10 tips for a perfect jelly roll rug

Hi Everyone! Thanks for dropping by. I recently jumped on the bandwagon (yes, I did) and made the Jelly Roll Rug designed by Roma Lambson of RJ Designs  original pattern © 2017. I've been secretly wanting to make it for a while, and when I saw one made by Andrea, from our local quilt group, I knew it would be on my list to make in the near future.

I asked some of my friends if they wanted to make it along with me, and they were happy to comply, because what is more fun than sewing with your quilty friends!? A big thank you goes out to Katrin, Ines and Andrea for all of your help!

I was given this beautiful collection of Indah Pops (batik) from Hoffman Fabrics. It totally is my style with bright solids, colorful prints and black! I thought It was about time to break it out and use for this project.

If you are reading this post in hopes of not purchasing the pattern and just "winging" it through the information listed here, you will be sadly disappointed. The purpose of this post is to help you make the best possible Jelly Roll (or 2 1/2" strip) Rug with the original pattern. I want to give you some additional tips for you to succeed, because you probably won't be making this a second time.

My first PRE-TIP is for people with allergies. Be really careful with the batting you use. I have allergic asthma and have problems breathing when I work with bamboo batting. I reacted with this batting and my breathing was unfortunately, affected. It may just be a coincidence.

We bought the BLEND batting which does not state what the blend is even though it is "organic." I wrote to the company trying to find out what is mixed in, but they haven't answered my email yet.

These tips are in no particular order.

TIP 1. Fan-fold your never-ending fabric strip!! 

I overlooked this in the pattern and honestly, didn't know what it meant! Just fold the strips on top of each other like an accordion or ribbon flowing in the wind.

If you think it is better to roll them up, you are terrible wrong. But I wouldn't know that, because I just don't do stupid stuff like that! Ha, ha! There was actually so much cuddle-muddle, I blew off steam several times when untangling the ribbon like a Bavarian at a Maibaumtanz. You can also use a meat cleaver or a vertical paper towel holder to hold the batting if you have one.

TIP 2. Encase your strips and batting using a scant 1/8" of an inch seam allowance. 

I used a guided 1/4" presser foot which worked like a dream in this application. I would highly recommend this but find it even better if you use a 1/8" instead if possible. Ines used a 0,5 cm which is still smaller than 1/4".

If you use a 1/4" top stitch, this stitch will be visible when butting the strips together and connecting with a zigzag stitch. Even though I increased the width of the zigzag stitch, it was still visible. Since the fabric is expensive, I would personally prefer to see more fabric instead of thread.

TIP 3 - Use bold and beautiful prints!

Use very pretty and even busy fabric that makes your heart skip a beat. Use the largest prints you can find that you've been avoiding to use for forever. Pull out the Kaffe Fasset fabric hidden deep in your fabric stash. It will work great on this project. Save those solids. If you do use solids, make sure you have a thread that matches the fabric or even invisible (monofil) thread. I wanted to use a variegated thread, but didn't find anything that matched all of the beautiful colors in this strip pack. I decided to be daring and used black. It was very daring! You see everything, especially where I ran out of bobbin thread and backstitched to secure new thread.

TIP 4 - When encasing your batting, work in 5" segments with clips.

Fold towards the center using the batting as a guide and not the fabric strip.

After encasing the first 5" section, go back and clip off in the middle of that section (about every 2 1/2").

Clip off as much of the strip that you can until all of your clips are in use. It makes it more fun to sew when you have large sections clipped and ready to sew. Since the batting will usually be wider (from stretching) than the fabric, use the batting as your guide when quartering and encasing.

 

TIP 5 - Load up at least 8 bobbins of thread.

If you can do this, then you certainly should. This project using much more thread than you can imagine. I was a little stunned myself, because I already had about four pre-wound bobbins that disappeared quickly.

TIP 6 - Clean out the bobbin area EVERY time you run out of thread.

Otherwise you will have tension problems, because there is so much batting and thread from this project collecting there. Take off the presser plate and clean under there and oil the bobbin case as well.

TIP 7 - Adjust your thread tension.

Make a scrap mini quilt sandwich using scrap pieces of fabric with batting encased, Set your sewing machine to applique zigzag stitch and adjust the tension (less top thread pull) before you start sewing the coil into a rug. You may even need to adjust the bobbin thread tension to get it right.  

This is crucial. When the tension is set correctly, you shouldn't have to constantly iron this monster. I didn't starch the rug at all. I did iron once in the beginning to get around the first two curves. The iron was turned off after that.Yes, you read that right. I DID NOT IRON.

 

TIP 8 - Use a new 80/12 or 90/14 Top stitch Quilting Needle.

Start with this when you start sewing the strips into a ring. Considering how much you sew on this project and how much wear and tear that needle is getting, you will probably be throwing it away afterwards.

TIP 9 - Use a quilting table/platform and books to keep the rug level as much as possible.
This starts to get bigger quickly and you want to concentrated on sewing together the coil. You do not want to worry about the rug flopping everywhere and you sew off of your seam. When you get a big section of rug in your lap, fold it over slightly onto the quilting table.

TIP 10 - Maneuver the rug with your hand and elbow when rotating in the machine.

Sorry, there is not photo of this; I was heavily concentrated. : ) Do not pull but rather push and guide under the needle while rotating simultaneously. This whole process reminds me of quilting a quilt. You will get an exercise workout and your shoulders will feel a little tight afterwards.

BONUS TIP: After the rug is made, you will have additional strips left over if you use a pre-cut Katahdin On-a-Roll.  You can actually make your rug bigger by adding about eight more 2 1/2" strips to the length. Do this before you start to make your coil. 

I asked my girlfriends what their tips were. Here's their advice:
______

 

Katrin's Tip:

Use an even-feed (Obertransport) foot when sewing. Do not pull or shift the fabric.

Ines' Tip:

She has an upcoming blog post in German. You can read it here.

 ____

 

Rug Statistics:

    Time making the entire rug: 18+ hours
    Size: 28" x 46 1/2"
    Fabrics: One Indah Pops (40) different 2 1/2" strip of Me + You by Hoffman Fabrics
    Batting: Bosal Katahdin On-a-Roll, 100% Organic Cotton Blend
    Thread: min. 8 bobbins polyester thread used. Cotton top thread was not counted.
    Cost: ~90 € without sewing time (in Germany)

I am very content with the way the rug turned out. The colors make me smile especially, because they are not in color order! It is a light and colorful rug. It makes a great accent in my sewing room too.


If you would like to make a jelly roll rug, I hope these tips will help you to make that perfect rug with your favorite fabrics. If you have any questions or would like to add your own tips below, we all would be very happy to read them. Thank you. Enjoy your weekend.

-Quilty hugs,
Karen

service your sewing machine!

Once again it is time for a post from the series: Project Sewing Room. I was at my new class about free motion quilting (FMQ) last week, and my machine got all jammed up. I was having problems with dropping the transport (and needle) and getting the right tension on my bottom thread. I had a bunch of Kuddel-Muddel on the bottom of my fabric. And then, all of a sudden, it locked itself down! We tried to pry it out, but didn't want to damage the machine. It was time to shut it off, sit back and relax until the class was over. I practiced my quilting by drawing doodles on paper which was a great exercise! I think most Long Arm Quilters do this before they start with a new pattern.

The next day, I took my machine to the local sewing machine dealer/repair center to check it out. I also inquired about routine maintenance, because it had been a while since it was last serviced. I was actually thinking about this the last couple of weeks, because I have been so hard on my machine recently. It was starting to look a little ragged and shabby. So, the repair man just broke down the machine and serviced it which means, oiling, blowing out all of the threads, making sure the tension is correct for the top and bottom thread. He, Hr. Fuchs (that translates to Mr. Fox in English), was extremely fast with the maintenance; I picked up my machine the following day and was ready and rearing to go.

Here it what my Kuddel-Muddel looked like. This is the bottom side of my quilting sample.

So, it is very, very important to have your machine serviced or maintenaced every so often. How often should it be done? I asked and was told," the more you use the machine the less maintenance it needs." Now, I am not so sure about that, but when you start to notice that the machine just isn't running as smoothly as it used to, you should think about having it tuned. I think I have my machine maintained every two years and costs about 60€ which includes tax. It is so nice to get your machine back, and it is all shiny and free of fussles again. That lasted about a half a day!

How often do you have your machine maintenanced or what type of service do you periodically perform on your machine? We would like to know, so please share. Thank you!

5 tips for better fancy folded stars

Hello everyone. I am back again to talk about the fancy folded star first published by Maria Wallin at notonlyquilts.com. You can find the German translation here. This technique has stayed with me, and I can't stop making it. I first made a demo for our quilting group, and now we are incorporating it into our 20th patchwork group anniversary quilts. So, I made a fourth fancy folded star from a collection of fabrics that I will be using for that quilt. I photographed some steps that I may have forgotten before to pass on.

1. Use less fabric to make fewer rays. I first made the Fancy Folded Star with eight different fabrics and eight rays. After that, I reduced to six! Reduce to four or five if you want to. It makes it less bulkier and easier to handle.

2. Pick really contrasting fabrics, small print, TOT or solids of different hues or colors. In the beginning, you just sort of pick out fabrics and think they might be contrasting, but pull out your color wheel or use a color that wouldn't normally go with the color scheme. It will make your star pop out. Arrange your fabrics to imagine how they will work to create a star.

Below, the bottom right (with white first) produces a higher contrast. I wanted the contrast, but I achieved this in my very first star. This time, I wanted the turquoise radiating from the middle. I also wanted the larger print on the outside which creates a more modern feel and swirling effect. Sometimes, it is just a complete surprise.

3. Be accurate! A friend of mine said this star was good for people who are accurate and less likely to be precise in their sewing. There is actually very little sewing involved here, so your measurements have to be right. Make sure you measure the distance of your rectangles and is exactly 0,5cm or 1/4" between them in the center where the sewing line will intersect all fabrics. Also, some of us have some wonky rays that are longer than the others - I have this problem too! Why would this happen? On my very first star, I drew the line exactly in the middle (5cm from each side) before I laid it on the foundation and sewed. Even on this star, I drew the line afterwards but was still measuring 5cm from each side when lining up most of the middles. Try it and see the difference!

4. Pull those rays taut or tight but not stretched. There should be no folds or puckers in the fabric but try to to warp the foundation piece. I usually pinned down between folding the rays on just one side. Don't forget to take the pins out when you put the next one in.

And don't forget to push the folded fabric all the way into the crack of the seam and press! You will get a better fold.

5. Make sure your center is evenly lined up! This part is really hard, but do it. Make sure that every pair of fabric bundles butt up against each other when you sew. Do not let it ripple in the middle or fold over. The very last picture below looks like it is lined up, but the pairs are not flush! They are a millimeter (or more) off.

 

I hope this is a good help for you. If you have a tip about the Fancy Folded Star, please add it in the comments section. We would all like to learn from it.

The ladies from my quilting group brought their new fancy folded stars at our monthly meeting this week to show me what they have created, and I didn't have my camera with me!! They are so creative!! Every single one is so different. they all chose a different way to frame them. I am so excited to show them to you soon...until then...keep sewing and folding!

Karen