What is a Jelly Roll?
This is a question that keeps popping up in our emails, so we figured we would try to tackle it in a longer form. First, it should be noted that we are not talking about jam-filled cakes, though we do have a great recipe if anyone is interested. What we are talking about are the cute little bundles of 2½ inches wide strips popping up from different manufacturers - and yes, they all have different names for them.
The first part of working with 2½ inch strips and Jelly Rolls is understanding how they are cut from a bolt of fabric and what makes them so versatile and one of our favorite precuts. Each strip in a Jelly Roll is 2½" wide, and its length comes from the full width of fabric (WOF for short). Generally, they are cut from standard bolts measuring 44-45 inches. Some of the more pedantic may think of it as a cut that runs from selvage to selvage of the fabric.
Jelly rolls are made up of many 2½ inch wide by 44 to 45 inch long strips of quilting fabric.
What does each fabric manufacturer call a “Jelly Roll”?
Great question! The name Jelly Roll was coined by Moda Fabrics to identify pre-cuts from its designer lines of quilting fabric. Check out all our Moda Jelly Rolls! Moda Fabrics commonly bundles 40 2½ inch strips to make a Jelly Roll, which is just shy of three yards of fabric that's ready to sew. Below is an example of a Moda Jelly Roll.
Island Batik calls their 2½" sets "Island Strips" - check out all the Island Strips we carry. So far, each pack they have released has been 40 strips of fabric, but it may vary in the future. They usually have two strips of each print in the set, so you'll end up with 20 fabrics with two strips of each. Island Batik is well known for its beautiful batiks hence the name. See an example of their Island Strips below!
Hoffman Fabrics calls their strip packs "Bali Pops" and "Bali Poppy". Both are strips that are 2½ inches wide. The Bali Pops is comprised of 40 different batik fabrics and the Bali Poppy has only 20 strips of unique fabrics in the pack. So, if you only need a few of a specific color you should pick up the Poppy. Both packs have unique strips of fabric and no duplicates so you get the most variety with them.
Free Spirit Fabrics call their 2½ strips a "Design Roll". Design Rolls usually contain 40 strips but may vary. Normally a roll is made up of fabric from one designer and features a particular fabric line. Some Free Spirit Kaffe Design Rolls are pictured below.
Timeless Treasures has two sizes of 2½ inch strips packs, and you can view them all here! Timeless Treasures calls them Tonga Treats and Tonga Batiks. Tonga Treats have 40 strips of fabric in the pack with two strips of each fabrics so you get 20 unique fabrics in each pack. The Tonga Batiks have 48 strips! You never know when you need just a bit of something unique for that special project. Below are examples of the Tonga Treats!
Riley Blake Designs has probably the best name of all - Rolie Polies. It's a bit off topic, but we find those tiny bugs that quickly roll up into a ball when you try pick them up cute, like a mini armadillo. Maybe there's a unique quilt idea in there somewhere, but let's get back to fabric! The 2½ inch Rolie Polie packs vary the most in the number of unique fabric that make up the roll. Usually they only have one strip of the fabric from the line, but that can also vary. One quick pro tip on buying Rolie Polies is to read the descriptions carefully to get the exact amount of strips you are looking for. Below is an example!
We hope this has helped clear up some of the confusion and misinformation on Jelly Rolls, Strip Sets, Island Strips, Rolie Polies, Tonga Treats, Design Rolls, Bali Pops, and more. It can get quite confusing, but regardless they are a great way to get a variety of fabric and create possibilities for new projects.
If you have any more questions or comments feel free to email us at:
Happy Quilting
Margo