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Jelly Roll Quilt Guide: Rolls, Sizes, and Strip Piecing

Illustrative generated image of tied rolls of narrow cotton strips beside a folded strip quilt on a wooden table by a window.

Published 2026-10-15. Updated 2026-10-15.

A Moda jelly roll is typically 40 strips, each 2.5 by 42 inches. That cloth generally covers a quilt about 50 by 64 inches, so one roll is a throw. In the free Jelly Roll Jam layout, built for rolls of 40 strips, a 48-inch square takes 1 roll, a 60-inch or 72-inch square takes 2, a 72-by-96 twin takes 3, a 96-inch queen takes 4, and a 108-inch king takes 5. The Sewing Loft counts 42 strips of 2.5 inches by the width of fabric, so read the roll label before you plan on 40.

Those 40 strips are 100 inches of 42-inch-wide cloth. A yard of quilting cotton is 36 by 42 inches, so 100 inches is 2 yards and 28 inches. Backing and batting are separate. Fat Quarter Shop says a 50-by-64 quilt from a roll needs a 60-by-74 piece of batting.

What the strips are

A jelly roll is Moda's name for a set of 2.5-inch strips cut the length of the fabric and rolled together from one collection. Fat Quarter Shop also lists the same cut under other mill names, including Bali Pops, Roll Ups, and Rolie Polies. The piece count is the part that changes. The shop guide says rolls typically include 40 strips, and the strip length can vary. A junior roll on the same shop page has 20 strips of 2.5 by 42 inches, half of a standard roll.

If you have yardage instead of a roll, cut your own 2.5-inch strips across the width of the fabric. I See Stars Quilting used only that 20-strip mini roll for the top, plus backing and binding, and finished at 40 by 40 inches, which that page calls a small child, baby, or nap quilt. A standard 40-strip roll is twice the stack of strips. The finished top is a different shape, not a doubled 40-inch square.

Rolls for each finished size

The counts below are for one free pattern, Jelly Roll Jam, not for every strip quilt. Fat Quarter Shop built the chart for rolls of 40 strips and notes that some sizes leave extra blocks. Those leftovers can go on the back or into a table runner. The Jam page lists a twin, a queen, and a king. A full or double bed is a size you measure, rather than a row on that chart.

Quilt Finished size Rolls
Small lap 48 inch square 1
Medium lap 60 inch square 2
Large lap 72 inch square 2
Twin or single 72 by 96 inches 3
Queen 96 inch square 4
King 108 inch square 5

Two other one-roll sizes are worth setting next to that 50-by-64 figure. Hearthside Comforts pieces all 40 strips of a 2.5-inch roll into a top about 55 inches square before any border. The I See Stars top, from 20 strips, is 40 inches square. Same kind of cloth, three different finished sizes, because the block layout uses the strip differently.

A 42-inch strip is shorter than a 50-inch or 60-inch quilt side. When the finished top is wider than one strip, the pattern joins strips end to end or turns them so the long edge runs across the shorter side. Measure the bed, then pick the row, rather than trusting the word throw. Published quilt sizes vary; the quilt size chart is the place to match a mattress before you buy a second roll.

Layouts that suit 2.5-inch strips

Strips this narrow want long seams, not a lot of tiny squares. Four layouts use the cut as it comes.

  • Sew the strips along the long edges into bands, then frame that panel. The Sewing Loft describes that as the plain strip panel, and it is the same family as a rail fence quilt.
  • Sew strips in sets of four, cut the sets into 2.5-inch segments, and resew the segments into blocks. That is strip piecing, and it is how a roll becomes a patchwork rather than a set of stripes.
  • Split the roll in half. Hearthside sews one half into a 20-strip rectangle and the other half the same way, then cuts those rectangles into the one-block units. The race method is different: a jelly roll race joins every strip end to end first. Hearthside's one-block top sews the strips in two rectangles instead of one long chain.
  • Add yardage when the roll runs out. Needlepointers lists a confetti-cabin log cabin that uses two rolls plus background, and a lap strip quilt that can be sewn as vertical bands or as 10-inch blocks.

A wider strip from yardage is a different design. The Sewing Loft notes that you can cut strips a little wider if you want more of each print. Once you leave 2.5 inches, the Jam roll counts above no longer apply.

How to sew the strips

Use a 1/4-inch seam. On The Sewing Loft page, a reader whose twin strip quilt came apart in the wash is answered with a 1/4-inch seam as the minimum allowance to check.

Step 1. Sew long edges with right sides together, alternating direction so the seams lean opposite ways. Press each seam before the next strip. A 2.5-inch strip hides a tuck poorly.

Step 2. Cut the sewn set into segments if the pattern wants blocks. Leave the strips long if it wants bands, and join ends only when a side is wider than 42 inches.

Step 3. The roll is the top. Buy backing and batting to the finished top plus overhang, then bind the edge. The binding guide covers that last seam. A first quilt can also start from the beginner pattern guide.

Washing the strips

Suzy Quilts leaves precuts the size of a fat quarter or smaller unwashed, because the raw edges can unravel past the cut. A reply on that page puts a flannel jelly roll in the same group.

Moda says any precut can be pre-washed, and also says the job gets messy. On a jelly-roll strip the width stays 2.5 inches, and the 42-inch length can shrink by as much as 1 inch. Wash the loose strips only when dye risk matters more than that lost inch. Suzy's washing article also names a color-catcher sheet for the first wash of the finished quilt.

Free patterns worth opening

These tutorials state a strip count and a finished size on the open web.

The lane strip quilt is coming soon at $8.99.

The limit of these counts

Roll counts follow the layout. A 20-strip mini roll can finish near 40 inches square. A 40-strip roll can finish near 50 by 64, or near 55 inches square. A 42-strip bundle is a different stack of cloth. Use the Jam table when you are making that block quilt. For any other pattern, count the strips the pattern asks for, then divide by the number printed on your roll.

What is a jelly roll in quilting?

A Moda jelly roll is a bundle of precut strips, typically 40 strips each 2.5 by 42 inches, from one fabric collection. Some sellers count 42 strips, so check the label.

How many yards are in a jelly roll?

Forty strips of 2.5 inches are 100 inches of 42-inch-wide cloth. A yard of quilting cotton is 36 by 42 inches, so that is 2 yards and 28 inches.

Is one jelly roll enough to make a quilt?

Yes for a throw. Fat Quarter Shop says a standard roll generally covers about 50 by 64 inches. A bed quilt in the Jelly Roll Jam layout takes 3 rolls for a twin, 4 for a queen, and 5 for a king.

How many jelly rolls do you need for a throw, a twin, or a full-size quilt?

In the Jelly Roll Jam layout, 1 roll makes a 48-inch square and 2 rolls make a 60-inch or 72-inch square. A 72-by-96 twin takes 3 rolls. The same chart lists a queen as a 96-inch square that takes 4 rolls. A full-size bed is not a row on that chart.

Should you wash jelly roll fabric before sewing?

Suzy Quilts leaves precuts the size of a fat quarter or smaller unwashed, because the raw edges can unravel. Moda says a precut can be pre-washed, and a washed 2.5-inch strip can lose as much as 1 inch from a 42-inch length.

Where can I find free jelly roll quilt patterns?

Fat Quarter Shop publishes the Jelly Roll Jam size chart, Hearthside Comforts publishes a one-block tutorial for 40 strips, and Needlepointers keeps a list of free jelly roll projects, including a jelly roll race and a lap strip quilt.

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