Do You Jelly Roll???

Let's start out by saying I'm not a quilter.  Even though I've made several "quilting" projects, they're not my top must sews.  However, I love jelly rolls.  The thought of them, how the fabrics play so well together, how they can become so many different things.  

Whenever I see one, the possibilities of what the new yardage can be inspires me.  Especially black & white jelly rolls.  So while I'm not a quilter, I was inspired to buy several jelly rolls and make two yards of fabric from them to create a top.

2 packages of black & white Ankara strips purchased from Cultured Expressions.  Each package had 20 strips.

1 yard of solid black cotton fabric from StyleMaker Fabrics for the strips, sleeves and back insert.

7 3/4" buttons purchased several years ago from Pacific Trimmings

1/2" black bias binding also purchased from Pacific Trimmings

First let's discuss making the fabric ~

Honestly, this was the most tedious part of the sew and took me about 4 days to complete. I whined through this part because not only was each seam sewn but they were pressed open, then flat, and serge finished.

Here's how I made it ~

1.  Sorted the strips into piles.

2.  Determined how I wanted the layout of the strips to look.

3.  Sewed the strips together using a 1/4" seam. My sewing machine has a 1/4" foot with guide and one without a guide.  Using the one with the guide was SOOOOOOO helpful!

4.  After 11 strips were sewn together, I added a black strip cut in the same dimensions (2.5" x 45") to differentiate the sections.

5.  When each section was sewn, I pressed the strips to the left side.  Then each strip was serge finished. I did this because my yardage will be used for a garment and needs a cleanly finished inside.

6.  Continued this for 3 sections to get the yardage I desired.

Once you decide how much yardage you need - I needed 2 yards to make the top front, back, front facings and sleeve bands - then you can start your garment's construction process.

Since I had all of those seams, I chose a pattern that didn't have a lot of pattern pieces. I didn't want to cut apart the fabric I'd just sewn together. So I started with Anna Allen Clothing's Anthea Blouse.

Design/Construction Changes ~

I need you to know that while this pattern goes up to a size 22, in my opinion, it's not size inclusive. The hip measurement on a size 22 is 51" way below the amount of space I need for a flowy hemline.

I made some simple pattern adjustments to get the top to fit me.

• I'm bigger on the bottom than the top.  So the shoulders and bustline on the size 22 fit with no problem.  My challenge is my abdomen and waist.
• I also had no challenges with the sleeves since the design is for very wide sleeves.
• On the front pattern piece I did a slice and spread from the abdomen to the hemline - spreading the pattern 1" at the hemline.
• To add width to the back, I went with a design technique to get the necessary width. Especially since I needed to go from 51" to 65" at the hemline (this includes ease for wearing). 
• I added an 8" insert to the back that when opened, gave me more than enough space in the abdomen and hip area.
• The back pattern piece says to cut on fold. I cut them as single pieces adding 1/2" seam allowance to both. 
• Then the insert was sewn to either side of the back pieces using a 1/4" seam allowance. 
• I chose a point about 6" down the back and stitched the original two back pattern pieces together using a 1/4" seam allowance. 
• Press flat and open and walah, extra width and cool design feature.
• The last design feature was to cut the sleeves from the solid black fabric and the sleeve bands from the jelly roll fabric. 

A few more things ~

- I did lengthen the blouse by 3" because my comfort level is that everything adequately covers my abdomen and backside.

- I didn't want topstitching to show on my blouse front.  So I hand stitched the bias binding down and didn't include topstitching on the front facings.

- The pattern tells you to double roll the hem and topstitch it down. I used a bias binding to finish the hemline because the bulk in double rolling the hemline would have distracted from the finished look.

I have this thing about "corralling" patterns so your eye has a place to rest. I think it makes the finished garment more appealing to the eye. That is why I used the black sleeves, black strips, and black back insert.

Here are a few pictures ~

I did make a few design decisions that affected the end result but everything was done to highlight the beautiful fabric made from the jelly rolls. This was the only thing I made during my Christmas break.  Making the fabric took 4 days alone, then construction took another 2. I was fine with this project taking up the bulk of my sewing time.

Especially since this is my last post as a Janome Maker.  I've been a Janome Maker for almost three years and it's been a privilege and an honor to rep one of the best sewing machine companies out there. I'd like to thank everyone who worked with me at Janome to make this one of the best experiences ever!

...as always more later!