Design Wall Monday 9/20/2021

Saturday was National Sew a Jelly Roll Day, and I was having a hard time deciding whether or not to participate. I have a few jelly rolls, but none of them really inspired me last week. I have plenty of jelly roll patterns saved, plus many more ideas on Pinterest. My goal was to find a pattern that is easy to make, but has a striking and graphic look. 

My inspiration came from a quilt shared by Yvonne at Sew Yummy. She had made the following quilt in an attempt to use up some of her unloved beige and brown fabrics, and I think she did a great job with them. Her starting point was a pattern by Judy Laquidara. The instructions for Judy's quilt are still available on her website, although she pieced the design differently. Unfortunately, none of her pictures show up on that page, but Yvonne included this Pinterest link.

Cinnamon Bars quilt from Sew Yummy

Since I didn't have a jelly roll that I was dying to use, I decided to make a red, white and blue version that can become a Quilt of Valor. I have plenty of 2.5" strips in those colors, plus I cut many more over the weekend. The blocks are extremely easy to make and go together very quickly. You can make two matching blocks from two jelly roll strips, a light and a medium or dark. The cutting dimensions for the pieces are 2.5" x 4.5" for the small rectangles, or you can strip-piece them from strips that measure 2.5" x  18.5-19". The larger rectangles at the top and bottom of each block are cut at 2.5" x 8.5". The finished size of one block is 8". 

I spent more time cutting 2.5" strips than sewing blocks over the weekend, but I did manage to complete a dozen blocks. My plan is to make a total of 63 blocks and set them in alternating rows of red, white and blue as shown. A 7 x 9 setting will yield a quilt that measures 56" x 72" without any borders..

I have many other projects in the works right now and really didn't need to add another, but I'm enjoying having a very simple pattern for those days when I want to sew but don't want to think too hard. I'm planning to cut the pieces for a stack of blocks and have them ready to stitch up whenever the mood hits.

Check out what other quilters are working on this week:

Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Happy quilting everyone!

Julie in GA