Batik Jelly Roll Lap Quilt Top- Part 1

I bought a Moda Calypso Batiks jelly roll (40- 2 1/2" x 42" strips) and waited for it to speak to me.

Yesterday, it did.

The jelly roll, opened.

I selected 5 blue/green strips and 5 red/orange/yellow strips.

I sewed each strip set together lengthwise, and pressed them open.

I trimmed the upper edge, and then cut the strips into 4- 10 1/2" squares (the size of the square depends on the width of your strips, since this works with any size strips).

I faced one dark and one light square together (strips running the same direction, all matched identically), and sewed all around the outside edges- all 4 seams.

And then I cut them into triangles.

Pressed open, I got 4 different sets of 6 1/2" blocks, 4 each.

There are a bazillion ways to arrange them, but I settled on this one. The larger blocks are 13" square.

Then I selected and sewed and cut another set of strips.

Again, there were a bazillion ways to arrange the border of single blocks, but I settled on this one for the ends.

I'll need to make 4 corner blocks for the side panels, which I will do today, and a wide outer border. The above was one afternoon's work, and this technique will work with any jelly roll (or any hand-cut set of strips).

I love love love love love it. I'll finish the rest of the quilt top today (it'll be around 50" square, lap quilt size, which is what I've been making lately), and I'll post the rest of the process pics tomorrow.