Jelly Roll Rugs.....I'm back!

I haven't posted a blog in 5 years! I have no excuse, except perhaps, I felt like I didn't have anything to say. Although my father would beg to differ on that point if he were here!
So, since I last blogged, I have met a wonderful man, moved to Lincoln, Illinois, and married said wonderful man, Dewey! I've made new friends, made lots of quilts, and had a lot of fun!

I just finished working on a wedding quilt that took me 4 months to create (and I am still flipping binding). I was wanting a simple, mindless project to keep my hands occupied. I also was wanting to decrease my stash, which is not overwhelming, but certainly contains fabrics that really should see the light of day.

This is not the wedding quilt! The couple haven't seen it yet, so I don't want to ruin the surprise!

This is one of my scrappy Jelly Roll rugs. Instead of using a precut Jelly Roll, I looked to my stash, and found lots of inspiration!

I also had a friend moving into a new home. When I say new, they are the first people to live in it. Like most new homes, the color scheme was light grey. And white. Looking at the realtor's photos made me want to grab a paint brush and add some color! As the new home is not just around the corner from me, the best I could do was create a colorful rug!





I had made one previous jelly roll rug, at a class through my Lincoln quilt guild. I used scraps of a Kona jelly roll that I had used for a miniature quilt. It was the oval style. I kinda enjoyed the process, and knew I would do a rug in the future.
One thing with the oval rug, is that you start by sewing all your 2 1/2" strips together. As I was going scrappy, I wasn't sure how the end result would turn out, so I decided to do a rectangular one. The disadvantage of the rectangular rug is that you have to put binding on the ends. However, as you do this with your machine, it became a non issue.

Working with my stash has been loads of fun! Seeing fabrics that I hadn't seen for a while. And actually getting to use them!

I did learn a few tips that I would like to share!

#1. Use a jeans #90 needle.  If you don't have one, a #90 topstitch needle will do just fine. I like to use Schmetz needles.

#2. The directions will say to wind 5 or 6 bobbins before you start sewing. You do indeed will use 5 or 6 bobbins for a rug. However, you need to clean under your throat plate after every second bobbin. So I just wind 2 bobbins, and when it is time to wind more, I clean out under the throat plate. I didn't do this for my first rug, and the lint was so heavy it interfered with my feed dogs.

Don't forget to oil your machine when it needs it. Fortunately, my Bernina will send up an oil can reminder when it is time. Usually somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 stitches. Earline (my Bernina) always purrs so sweetly after she has been oiled and cleaned!

#3. There are several different tools on the market to help folding the fabric around the batting. The one I use is "Jelly Roll Sasher". I found it very easy to use. I purchased mine from Back Door Quilts in Indianapolis who was vending at the Illini Country Stitchers 2019 quilt show. There are several YouTube videos out there that show how to use it.

#4. I found the easiest way to deal with the batting coming off the roll was to put the roll on my knee lift, holding it in place by a gigantic binder clip. The roll is out of the way and the batting comes off without a hitch. 
I do buy the precut batting, as I use wool batting in my quilts, and don't have a large stash of cotton batting. I did discover that there are two sizes of precut batting, 2 1/2" and 2 1/4". My local quilt shop carries the larger. I ordered from Amazon as I had depleted my local shop, and didn't realize there was a small size. The 2 1/4" is much easier to work with, and doesn't change the feel of the rugs.

#5. The Wonder Clips are great for holding the binding in place while you stitch it down.

You do need to use a good quality thread. I have been using Superior's So Fine, which is a 50wt polyester. I have been using a light tan color on all the rugs, and I can't see that it is a deterrent to the outcome.
And as my friend Lori says, "It's a rug!" 

And, please, buy a pattern! I know most of you are smart enough to figure out how to make it. But we need to support our pattern designers, pattern publishers, the wholesalers, retailers, shipping companies, and the public in general (by the taxes paid!)