At one of my quilt guild retreat weekends, we all brought  our favorite jelly roll to make a quilt using the 1600 technique.  Below is a photo of my result.I chose a jelly roll with Moda Fabric’s “Table for Two” line by Sandy Gervais.  The colors are bright and cheery with hearts, flowers and other complimenting prints.

Our jelly roll quilting retreat was fun because everyone brought their own favorite jelly roll.  There were lots of different colors, textures and fabrics — a quilter’s dream!  Sewing with jelly roll strips was a new concept for me.  I had to throw conventional techniques out the window and trust that all these strips would really turn into something beautiful.

A jelly roll 1600 quilt is a nice project for beginning quilters.  It’s a good lesson for sewing straight seams (there are lots and lots of them!) and it helps you learn to sew without pinning your seams together.  Here is a link to a good tutorial:  Jelly Roll Quilt 1600 Technique

Once I finished sewing all my strips together, I added a 1 1/2 inch inner border in a solid black fabric.  Then I added a 3 1/2 inch outer border in a large, bold print from the “Table for Two” fabric line.  Ms. JM, my quilter, added lots of curves and swirls to make this quilt even more special.  I gave this quilt to a new bride–I just couldn’t resist passing on the love from these hearts and flowers.

If you’ve never made a Jelly Roll 1600, give it a try!  It’s fast and fun.