Has anyone found (fabric) Jelly Rolls uneven?

Hi Susan,

I used a jelly roll package for the first time last week and I too was disappointed with the cutting. At the fold there were some uneven ones and some were the same as you found. The other thing I found was that they were not all the same length!

I have about 8 jelly roll packages but I will be extremely careful when using them.

When I put my pictures up you will be able to see how some of the material has been cut - there were strips that looked totally crooked which spoils the look of the quilt (in my opinion).

Fortunately, I didn't pay as much as you because I only bought mine when they were on sale.

Di

IMHO the jellyrolls I've opened were discarded because they were shabby fabric and sloppily cut. They make pretty good ties for tomato plants but are too skinny for blotting up puppy accidents. I don't suppose anyone would like to know how I really feel about them? Polly

Polly, this is a public group, and some of us do listen to what you have to say, so I think you had better hold it - we can guess on this one!

On the other hand, I think I'll steer clear of the hofmann batiks, which was the one kind of jelly rolls that I have been really tempted by...

Hanne in DK

Den 04-03-2012 05:10, Polly Esther skrev:

OTOH, I enjoy the charm packs. They let me play with a style I'd otherwise pass or add to my stash just a little without much of an investment. Polly

i just ordered my first jelly roll. it hasn't arrived yet. hmmmmm, i'll report back.

I bought half a dozen black jelly rolls to sash a horse-flavoured quilt for my sister. I'm quilting as I go and the backing pieces are alternate squares of scarlet and cream ginkgo prints.

Anyway, yes, the jelly rolls are not entirely even, but for this purpose they're just fine. I've fallen in love with QAYG and the precut strips have allowed me to herb along at a great pace.

I don't think I'd use the jelly rolls for precision piecing, but I do think they're a great idea for sashing and binding.

I think what got my knickers in such a knot about jelly roll quality is that I was making a Wounded Warriors quilt and those need to be as special as can be. Polly

Now that I have cooled a bit from the frustration of yesterday's adventure using a Jelly Roll I should report that the quilt looks OK. Everyone around here has been talking about the Jelly Roll Race quilt so I had to try one. The fabric in the package was the same quality as one would find on the bolt. I have no problem with fabric quality. It was that wobble, especially at the fold, that upset me. Any quilt you make in less than an hour isn't a precision quilt. I was thinking of all the beginners who buy the pre-cut fabrics because they are afraid to cut into yardage. Several of the national instructors are recommending they start with pre-cuts. New quilters will assume the strip is 2.5" and re-cut as directed in the pattern. When they pieces do not fit they won't realize it was the pre-cut that caused the problem. Google "Jelly Roll Race Quilt" if you have no idea what I am talking about.

I am currently working on charity quilts for children and thought I would try the Jelly Roll Race pattern. The charity goal size is 40" by

50" which is smaller than the pattern. The math wasn't coming out the right proportions when I tried using fewer strips to make a smaller quilt. I finally decided to construct the quilt like the pattern until the piece was 16 strips wide (32"). After all the seams were pressed I cut two lengths at 42" each. These 32" by 42" pieces will receive borders and magically be the required 40" by 50". This left several inches of pieced strips which I cut 2.5", unsewed every third square and re-sewed the segments into Nine Patch blocks. These will be combined with other scrappy blocks for another quilt. Sorry no pictures yet.

I am having great fun making the charity quilts. If you would like more information on them see

Rosemary is the author/designer of several quilting books including "Civil War Diary" and "Civil War Love Letters". She is collecting what she calls Blanket Quilts to send to orphanages in Africa. There is no batting or quilting. The bright fabric front is backed with flannel. The cuddle factor is as important as warmth. So far I have made ten. They are great fun and no pressure but soon I must return to finish the miniatures I promised for our guild silent auction in April.

Susan

Howdy!

Jelly Rolls- make my own, thanks. Never had any problems w/ quality in the pre-cut packs...so far.

Quilt Races:

I couldn't leave it at that; just stripes after stripes after more stripes. Boring, to me. Of course, it's quick; it's just straight seams. Fine: fast. I understand that. Has a nice scrappy look to it. Then I'd have to cut that quilt top into triangles & re-piece into something more interesting (to me). But, for a quick quilt, sure, that would work. But I don't do quilts for the fast-of-it, even charity quilts. I just couldn't leave it alone.

Ragmop/Sandy - laughing at myself...

cutting and resewing like a Hidden Wells method perhaps. i really like the addition of wee Prairie Points. amazing how a few wee triangles can add so much visual interest. j.

"Susan Laity Price" wrote ... I have seen several Jelly Roll quilts where the maker added a few large Prairie Points sprinkled along the long seams after the quilt was sewn together. They make the quilt according to instructions then decide where the Prairie Points would look nice and break-up the lines. They open the seam at that point and insert the raw edges of a Prairie Point and re-sew the seam. It really looks much better. I like your idea of cutting the entire quilt into other types of segments like triangles and re-sewing it back together. To each his own---I couldn't imagine sitting in a large room and racing other quilters to finish anything.

Susan

Sandy E wrote:

see

I've seen a 1600 quilt, but with straight and not angled seams, and in addition, using a contrasting color, say black, of various lengths, at most six inches, randomly between all the strips. This before the doubling and sewing began. Quite striking too.

I've only used one jelly roll and the main issue was consistency in length, not width.

Steven Alaska

Haven't seen that but does sound striking and much quicker than adding Prairie Points after the fact. Was there a black section between each length or every few lengths?

Susan