I moved to Bend this summer, and wanted to spruce up my new house with some crafty style. However, I didn't want to spend a ton of time or money to do it (who does?). My solution was to try my hand at creating my own version of a jelly roll rug.
I'm thrilled with the result. It's full of my happy colors, and I love the thickness and size of the finished rug.
The rug uses only one 40 strip - 2 1/2" wide roll and cotton quilt batting, cut to the same size as the strips. My rug is made from our Autumn Leaves batik roll. I love fall colors, but if they aren't your thing we have seven other batik rolls to choose from.
Besides the fabric you will need thread, and a lot of it. I used almost an entire 1400y Aurifil thread spool. If stopping to wind your bobbin bothers you, be sure to pre-wind four or five bobbins, you'll need them.
It's also useful to have plastic clips, a sharp/denim needle and a walking foot. The plastic clips are perfect for holding your folded strips together. You need 10-12 clips per strip, so the more clips you have the more strips you can prep at once.
Once you have a number of your strips ready to sew, try chain piecing them. Because of the thickness, the strips can be difficult to start and end. Chain piecing will keep your presser foot even front to back and eliminate most of the starts and stops. Using a walking foot will also help keep your stitching even.
I improvised the rug, so there is no "pattern", but I created a free pdf instruction sheet for download. If you're local, or planning to be in the area, I will be teaching a Quick Strip Rug class on December 6th. It should be a fun day, and I'll share all my tips and tricks for keeping your rug straight & flat. We will also talk about options for ordering your fabric to get the look you want.
After trying this technique, I can think of so many more ideas to try with it. I can't decide if I will try a table runner for Thanksgiving, or some hot pads to give as Christmas gifts. Mug rugs? Placemats? More rugs? Good thing this is a speedy project!
As you can see the rug is also fully Teyla approved. I might have to make another one just for her instead.
Cheers,
Samantha
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