The jelly roll has to be the most amazing creation ever of fabric yumminess, how is that for an intro! 
Moda invented these rolls which are
- 40 strips 2.5" wide
- All one collection
- All Cottons rolls or All Batik Rolls
Almost every fabric collection at Moda will have a Jelly roll, so you can pick up the full line in one yummy swirl!
Buy the roll above, which is my Batik roll of one of my fabric lines.
I'm working with this 'Kiss Kiss' roll today. (CLICK HERE to Find LOADS of great Jelly rolls)
Let's take a look at it.
The first thing you will notice is that the pinked edge creates a lot of fuzz. You may be like me and gotten excited and taken the ribbon off before cleaning up the roll, it happens!
It's easier to clean it prior to unwrapping, but if you forgot, just wrap the roll with a rubber band, easy fix!
Roll the top and bottom of the jelly roll with a lint roller. The first time I heard this tip was from my good buddy Kimberly Einmo when she was on my podcast. Best tool to keep in your studio!
In a perfect world, NOW we unwrap the roll!
I LOVE how a jelly roll looks, and I'm tempted to have 2, one to decorate with and one to use.. do you ever think about that, or is it only me?
I LOVE fanning out the strips!
One of the most interesting parts about a purchased Jelly roll is that it's one collection. And every collection has different colorways. In this one there are several aqua based fabrics, and then the aqua is repeated in a few of the prints. But it is primarily a pink and red line with black and aqua accents.
This is something to think about when using it in the design you selected.
I am using my 'Stitched' pattern. I designed that pattern to use a jelly roll + background plus it comes in multiple sizes.
When looking at the roll for that pattern I need to decide if I want to add in the aqua or leave it out. Or maybe I want MORE aqua which means purchasing a bit more fabric depending on the size quilt I'm making.
I make all these decisions before starting a jelly roll project, and I may even do some test blocks to see how I like the colors.
Lissa from Moda has a few tips on using jelly rolls, I like this one
- Use Steam! It will help to realign the fibers if you use steam when you iron the strips. They will relax and lose the curl that has been forced into them by being rolled up.
Next - working with Pinked Fabric Edges
Most Jelly rolls have a pinked edge.
- The Moda precuts are 2.5" wide from the OUTSIDE points of the pinked edges.
- Other companies may be different. So I suggest you measure your precut pieces before you sew to be sure they are 2.5"
- If your strips are not 2.5" wide, you need to trim them and it's better to know now!
What about sewing? When you use a straight cut edge, it's easy to see the strips are lined up. With a pinked edge you need to match them but don't let them slide.
Here is where you can see the strip below ABOVE the edge on the top. If you sew like this your piece will not come out right.
So let's do a quick test of our 1/4" seam.
Article continues below these Amazon Goodies
I use an edge foot on my Babylock Crescendo. You can see that the POINT of the pinked edge is right next to the edge guide.
Press open the 2 strips and they will should measure 4.5" wide from pinked POINT to pinked POINT. If they do not, figure out what you need to adjust so your seam allowance is 1/4".
Here is my Kiss Kiss with the dots for the setting, the pink fabric is from my stash and i am going to use it for the backing. I am not sure how I'll use the red Moda Dottie, I like it and I might cut a few strips to add to the Kiss Kiss strips!
- Buy my Stitched pattern and there is a link to the Kiss Kiss fabrics
- BUY a fun Jelly Roll, sale ones listed FIRST
