Jelly Roll 1600 Quilt

Instead of working on my UFO's, I got distracted and started yet another quilt, totally due to the fact that I went to my quilt guild's all-day sew last month and sat next to Cherry who was making some Jelly Roll 1600 quilts for charity out of a stash of jelly rolls that she had scored for a steal of a deal at a quilt shop that was going out of business a few years ago.

I'm such a snot - I thought I was above using jelly rolls and quilts that take no imagination or sewing skills, but I think I'm now a convert!  (I did avoid purchasing a jelly roll since I had enough WOF scraps from my Seaside Roses quilt, plus a few others to cut the needed 40 2-1/2" strips to stitch the quilt.)  It was so fast and easy!!  

I really like the effect of the diagonal seams when piecing the strips.

I finally gave up adding the applique border on the Seaside Rose quilt, so I decided to stitch the 18 applique hearts that I had already prepared for the border of that quilt onto this quilt.  

(If you look closely in the first picture, you can spot them.)  

Makes me smile.  :)

I used the rest of the leftover patchwork from the Seaside Rose quilt on the back, 

...as well as a few selvages so I could document the fabric line.  I loved that fabric line when I first saw it at the Quilt Odyssey quilt show way back in July of 2006.

Click here for the link to directions for a Jelly Roll 1600 quilt.

I'll post better pictures later when the weather improves and I can nab someone to be my quilt holder.

:)

Wallflowers

I'm getting ready to stitch a "Strips and Squares" quilt out of these dear Wallflower fabrics by...

...Allison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew.

Again, I always hate undoing the perfectly coiled jelly roll....

... or opening the neatly ordered charm pack.  Am I the only one with such issues??  :)

Click here for the link to the pattern. 

(I'm planning to add an extra set of rows to the bottom since they'll be enough fabric to do so.)

Not sure how long the fabrics will be available, but here are the links for purchasing the jelly roll and charm packs from Missouri Star Quilt Co.

I'll post pictures of the finished quilt top in a few days!

Jelly Roll Learning Curve

I'm soon going to be stitching a quilt for a friend out of a jelly roll and two charm packs.  But, since I've never worked with a jelly roll before (I know, I know, where I have been all this time!!), I thought I had better work out the kinks on a quilt of my own first vs. using hers for my learning curve!

I bought this "Boutique" jelly roll, pattern, and backing fabric almost four years ago from this gal on line.

(Isn't it interesting how your taste in fabric and color changes?  While I still love the fabrics, it has a much warmer feel than the clear colors I am drawn to today.)

Donna's in the Attic was the very first quilt blog I had discovered, and the first time I had ever ordered fabric on line, so this quilt marks a very significant milestone for me. :)   Maybe that's why I couldn't bear to open up the perfectly coiled roll of fabric to get started?  Or, maybe because I was hung up on the fact that I wouldn't be able to prewash the strips?   

Anyway, I was fine once I got started!!  

It took me a bit to figure out what an exact 1/4 of an inch looks like when the edge is pinked.  But, after some trial and error, I think I got it.

I decided to press the seams open again on this quilt.  I just did that on the last blocks I pieced for my "Dragonfly Days" and really liked how accurate the piecing was as a result, not to mention how nice and flat the blocks lay.  Since the seams won't be nestling together on this particular quilt, 

pressing them flat is a really nice option.

I'm going to set this project aside for the time being so I can work on my friend's quilt (and Christmas preparations!), but I'll keep you posted!