Jelly Roll Inspirations

Jelly Roll Inspirations
By Pam and Nicky Lintott
Published by David & Charles
Price: £14.99
Reviewed by Bron Ellis

This book follows on from two previous books by the same author, Jelly Roll Quilts and Layer Cake, Jelly Roll and Charm Quilts. For those who are not familiar with Jelly Rolls, they are bundles of forty strips of pre-assorted fabrics 2-½ inches wide by 42 inches long supplied by Moda. They are available in many colour and design ways and make piecing of simple quilt designs quicker as the work of cutting the strips and fabric selection has already been done by Moda. This has its limitations as the standard width of the strips dictates mainly simple geometric designs but they are very popular and this book provides lots of good suggestions.

Pam and Nicky Lintott of the Quilt Room launched a competition in collaboration with Moda, Singer and David and Charles called the ‘Jelly Roll Challenge’. They wanted to find twelve quilts producing the most creative use of one Jelly Roll fabric bundle and reproduce the designs and instructions in a new book. The book features these twelve quilts in the original form and a suggested alternative colour way made by the authors. The makers of the chosen quilts tell a little about their chosen design and what inspired them.  Not all of the quilts in the book have to be made with Jelly Rolls, some makers have chosen to use their own stash of fabrics cut into the appropriate strip width. The instructions are clear and easy to follow even by a beginner in the craft. The instructions indicate the small extra fabric requirements and it is reassuring to know that you have sufficient fabric in one roll to complete a project. There are a variety of designs and enough scope to make several different style of quilt. The book would inspire new quilters to try the bundles of fabric and give ideas for further quilts to make with their own fabric choices too. Experienced quilters may find inspiration to make a quilt from the bundles if they have not tried them before.