Jelly roll race quilt pattern
A jelly roll race quilt is one long strip: all 40 strips of a jelly roll sewn end to end, then folded in half and sewn along the long edge, again and again. Five folds turn one roll into a top 32 strips across, 64" wide and 48⅜" long, with no cutting beyond trimming the joins.
The length comes from the strips: each is about 42" long, each diagonal join uses 2½", and 18" comes off the start, so one roll makes 1564½" of strip. Divided into 32 rows, that is 48⅞" a row before the ends are trimmed. The table below gives the strips and borders for each bed size.
| Size | Finished | Strips | Rolls | Folds | Border |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crib | 45" × 60⅞" | 20 | 1 | 4 | 6½" |
| Throw | 56⅜" × 72" | 40 | 1 | 5 | 4" |
| Twin | 70" × 90¼" | 69 | 2 | 5 | 3" |
| Full | 84" × 96¾" | 63 | 2 | 5 | 10" |
| Queen | 90" × 109" | 68 | 2 | 5 | 13" |
| King | 108" × 108½" | 53 | 2 | 5 | 22" |
Strips are 2½" × 42". Every size but the throw runs the strips head to foot; the throw turns them across so one roll and a 4" border make it 72" long.
How to sew a jelly roll race quilt
Unroll the jelly roll and keep the strips in the order they came. Lay the end of the second strip across the end of the first at a right angle, right sides together, so the two ends make a 2½" square. Sew corner to corner across that square.
Trim ¼" outside the stitching and press the seam open. A diagonal seam spreads its bulk along the strip, so the joins lie flat when the strips are sewn side by side later. Each join uses 2½" of length.
Join all the strips the same way into one long strip. Cut 18" off the start so the joins won't line up across the rows; save it for the binding.
Bring the two ends of the long strip together, right sides together, and line up one long edge. Sew down that edge with a ¼" seam, keeping the strips flat without stretching them, until you reach the fold.
Cut the fold. You now have a strip set two strips wide and half as long. Bring its ends together and sew the long edge again. Keep going: each round doubles the strips across and halves the length. After five rounds the top is 32 strips across, 64" wide.
| After | Strips across | Length of the strip set |
|---|---|---|
| Joining | 1 | 1564½" |
| Fold 1 | 2 | 782¼" |
| Fold 2 | 4 | 391⅛" |
| Fold 3 | 8 | 195⅝" |
| Fold 4 | 16 | 97¾" |
| Fold 5 | 32 | 48⅞" |
One roll of 40 strips, with 18" cut off the start.
Square up the ends of the top, add the border, then layer, quilt and bind. Straight lines along the strips, or an all-over meander, suit the busy surface; see straight line quilting and meander quilting.
Crib jelly roll race quilt, 45" × 60⅞"
20 strips, 4 folds, a 32" × 47⅞" top and a 6½" border.
| Buy | Cut | |
|---|---|---|
| Jelly roll strips | 1 roll | 20 strips joined end to end; 20 left over |
| Border | 1¼ yd navy sprig tree | 5 strips 7" × WOF; 2 at 48⅜" and 2 at 45½" |
| Binding | 6 of the spare strips | 6 strips 2½" joined into 223⅞" |
| Backing | 3 yd | 2 panels 53" long, or 1½ yd of 108" wide |
Throw jelly roll race quilt, 56⅜" × 72"
40 strips, 5 folds, a 48⅜" × 64" top and a 4" border.
| Buy | Cut | |
|---|---|---|
| Jelly roll strips | 1 roll | 40 strips joined end to end |
| Border | 1 yd navy sprig tree | 6 strips 4½" × WOF; 2 at 64½" and 2 at 56⅞" |
| Binding | ¾ yd | 7 strips 2½" joined into 268¾" |
| Backing | 3¾ yd | 2 panels 64.390625" long, or 2 yd of 108" wide |
Twin jelly roll race quilt, 70" × 90¼"
69 strips, 5 folds, a 64" × 84¼" top and a 3" border.
| Buy | Cut | |
|---|---|---|
| Jelly roll strips | 2 rolls | 69 strips joined end to end; 11 left over |
| Border | 1 yd navy sprig tree | 8 strips 3½" × WOF; 2 at 84¾" and 2 at 70½" |
| Binding | 8 of the spare strips | 8 strips 2½" joined into 332⅜" |
| Backing | 5½ yd | 2 panels 98.1875" long, or 2¼ yd of 108" wide |
Full jelly roll race quilt, 84" × 96¾"
63 strips, 5 folds, a 64" × 76¾" top and a 10" border.
| Buy | Cut | |
|---|---|---|
| Jelly roll strips | 2 rolls | 63 strips joined end to end; 17 left over |
| Border | 2¾ yd navy sprig tree | 8 strips 10½" × WOF; 2 at 77¼" and 2 at 84½" |
| Binding | 9 of the spare strips | 9 strips 2½" joined into 373⅝" |
| Backing | 7¾ yd | 3 panels 92" long, or 2¾ yd of 108" wide |
Queen jelly roll race quilt, 90" × 109"
68 strips, 5 folds, a 64" × 83" top and a 13" border.
| Buy | Cut | |
|---|---|---|
| Jelly roll strips | 2 rolls | 68 strips joined end to end; 12 left over |
| Border | 3¾ yd navy sprig tree | 9 strips 13½" × WOF; 2 at 83½" and 2 at 90½" |
| Binding | 10 of the spare strips | 10 strips 2½" joined into 409⅞" |
| Backing | 8¼ yd | 3 panels 98" long, or 3¼ yd of 108" wide |
King jelly roll race quilt, 108" × 108½"
53 strips, 5 folds, a 64" × 64½" top and a 22" border.
| Buy | Cut | |
|---|---|---|
| Jelly roll strips | 2 rolls | 53 strips joined end to end; 27 left over |
| Border | 6¼ yd navy sprig tree | 9 strips 22½" × WOF; 2 at 65" and 2 at 108½" |
| Binding | 11 of the spare strips | 11 strips 2½" joined into 444⅞" |
| Backing | 9¾ yd | 3 panels 116" long, or 6½ yd of 108" wide |
More strip quilts are on the jelly roll quilt patterns page, each with the strips it takes at every size.
See this quilt in your own fabric
With the cut list for your size, checked against your stash.