Jelly Roll Rug Tips

After finishing up my commissions and developing my new patterns, I needed to do some fun sewing.  I had bought a Jelly Roll of fabric by Cherry Blossoms and I have been intrigued by these Jelly Roll rugs that are being posted all over instagram.  I watched a bunch of Youtube videos for tips and decided to take the plunge.

I bought the pattern and the recommended  stripped batting from Oh Sew Sally, an on line store. The rolls of batting are hard to find and you need 2 of them.

I started working on the rug with my DIL over Labor Day weekend with my DIL.  She was using an orange batik jelly roll that I brought back from Bali for her. The biggest challenge is that everything wants to twist.  Avoiding this was my challenge.

The first step is to sew all the strips together as if you were making binding.  I didn't change the order of the  strips from the Jelly Roll, but next time I think I would. 

A tip that I saw several times was to stack of these strips and either place them on your lap or the table in front of your machine.  Encasing the batting in the strips is very well explained in the pattern.  To keep the batting from twisting, I used my paper towel holder.

And these are all balls .  As I rolled mine, I untwisted the tube.

I was too busy to put the rug together while we were at the lake and I'm glad I waited until I got home where my sewing machine is recessed in a table.  The table supported the weight and I was able to fold and roll the rug as it got larger.

The rug ends up a little wonky and wavy no matter how carefully you stitch.  A good steaming at the end flattens it out.

I have read that people wash them in the washing machine with great success. 

 I can't wait to make another.

What happened to the Summer?

I just can't believe the school year has started and it's been a month since I wrote a blog post.  My summer was consumed with High Holiday Torah cover commissions that totaled 5 covers and creating patterns for a new line of Mosaics.  I shared the first 2 Torah covers that were sent to Germany HERE.

The next set of 3 were for a synagogue in Easton, MD requested by their Rabbi, Peter Hyman, who is a dear friend. They just built a new synagogue and the ark doors look like ocean waves, so they wanted some blue.

After delivering these 3 covers (some people call them mantles), I put all my effort into developing patterns for my new line of Midi Mosaics.  What are Midi Mosaics you ask?  They are a larger size of the Mini Mosaics.  The batik squares are the same 3/8" size, but the finished project is larger.  I'm saving them to unveil at the quilt show in Oaks that's starting on Thursday in Oaks, PA.  My booth # is 720.  Stop by and check them out.  There will be patterns and fabric kits.  Sorry for the secrecy.  After the show, they will become available in my Etsy shop over time.  Here's a sneak peek: