MODA All-Stars on a Roll!

Quilters know that a "jelly roll" isn't something to eat with coffee but a delectable collection of 2 1/2" strips of fabrics, coordinated and ready to sew.

If you haven't yet developed a sweet tooth for these enticing treats, MODA All-Stars On A Roll might just have you running to the quilt shop for a quick fix.

Fourteen patterns from top designers are offered with something to appeal to every aesthetic. Each of the designers is introduced with cute Q&As and hints.

Just look at Square Dance by Karla Eisenach! This subtle plaid pattern at once modern and traditional. Karla used one Jelly Roll of assorted red and tan prints. I just love it.

Square Dance, 58" x 58", 12" blocks

Betsy Chutchian's Mountain Climbing has a traditional Country look. She used contrasting colors, one set "north" and one set "south," from a Jelly Roll of assorted prints set against a dark gray.

Mountain Climbing, 54 1/2" x 64 1/2", 9" x 8" block

The adorable Sweet Butterfly by Stacy Iest Hsu is a pattern any girl would fall in love with. She used a Jelly Roll of assorted pastel prints. Imagine it with bold colors!

Sweet Butterfly, 63" x 68 1/2", block is 17 1/2" x 14"

Lynne Hagmeier employed strip piecing for Chain Reaction. She used a Jelly Roll of tan and dark prints.

Chain Reaction, 62 1/2" x 76 1/2", 6" x 8" block

Trifle by Janet Clare is inspired by the British dessert that is to die for, made with layers of sponge cake, fresh fruit, custard, and whipped cream. She used two Jelly Rolls of assorted brights and 81 5" x 5" squares in assorted prints. This is a foundation pieced pattern.

Trifle, 63 1/2" x 63 1/2", 7" x 7" block

Maisy Daisies by Joanna Figueroa is another sweet pattern that can be made in the pastels she shows or in brights. Joanna used an assortment of Jelly Roll strips for this beautifully coordinated palette.

Maisy Daisies, 56 1/2" x 71 1/2", 9" x 9" block

One Roll Wonder by Barbara Groves and Mary Jacobson uses one Jelly Roll of assorted pastels. This is a simple pattern to construct and would be a quick gift quilt to whip up.

One Roll Wonder, 60 1/2" x 60 1/2", 10" x 10" block

As a quilter who loves applique, one of my favorite designers is Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill. She offers Rule the Roost.

Rules the Roose, 40 1/2" x 40 1/2", 8" x 8" chicken blocks

I wondered what it would be like to hand applique these Jelly Roll pieced hens. So I made a table topper with my precut strips of fabric which I keep in a bin.

 I just loved it!

If you need more reasons to buy MODA All-Stars on a Roll, the royalties from the book are donated to School on Wheels which provides educational opportunities for homeless children.

That's a win-win for me.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

MODA All-Stars On a Roll
Martingale
Lissa Alexander
On Sale Date: March 15, 2019
ISBN: 9781604689884, 1604689889
$25.99 USD

Strip Quilting Gets Sophisticated with Susan Ache

Quilters love precuts and Jelly Rolls of 2 1/2" strips have become very popular. Several of my friends have made scrappy quilts with strips sewn by sewing the strips together. Susan Ache's new book Start with Strips offers 13 sophisticated quilt patterns utilizing Jelly Rolls that go way beyond just sewing them together!

Susan shares her method of sorting and preparing jelly rolls, so all you have to do is grab and sew! The patterns shared are gorgeous. My favorite is Pumpkin Maze, seen below, an Irish Chain variation with a pieced pumpkin. It consists of two blocks. The Irish Chain block is made with 2 1/2" strip sets. The pumpkin also uses strip sets for the body of the pumpkin and stitch-and-flip units for the stem and leaf.

Four Square is a nine-patch block with a Church Dash variation block. Susan used a soft green ground. The pattern includes half-square triangles made from the strips as well as strip sets, with blocks laid out in diagonal rows.

The Guest Room pattern is a Dresden Plate variation. You make 20 blocks with Dresden corners set with the pink sashing and borders.

Airboats needs a good contrast in values to work. It is constructed by making wedge units and adding a triangle at the point, then setting the wedge units with sashing in a kind of nine-patch unit. The block is then cut to 10 1/2" squares. This is one of the more complicated patterns in the book.

Citrus Grove was inspired by Susan's native Florida orange and grapefruit groves. The luscious oranges and pinks glow against the lime green. Strips are made into half-square triangles.

Sea Glass is so easy with strip sets to make the pieced blocks and border. Susan used romantic pastels, but the pattern could be made with brights. Or imagine the quilt with white switched out for black or navy with solid pastels in the piecing!

The instructions and illustrations are top-notch, as can always be expected from Martingale!

I received a free ebook from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Starting with Strips
by Susan Ache
That Patchwork Place
On Sale Date: December 19, 2017
ISBN 9781604688719, 1604688718
Paperback $25.99 
80 pages