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This Saturday (9/18/2021) is National Sew A Jelly Roll day. To celebrate, I’m rounding up a list of 8 of my favorite jelly roll quilt patterns. You can also look for a Jelly Roll giveaway this weekend on Instagram @lellaboutique and Facebook.

What is a Jelly Roll?

If you’re new to the world of fabric precuts, Jelly Rolls are Moda Fabrics’ fancy name for 2-1/2″ x 40″ strips rolled up in a concentric , cinnamon-roll style (just as irresistible as the edible kind). These precut strip bundles are fun to design with, so much so that I wrote a book about them called Jelly Filled – 18 Quilts from 2-1/2″ Strips (Stash Books).

8 Fun Jelly Roll Quilts

Many of us quilters like “collecting” precuts like Jelly Rolls. It seems like we sometimes purchase them because we fall in love the fabric – not necessarily because we have a specific need or project in mind. Hopefully, this post will provide some encouragement to unwrap those beauties and turn them into something beautiful to enjoy.

#1 Sprinkles on Top

As a kid, I firmly believe that everything was better with sprinkles on top. I sneaked them into my oatmeal, yogurt, and applesauce. To add sprinkles meant to make something extra special and fancy. One day, I gave the sprinkle bottle a hearty shake, and the screen came off, dumping the entire container of sprinkles onto my cereal. I learned the value of moderation that day. This graphic quilt gives the illusion of frosted cake squares – with just the right amount of sprinkles.

Quilt Details:

• Pattern: “Sprinkles on Top” found in the book Jelly Filled – 18 Quilts from 2-1/2″ Strips (Stash Books)
• Fabric: Catnip by Gingiber for Moda Fabrics
• Pieced by: April Rosenthal of Prairie Grass Patterns
• Quilting by: Kaitlyn Howell of Knot and Thread

#2 Kaleidoscope

Here’s a mesmerizing block design that is a twist on a classic log cabin block. This is one of those quilts that looks great in literally any fabric collection.

Quilt Details:

• Pattern: “Kaleidoscope” by Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique
• Fabric: Gooseberry by Lella Boutique for Moda Fabrics.
• Pieced by: Vanessa Goertzen
• Quilted by: Jenn Thurston at the Quilted Thimble Cottage

#3 Square Dance

This one makes me think of the scrappy quilts I used to see at Grandma’s house when I was young.  It’s funny how quilting has changed–we buy yardage now to cut up in tiny pieces. Grandma’s quilts would carry bits of old aprons or dresses. Whatever they could find, really. Square Dance has a similar hodgepodge sort of charm and is made with 1 Jelly Roll .

Quilt Details:

• Pattern: “Square Dance” by Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique
• Fabric: Lollipop Garden by Lella Boutique for Moda Fabrics
• Pieced by: Vanessa Goertzen
• Quilted by: Marion Bott

#4 Heartthrob

This quilt is dedicated to all of us who have loved someone. My first crush was on a boy in my fourth-grade class. He must have liked me too, because on Valentine’s Day, he brought me a present – the ingredients and recipe for his mom’s famous pineapple upside-down cake. That boy must have known what sugar means to me! This quilt is like a book of the heart. When we are young, there are not so many lines in the book, but there are so many different kinds of love that we will experience: unrequited love, youthful heartthrobs, the first kiss kind of love, long-lasting love, the first moment of parenthood, best friend, or heartbreaking love. We experience them all, and they write upon the pages of a beautiful book.

Quilt Details:

• Pattern: “Heartthrob” found in the book Jelly Filled – 18 Quilts from 2-1/2″ Strips (Stash Books)
• Fabric: Bloomington by Lella Boutique for Moda Fabrics
• Pieced by: Sherri McConnell of A Quilting Life
• Quilting by: Marion Bott
• Pantograph: “Sand Dollars” by Mike Fountain

#5 Smart Cookie

My cousin Stephanie has a gift for planning beautiful parties. I have drooled over many a charcuterie board she has thrown together. There is an art to such a thing; a sense of order while making it appear effortless. This quilt is an ode to her and those who make magic for others. The placement of the blocks gives an illusion of overlapping stars – and is easier to piece than it looks. In fact, the hardest part will be deciding how scrappy to go. I opted for a less scrappy look by using fat quarters. Even if you decide to use scraps or a precut 2-1/2″ strip bundle, you can control some of the scrappiness by placing the prints in sections by color (or not). No matter what you decide, this design is sure to impress – no magic wand required. And the best news of all? Download the Smart Cookie Jelly Roll pattern for free here.

Quilt Details:

Pattern: “Smart Cookie” from the book Jelly Filled – 18 Quilts from 2-1/2″ Strips (Stash Books)

Fabric: Meraki by BasicGrey for Moda Fabrics

Pieced by: Vanessa Goertzen

Quilted by: Allison Black of AB Quilting Studio

#6 Chatterbox

Well this one is an oldie but a fan favorite for sure. You can make this geometric beauty with either 2 Jelly Rolls -or- 2 Layer Cakes (or a combo of the 2). I’m dreaming of make a completely solid version in charcoal or light grey.

Quilt Details:

• Pattern: “Chatterbox” by Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique
• Fabric: Folktale by Lella Boutique for Moda Fabrics.
• Pieced by: Vanessa Goertzen
• Quilted by: Marion Bott

#7 Stargazing

As a kid, camping was always a memorable event. I would gladly sleep on hard ground, abandon modern conveniences, and adopt the perfume of insect repellent – because it meant I got to enjoy Dad’s heavenly Dutch oven cooking. There was freshly baked bread, beautifully braided and golden brown on top; the chocolate cherry cobbler, piping hot and the very definition of decadence. This quilt is an homage to those nighttime skies full of stars and memories of good food beneath them.

Quilt Details:

• Pattern: “Stargazing” found in the book Jelly Filled – 18 Quilts From 2-1/2″ Strips (Stash Books)
• Fabric: Quill by 3 Sisters for Moda Fabrics
• Pieced by: Vanessa Goertzen
• Quilted by: Allison Black of AB Quilting Studio

#8 Hot Cross Buns

One a penny, two a penny. Hot Cross Buns. This Jelly Roll quilt has been stitched up many times at my house over the years and is packed with dozens of colorful plus sign blocks. It carries a simple and modern look made up in this Smoke & Rust fabric collection.

Quilt Details:

• Pattern: “Hot Cross Buns” by Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique
• Fabric: Smoke & Rust by Lella Boutique for Moda Fabrics (full materials list found here)
• Pieced by: Vanessa Goertzen
• Quilted by: Marion Bott
• Pantograph: “Russian Flames” by Beany Girl Quilt

For more Jelly Roll quilt ideas, be sure to check out my book, Jelly Filled – 18 Quilts from 2-1/2″ Strips. Don’t forget to check out my Jelly Roll giveaway popping up on Instagram @lellaboutique and Facebook.

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