As we are hosting four fall retreats this year, we will be offering four or more different retreat projects! BUT, we will offer all
projects to all four groups. As always projects are totally optional, you can do them now or later or never, it's your choice.
Our projects will all be done using Jelly Rolls, or Tonga Treats or Bali Pops and/or you can even cut your own if you are like me
and insist on prewashing. All of the projects will use 2 1/2 inch strips, and some additional yardage as noted. Each project can
be made larger by using more strips and/or adding borders with additional yardage.
There are hundreds of quilts you can make using 2 1/2 inch strips and it was hard to choose. I picked these because
they are quick and easy to make, and you can easily make one or more at your retreat.
Project One is a 1600 Jelly Roll Quilt. I know many of you have already made one
or more Jelly Roll quilts(many more in some cases. They are fun and fast and make for some very interesting looking quilts. It
takes one Jelly Roll, Tonga Treat or Bali Pop or 40 2 1/2 inch strips from your stash and makes a quilt center measuring about 48
by 64 inches. You can make your quilt larger using borders. With this quilt anything goes fabric wise, contrasting, complimenting
or just plain stash busting.
(This project took over the Spring Retreat this year, even
though it was not a planned project. One person decided to “try” to make one, and by the end of the retreat there were at least 20
finished 1600 Jelly Roll Quilts.)
Project Two takes almost one Jelly Roll, Tonga Treat or Bali Pop or thirty-six 2 1/2
inch strips from your stash and makes a quilt which is about 47 inches square before borders. Adding an additional dozen 2 1/2 inch
strips from your stash or eight added strips to your pre-cuts will give you a top that measures 47 by 63. I used a jelly roll and
added complimenting strips from my stash. I added borders from my stash.
Project Three is simple, easy, and I think it’s cute. I wanted something with
little bias for our 2 1/2” strip projects and while playing in Electric Quilt came up with this one. It takes one Jelly Roll,
Tonga Treat or Bali Pop or forty 2 1/2 inch strips from your stash to make a lap quilt including borders that measured about 40 by
48 inches (and there are strips left over for the binding too). Of course it can be made bigger with more strips or borders.
Project Four was Mystery #26 on the
Mysteries For Relay group.
This project is VERY easy and goes together so fast that in less than one week I made THREE of them, a
twin size, a queen size AND a KING size. One jelly roll or forty
2 1/2 inch strips makes a quilt center measuring about 48 by 60, more strips makes a bigger quilt and you can easily add to yours if
you want.
Project Five I'm calling Area 52. This quilt can be made in just a few hours and the photo shows what one 40 piece pre-cut package will make.
Project Six The photo shows how far you can go if you wanted to make a log cabin quilt from just 40 strips! I actually had enough pieces left over from the 40 strips to make a scrappy binding.
IF you want to see photos of the projects,
here is a page with photos.
If you prefer a mystery, then don’t peek at the pictures. I will hopefully have finished projects to show at the retreats, the samples are on the way to the quilters now.
Note: All projects can be made bigger with more 2 1/2 inch strips and/or borders. Project Two deals with a little bit of bias,
but can be handled easily as long as you do the same, handle the blocks carefully and don’t stretch or pull as you sew and press.
Between now and then I will probably have more projects to show at each retreat, and I promise to have directions for each quilt I
show, and they will all be made using 2 1/2 inch strips!
Please note... if you send me an email about any retreat, in order for me to reply to you, you must add
quiltersretreat@hotmail.com to your address book. Otherwise your server may deliver my reply to your spam folder,
and you will never get it.
