Giant Log Cabin Jelly Roll Quilt

I have a confession to make. This is the first project I've made with a pre-cut that wasn't a charm pack or fat quarter/eighth bundle!

In late 2013, I picked up a Carolyn Friedlander Botanics roll-up, my first (and only) jelly roll. I know there are tons of jelly roll patterns and ideas out there, but I just never felt particularly inspired to use it.


Until now! Earlier this year, Jacey stitched up a big log cabin baby quilt. I loved the sweet and simple design, and knew it was perfect for my jelly roll. Thanks for the push and inspiration, Jacey! See her baby quilt and second jelly roll log cabin quilt here.


I am all about big quilts, so I knew I wanted to make my quilt a healthy throw size. It ended up around 64" square. I started with a 2.5" square for the center, in order to end up with a square quilt. I split the jelly roll and my stash of Carolyn Friedlander fabrics into lights and darks. I brought my fabrics along on a little retreat and pieced the entire quilt top while I was there. To keep things from getting too scrappy, I pieced together strips in order to continue building past 44".


I knew I wanted to quilt this one myself, since it needed a little tugging and smoothing during basting to make sure it was straight and square. All those long strips are hard to keep aligned!



I quilted it with straight lines, starting with two diagonal lines across the middle of the quilt. Then I echoed the X in each section.


A nice tumble in the washer and dryer and it crinkled up nicely.


I used this Ladder Lines print in Slate from Doe for the backing and the binding. After auditioning binding, I realized this print would be perfect to finish the quilt off. It wasn't too light or too dark, but a nice middle ground. This is the first time I've used the same fabric for the back and binding, I like it!



This quilt was a true exercise in working outside of my comfort zone. I had a plan, but I had no idea how much fabric I'd need, and I made each color/fabric decision in the moment. I'm still a little surprised by how square it ended up, there was definitely a moment in the piecing where it felt like it was going to be a bit lopsided. I had a lot of fun working on this quilt, and it helped me use up enough of my jelly roll that I can add the rest of the strips to my scraps, yay!

Happy Quilting!