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Are you looking for your next jelly roll quilt pattern? You’re in the right place! In this blog post, you’ll find a list of my favorite easy jelly roll quilt patterns. Whether you want to make a simple strip quilt, a jelly roll race quilt, or a more complicated design, you’ll find the perfect pattern in this list.
Jelly Roll Quilt Patterns
Quilting with jelly roll strips is a fun, easy way to get into quilting. In the list below, we’ve curated 25 easy jelly roll quilt patterns that are perfect for beginners – or anyone who’d like a quick quilting project.
You’ll find a wide variety of jelly roll quilts – from simple strip quilts to modern chevrons and traditional log cabins. The patterns are really quite versatile, and easy to adapt to your style. You can change the colors and adjust the size of the pattern as needed.
Table of Contents
About Jelly Rolls
First, let’s talk about what jelly rolls are and why you’d want to use them.
What is a jelly roll?
A jelly roll is a bundle of pre-cut fabric strips. Each strip measures 2 ½” wide by 42″ -45″ long, which is the width of a bolt of fabric. As the name implies, the strips are packaged in a rolled-up bundle, called a “jelly roll.”
Each jelly roll contains about 40 strips of cotton fabric in a variety of colors and prints. When you purchase a jelly roll, you not only save yourself hours of cutting time, but you’ll also automatically have a set of beautifully coordinating fabrics.
Other names for a jelly roll
The term “jelly roll” actually originated with Moda Fabrics. It’s probably the most common way that you’ll hear these 2 ½” strip bundles described. However, there are also other names for jelly rolls that other fabric companies use.
Other names include:
- Design Roll – by Free Spirit
- Roll Up – by Robert Kaufman Fabrics
- Rolie Polie – by Riley Blake
- Strip Sets – by Island Batik
- Bali Pops – Hoffman Fabrics
What is a jelly roll quilt?
A jelly roll quilt is simply a quilt that is made of pre-cut, 2 ½” jelly roll strips. Most jelly roll patterns tend to be fairly simple. They’re perfect for making quick, eye-catching quilts in your favorite color scheme. A jelly roll quilt is an ideal project for a beginner quilter.
Why You’ll Love Quilting with Jelly Rolls
Quilting with pre-cut jelly roll strips allows you to spend less time cutting your fabric, and more time sewing and piecing together your quilt top (the fun part!). Using jelly roll fabric is an excellent way to create quick, easy, and beautiful quilts, while still leaving plenty of room for creativity.
Because jelly roll fabric is already cut into strips, you’ll save tons of time in the preparation stages of making your quilt. Using a jelly roll, you may even be able to finish your quilt top in an afternoon!
Where to Buy Jelly Roll Fabric
Jelly roll fabric is available at nearly any fabric or craft store. Popular jelly roll fabric companies include Moda Fabrics, Riley Blake, Hoffman Fabrics, and more. You can find lots of choices from suppliers such as Fat Quarter Shop and Etsy.
How to Make Your Own Jelly Roll Strips
If you have extra fabric on hand, it’s also easy to make your own jelly roll strips. Making your own jelly roll strips is a perfect way to use up those smaller pieces of fabric that you still love.
To make your own jelly roll strips, simply cut your fabric into 2 ½” wide strips. If you have a full length of fabric, you can cut from selvage to selvage, or across the width of the fabric (WOF).
However, even if you don’t have 44″-long fabric, many of the patterns below allow you to use shorter pieces of 2 ½” wide fabric strips.
How to Make a Jelly Roll Quilt
The basic steps of a jelly roll quilt are just like any other quilt. The difference is that the quilt top can often be pieced together very quickly since your fabric is mostly pre-cut.
Here are the basic steps for making a jelly roll quilt.
- Choose your pattern. The patterns listed below will provide you with an excellent place to start!
- Purchase your fabric. Search for a high-quality jelly roll fabric for your quilt top. Jelly rolls are made from cotton fabric.
- Start piecing your quilt top. Lay out your jelly roll pieces as your pattern suggests, and then start sewing!
- Assemble your quilt. Quilts are made up of three basic components. Layer your quilt top, your batting, and your backing fabric. (Think of it as a quilt sandwich!)
- Quilt the layers together. Quilt through all of the layers of your sandwich using a walking foot or free-motion foot. Use straight lines, squiggly lines, or patterns to add character.
- Trim and bind your quilt. Lastly, trim your top, batting, and backing layers so that they are even. Then, sew on your binding around the edges to finish off your quilt.
Now that you know all about jelly rolls and jelly roll quilts, let’s get to the patterns. Enjoy!
25 Jelly Roll Quilt Patterns
Here are 25 free and easy jelly roll quilt patterns to get you started.
1
Jelly Roll Twist Shortcut Quilt
Photo Credit:blog.fatquartershop.com
This classic quilt is simple to make using small jelly roll strips. Combine some fun-patterned strips with the plain blocks, and you have the perfect, eye-catching quilt.
2
Jelly Strip Stash Buster Quilt and Tutorial
Photo Credit:cluckclucksew.com
This is an excellent, budget-friendly quilt that allows you to use up your extra strips of fabric. You can choose to lay the blocks horizontally or vertically.
3
Diagonal Strip Quilt Tutorial
Photo Credit:cluckclucksew.com
This tutorial walks you through each step of using the tube method to make your quilt blocks. You will be dealing with lots of bias (stretchy) edges as you make this quilt, but the result is a fun, multicolored design.
4
How to Sew A Jelly Roll Race
Photo Credit:wisecrafthandmade.com
Using pre-cut, jelly roll fabric, you can stitch this quilt top up in an afternoon. Or, you can use up your leftover fabric by cutting your own strips 2 ½” wide. Once you have your strips ready, just start sewing and see what patterns your fabric makes!
5
Jelly Roll Strip Quilt Pattern
Photo Credit:seekatesew.com
This quick and easy quilt uses small, vertical jelly roll strips. If you want to add more texture, quilt it using a squiggly pattern.
6
Grandma's Lattice Quilt
Photo Credit:sewcanshe.com
This pattern is super versatile, because you can use either jelly roll strips OR fat quarters. Don’t be intimidated by the small squares. The designer uses the strip piecing method, which makes this quilt much faster and easier than it may initially look.
7
Blueberry Pie - Log Cabin Variation
Photo Credit:sewcanshe.com
You’ll sew these blueberry pies using the log cabin piecing technique. However, you can easily change your color scheme and make raspberry or lemon pies instead!
8
Kisses Quilt Pattern
Photo Credit:sewcanshe.com
This quilt is perfect when you want to take a mental break and spend some time doing simple, repetitive piecing. You’ll use 20 printed jelly roll strips and 34 solid jelly roll strips for this pattern (don’t forget your backing and binding fabric, of course!).
9
Quilt As You Go (QAYG) Strip Quilt
Photo Credit:sewcanshe.com
This super quick quilt is reversible and allows you to actually quilt the fabric as you go! As an added bonus, you can also use up your leftover batting in this pattern by cutting it into 2 ¼” wide strips. If you don’t have extra batting lying around, you can purchase pre-cut batting strips instead.
10
Cutting Corners Quilt
Photo Credit:blog.missouriquiltco.com
If you learn best by video, you’ll love this quilt’s video tutorial. Use the jelly roll fabric of your choice to make the triangles, and then pair them with a solid, background color to even it out.
11
Jelly Roll Jam Free Quilt Pattern
Photo Credit:blog.fatquartershop.com
Use your strips to make simple squares for this quick-to-make quilt. You’ll also learn some basic tips and tricks for cutting, pressing, and chain-piecing in the video tutorial.
12
Scrappy Granny Squares Quilt Tutorial
Photo Credit:www.quiltylove.com
Who doesn’t love a classic granny square? You will need to use a little bit of patience as you sew the small squares, but the result is well worth it!
13
Free Scrap Stash Plus Quilt pattern
Photo Credit:www.quiltylove.com
Since you only need a small amount of each fabric for this quilt, it’s the perfect way to use up your fabric scraps. Organize your scraps by color to create a rainbow quilt like this one, or just use whatever colors and patterns you like best.
14
To The Point Jelly Quilt Tutorial
Photo Credit:www.stitcherydickorydock.com
Stitch this quilt together quickly for a baby gift, or keep it for yourself! To make these triangles, you’ll first make square blocks out of your strips. Then, cut them on the diagonal and piece the triangles together with your solid fabric to form the quilt top.
15
The Modern Workshop Quilt
Photo Credit:oliverands.com
This simple quilt is perfect for beginners, while creating a modern look. Alternate your jelly roll strips and background strips. Then, stagger your strip sets to produce this fun effect.
16
Strip Tube Quilt Tutorial
Photo Credit:www.abrightcorner.com
A strip tube ruler helps in the making of this quilt. However, if you don’t have one, you can still make the quilt. There are video instructions linked in this pattern to show you how to use a regular square ruler for this lovely design.
17
Seaside Squares Lap Quilt
Photo Credit:www.scatteredthoughtsofacraftymom.com
Squares inside of squares! This pretty pattern will add a seaside feel to any room.
18
Striped Chevrons Quilt Top
Photo Credit:www.kitchentablequilting.com
Here’s another quilt that uses small jelly roll strips (again, perfect for using up those extras!). After your strips are sewn together, you’ll cut them at an angle to create this charming diagonal look.
19
Color Stack Quilt Tutorial
Photo Credit:hopefulhomemaker.com
Colors galore! You can really use any color or pattern of fabric to make this vibrant blanket. Let your creativity flow!
20
Jelly Roll Rail Fence
Photo Credit:materialgirlquilts.com
This quilt comes together by creating jelly roll blocks and then alternating the direction of the blocks as you put your quilt together. If you’re looking to make a large quilt, this one’s finished size is a generous 72” x 78”. (However, you could totally use fewer jelly roll strips and make a 48” x 54” quilt with this pattern instead.)
21
Playing the Scales Quilt
Photo Credit:www.happyquiltingmelissa.com
If you’re a pianist (or know a pianist you’d like to gift with a quilt), this is the pattern for you! This vibrant quilt creates a stunning design. You can use jelly roll fabric or fat quarters for this pattern.
22
Shine Quilt and Tutorial
Photo Credit:www.happyquiltingmelissa.com
Look at this lovely, geometric pattern! This design uses metallic prints to really make the shapes pop. Make it your own by using any colors you like, though! That’s the beauty of quilting!
23
Cozy Posy TriangleQuilt
Photo Credit:modafabrics.wordpress.com
Sew to impress with this triangle quilt. Just don’t tell your friends that it’s not as complicated as it looks! These triangles are made by cutting basic angles with your ruler – no fancy tools required.
24
Sew Stitchy Squares Quilt
Photo Credit:www.sameliasmum.com
Searching for the perfect gift for a baby or child? This cute, simple quilt is just right! Quilt with squiggly lines if you’d like to add some fun flair to your squares.
25
Easy Herringbone Quilt Tutorial
Photo Credit:www.hellomellydesigns.com
Here’s another excellent baby quilt using a herringbone design. Use your favorite colors for this simple, adorable pattern.
More Quilting Patterns
If you love to quilt as much as we do, we think you’ll like these related posts:
- 35 Free Baby Quilt Patterns and Tutorials
- 50+ Free Easy Quilt Patterns for Beginners
- Half Square Triangle Charts and Formulas
- Free Quilted Christmas Stocking Pattern
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Sarah Stearns Founder and Editor
Sarah Stearns has helped millions of makers find their next craft project with free patterns and step-by-step tutorials on her blog, sarahmaker.com. Read more.
With over a decade of experience in knitting and crochet, she has been featured in prominent publications like The New York Times, Scientific American, Good Housekeeping, Vox, Apartment Therapy, and Lifehacker.
