Scraps-Along Challenge

There are always so many different quilt-alongs, challenges and mystery quilts that sound like tons of fun, but there's no way to be able to participate in all of them. I try to limit the number of new projects I start, especially at the beginning of the year, but sometimes an idea comes along that is just too irresistible. That was the case here.

On January 1st, Sherri at A Quilting Life announced that she is starting something new, a Scraps-Along Challenge. Every month she will announce a different challenge focused on sewing with scraps and stash. Each challenge has two components, scrap sewing and scrap organization, and you can participate in one or both of the challenges. The theme for January's challenge is jelly rolls.

I haven't done a lot of sewing with jelly rolls, preferring to put together my own combination of fabrics than use a single collection. However, that doesn't mean I don't have any jelly rolls. I've bought a few over the years and also received them as gifts. My Scraps-Along jelly roll quilt started with a jelly roll that I was given almost ten years ago. It is a Bali Pops roll of Hoffman batik strips called Green Tea. Here I have sorted the strips into similar color groups. 

I searched through many options for jelly roll patterns. One good source of ideas was the blog Quilt Inspiration. They had two posts from 2018 with links to many different patterns for jelly roll quilts. You can see their posts here: Part One and Part Two. One warning on the Quilt Inspiration links: not all the quilts they show on their jelly roll posts are actually written for jelly rolls. Some are patterns that call for yardage, but their primary piecing uses 2.5" strips. 

The pattern I decided to use is called Just Around the Corner by Melissa Peda for Free Spirit Fabrics (but I couldn't find it at the Free Spirit website.) If the link in the pattern name doesn't work for you, go to the Part Two post at Quilt Inspiration, about 2/3 down the page. Here is Melissa's quilt from that post.

Just Around the Corner, pattern by Melissa Peda

This was one of the patterns included in the post that was not written for a jelly roll, but it was easy to adapt. The pattern calls for 17 pieces cut at 2.5" x 4.5" of 20 different fabrics. One jelly roll strip (2.5" x 42") can be cut into 9 pieces of that size, so two strips are enough for one set of pieces. My jelly roll didn't have any duplicate strips, but I was able to match up most of the strips in pairs that were very similar, plus I added a few more strips from my stash.

The piecing was very easy, strips sewn together in pairs, then cut into 4.5" segments. I had blocks up on the wall in no time, and within a week, the center of the quilt was assembled. The quilt in the original pattern finished at 46.5" x 57". To make my version bigger, I added extra rows, setting triangles around the sides, and a matching border. My quilt top measures 59" x 75.75".

Jelly Roll Zigzag
59" x 75.75"

I love the mix of fabrics and the subtlety of each row using a combination of two different prints together. I will definitely be making this pattern again. I think it would be especially fun in bright novelty or kid's prints.

Many thanks to Sherri at A Quilting Life for the inspiration to pull out this jelly roll after all these years and make something with it. I look forward to finding out what her Scraps-Along Challenge will be next month!

Linking up with:

Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Needle & Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Finished or Not Friday at Alycia Quilts

Whoop Whoop Friday at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA