Strip quilt tutorial

My stripy, brown and cream quilt Over the Moon was made by adopting the Jelly Roll Race pattern: I didn't use a jelly roll, but I made fat 8ths into honey bun strips to get a finer, more delicate feel to it.

I got a lot of positive reactions and decided to write a pattern for it.

This pattern is quite often found on the internet; these particular instructions are mainly from: http://www.heirloomcreations.net/sewing-tips/the-jelly-roll-1600/

Two of my quilting friends, Nicolette and Alison, have read the pattern in Dutch and English. Well, they sort of rewrote it, with all the corrections, but that's why I asked them in the first place. I wanted it to be a pattern anyone can read, so anyone can make this quilt.

It's easy, it's fast and the result is GREAT.

I might be prejudiced here ...

So let's start.

First read the Jelly Roll Race pattern. This is the basis for my quilt.
Right underneath this one you can find my pattern.

Jelly Roll Race Pattern

Please read through all the instructions before you start sewing.

Materials needed:

- 1 Jelly Roll (40 strips 40" x 2.5")

- scissors or rotary cutter

- sewing machine, thread

- abric for backing and binding (size depends on adding borders or not)

- batting (size depends on adding borders or not)

1.    Open your jelly roll

2.    Sew the strips together in the order they came or randomly: you sew together the 2.5" sides, with a 0.25" seam.
You can sew them together straight or diagonal (at a 45 degree angle) like you sew your binding.
Trim the triangels from the diagonal seams up to a 0.25" seam.

3.    Then cut off about 18" from your first (or last) strip, which goes into your scrap basket. This will randomize your (diagonal) seams in the quilt.

4.    Find the beginning and the end of your strips (the 2.5" bits). This is where the racing begins:

5.    Sew  all your strips together, which is an enormous length of 1600", by laying 2 jelly roll strips right sides together (again with a 0.25" seam).

6.    At the end a fold wil arise: cut where the ends meet: at the fold.
You now have a long strip of 800" made up of 2 jelly roll strips, from different colours and/or prints.

7.    Repeat step 4 and 5 another 4 times (in total you do it 5 times)

8.    Iron all seams in one direction and cut the sides of the quilt the same size.

Yield: a quilt of approximately 48" x 64"

You can add a border if you like.

The pattern for the above quilt was made with Oakshott Cottons:

 Please read through all the instructions before you start sewing.

Materials needed:

- 1 fat 8ths* pack Earth Chalk  or Earth White Marble (each contains 16 fat 8ths)

- 1 fat 8th of a coordinating print, matching, but subdued

- scissors or rotary cutter

- fabric for backing and binding (size depend on adding borders or not)

- batting (size depend on adding borders or not)

1. When using Oakshott fabrics, I always give them a quick rinse, which makes ironing a lot easier too.
2. 1.    Cut each fat 8th into 6 strips of 1.5", which gives you 102 strips of 9" x 22".
   You could cut the print strips up into smaller sections, so they'll be more evenly distributed, but that's up to you.
3. 2.    Now all you have to do before the race starts, is to cut off 9" from the first strip.
4. 3.    Follow the instructions from point 4 onwards of the Jelly Roll Race.

Yield: approximately 34" x 62".

I cut the quilt in two at the 40" mark, to make a baby quilt of 40" x 32" and used two strips (40" x 8.5") on the back as you can see in the picture in the middle.

* 1 fat 8th = 9" x 22"

If you have any questions mail me: bettyvanos at likestohearfromyou dot com

And if you've made one, I'd love to see it.