoying seeing what you are up to each day. Thanks for all the great ideas.

[Sarah]

I love them all, but I really want to make that second one.

I just bought some charm packs, and now I a wishing I had some jelly rolls. LOL

[happy zombie]

Gotta get in here and comment fast... before Pam does. She always beats me!

Love, love, love your jelly roll quilts. Amazing! I love stretching my charm packs and jelly rolls with solid, and I love the white/Kona you used. I especially love the square one. Serious love. I have a couple of Sandy Gervais' Holly Jolly jelly rolls left over from Christmas... that's a prefect quilt for them. Plus it's so fun to say. I need to use them fast... so I can go buy some more jr's and charms!

[Nancy]

Love the leaf quilt. That is going on my to do list. What is a sizzix die cutter thingy, do hicky.????
Did you use fusible and then the blanket stitch? I love my Bernina also.