Roman Holiday Jelly Roll Quilt

I began my sew-a-jelly-roll efforts early in anticipation of our planned vacation to New England. And yesterday I finished off the quilt top.

Actually, when Sharon was last here on Tuesday of jelly roll week, I dug out my Roman Holiday jelly roll. I wrote a bit about that here. Basically, I matched the jelly roll up with a pattern from the book Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott. I chose the pattern Civil War Scrappy, but for the sake of expediency, I decided to use a single fabric for my setting blocks instead of snowball blocks. After all, jelly roll quilts are supposed to be fast, almost effortless, in their construction. With an 8-day vacation interrupting the project, simplifying was a priority. I didn't have time to fuss with snowball blocks; I wanted this quilt done and done fast!

A quilt with a bunch of 9-patches and plain setting blocks doesn't really require a pattern, but I am so glad I studied the directions for Civil War Scrappy. It explains how to maximize jelly rolls when making 9-patch blocks - match up pairs of strips, cut strips into 17" units, then construct 3 9-patch blocks. Two will be 5 dark/4 light, while one will be 5 light/4 dark. There will be one unit left over. That's good knowledge to tuck away for future use.

Now, back to the background fabric. The pattern called for a neutral, and I didn't have one that suited me. I did have, however, a good 2- or 3-yard length of Roman Holiday floral. It is my supreme goal the older I get to follow the path with the least amount of thinking. Quilters are sometimes notorious for overthinking things like matching. I knew that this Roman Holiday fabric was pretty enough to work in any combination.

Floral setting blocks it would be; no looking back.

I think I made the right choice. Here are some additional pictures; see if you agree. The large floral makes for a very busy quilt, but I am not overly bothered by this. I have loved Roman Holiday fabric for so long, I am happy to use it in all its beautiful glory! Let the profusion of blocks and flowers jump to life in this easy quilt!

 

I always say I will skip jelly roll day next year, but I seem to have a weakness when it comes to ignoring new and fun projects. I will take a day this week to review all the jelly roll quilts I've made in previous years.

Happy Quilting, Friends!