Jelly Roll Fever

Have you seen any of the Jelly Roll Quilt Races on the web? It just looked so cool I wanted to try. My first stop was to the local quilt store, where the average jelly roll (precut strips of an entire fabric collection) cost about $39. I have sticker shock when I see fabric prices today. Boy, do I sound old or what? I didn't buy one, just couldn't. Then I went to the big box for paper towels and oatmeal.  I stopped in the fabric department...remember when every department store had a fabric department? They had these jelly rolls for $7.00. I bought them and came home to make a quilt top in under 2 hours...and I did. I only used one of the jelly rolls. It doesn't look like something from Moda, but the technique is so cool and easy. All you do is sew all of the strips together. I mitered the ends so I had the added interest of the angles. Then you take both ends and put the right sides together and sew the whole length to the end and then snip them apart. Then you do this again...until there are 4 rows...  And so it goes. Check out one of the videos for complete instructions.

The colors are very nice, the fabric quality was not as nice. There was a lot of fraying, and strings to trim when I was finished.

I think I will buy a quality jelly roll for my next project, and return my other bargain roll.  It really was fun to see how easily it all went together and so quickly became a quilt top.

A great reason to get in touch with my friend who does long arm machine quilting. She makes my simple quilting projects look like I really know what I'm doing.
I am in the middle of a full fledged sewing frenzy, hand sewing and crocheting too.  It happens every fall, but is a little early this year.  Maybe all the rainy days lately.  More project reports on Monday, pillowcases, leaves and some one's birthday!  Happy Sunday!