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The Jelly Roll 1600 Quilt! – And Video

We Carry
by Sara Snuggerud in Sewing Tips

What is 1,600 inches long when it starts and finishes 48” x 64”? The Jelly Roll 1,600 Quilt!

(Shown – Two Jelly Roll 1,600 quilts using the exact same jelly roll! Mary E. and Sara S.)

Ladies and gentleman, start your engines!


Your pit crew needs to have the following items on hand: one jelly roll or 40 strips that are 2 1/2” x 40″, scissors, thread, one full bobbin of Aurifil thread and one iron.

Shuffle jelly roll strips to mix up the colors. Most pre-selected jelly rolls roll like colors together. For this quilt, the outcome will look better with a randomized order. Prints with an up or down look will not matter which way they are sewn.

At our recent sewing retreat, we had “Jelly Races”. Please enjoy the video from the race. The fastest sewing time was 35 minutes by Lynette Fahy!

Warm Up Lap:
Sew all 2 1/2” strips on a diagonal into one long strip. (Like sewing binding together).

Before the Green Flag Drops…
DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP… From one end, cut off 18″ of the sewn together strip and throw it away. This will  randomize the location of the diagonal seams throughout the quilt.

Green Flag = GO!
Find the beginning and ending of the 1,600″ long strip. Placing each of the ends right sides together, start sewing. This will be the longest seam. When the end is reached, cut the jelly roll strip apart and finish the seam.

Pit Stop #1
The strip will now be 800” long. No need to press; it can be all be done at the end.

Lap #2
Locate the beginning and end of the 800” strip and start sewing them together. When the end is reached, cut the jelly roll strip apart and finish the seam.

Lap #3 – 5
Repeat the same process a total of five times! Each “lap” will take half the time to sew as the lap before!

Press all seams the same direction and trim sides even. Borders are totally optional. I personally like the size that this quilt finishes without adding anything extra. Just quilt and bind as desired.

Attention store owners and quilt guilds:

You have our permission to use this Jelly Roll 1,600 concept as you desire. We would appreciate a link to our blog for the pattern and to the video via your website. Please give us credit if you print off this information. And we would love to receive pictures of your race! Send pictures to info@heirloomcreations.net.