My First Jelly Roll Rug

Instagram is all aflutter with Jelly Roll Rugs.  I don’t know when I first saw one, but they have been parading across my feed and each is prettier than the last.  I may have a jelly roll or two (or five) stashed in my studio.  So, I did what every self respecting quilter does when an exciting pattern rolls across their feed.  I ordered it.  I had every intention of making it using one of my already purchased jelly rolls, but you know how that goes.

Have you seen the V and Co Ombre Metallic Confetti Dots line*?  OMG.  I was at Gotham Quilts and Ivette slyly stacked a few near me while I was working.  She is absolutely fantastic at selling me fabric.  Some days I think the shop is stocked with me in mind.  Seriously.  Every time I go in and don’t come home with fabric is a victory.  I should get a medal when I control myself.  I would have zero medals, though.

You can find the Jelly Roll Rug pattern on Etsy*.   I will not be sharing all of the construction details, as I feel it is important to support pattern designers.

Preparation

The first step was to cut my batting strips.  I cut loads and loads of my batting scraps into strips, as I couldn’t figure out how to easily be certain I had enough.  It used up a nice pile of batting scraps.  This might be my new favorite way to clean up that particular pile.

Next I joined all of my jelly roll strips.  I used my grandma’s featherweight for this step.  It is my go-to for taking to sew-ins and classes if just a straight stitch is required.  It is so much more portable than my Bernina.

Aren’t they gorgeous?  I kept matching strips together, to keep the final rug coloring more cohesive.  They were stitched together in the same order that they were rolled up by the manufacturer.

Turning the strips into “rope” was a bit tedious.  It seemed to go on forever, and used up more than one bobbin.  As I wound up the ball, it just got more and more beautiful.  There was some discussion of just keeping it rolled as a decoration.  I’m glad I didn’t do that.

One thing I didn’t realize as I was making the rope, is that the end you begin with will be the outside of your rug.  You don’t treat both ends the same way, and of course the end that you finish with will be the center of your rug.

Assembly

I was shocked at how quickly the rug came together once I started assembling it.  The prep goes slow, but final construction is a snap.

I found this foot in my Bernina foot collection.  I’m not sure what I originally purchased it for, but it is ideal for Jelly Roll Rug construction.  It is called a blindstitch foot, and apparently is for construction of “especially elegant clothing”.  Lol.  That definitely isn’t what I bought it to make.  The little bar in the center worked beautifully to keep my zig zag evenly distributed across the seam.

My sewing table is a small one, and is crammed into a corner of my studio. Do as the pattern designer suggests, and use a bigger, flat surface to stitch on.  My rug is quite wobbly.  I really should take it apart and fix it, but I don’t see that happening any time soon.  It is much flatter after a good dousing of Best Press and a session with a hot iron.

Oscar approves.

You will notice I referred to this as my first jelly roll rug.  I have the rope for the second already prepared – it is just waiting for me to finish some client work and open up my schedule.

Final Thoughts

The Jelly Roll Rug finished at 30″ x 43″, one inch smaller than than the pattern designer predicted.  I will be stitching my next one with a polyester thread.  This one was made with Aurifil 50 weight, which is beautiful, but one play session with my small dog has created some broken and pulled threads.  I think a stronger thread would be a better bet.

Have you tried a jelly roll rug yet?  I’m hooked – I better go get my client work done so I have some more time to play.