One of my favorite quilts from Jelly Roll Quilt Magic has to be the Rainbow Checkerboard Star. I love, love, LOVE that quilt! And it was almost an afterthought — it was the last quilt I designed for the book — so it almost didn’t come to be. And I’m sure glad it did. It’s no secret that I love making lonestars from Jelly Roll strips, and I’ve made quite a few to date. Here are just a few….
While it truly isn’t difficult, beginning quilters might have a bit of trouble knowing how to line up the diamond units to stitch them together. In fact, one such new friend emailed and asked for a demo of how to align the diamonds perfectly so that when she presses the units open, they will line up. I was happy to oblige — and thought there might be some others out there who would benefit from this impromptu tutorial.
Line up two diamonds cut from 2½” strips
- Put units RST (right side together) overlapping by ¼” on each side as shown
The units will overlap by ¼” inch. Teach yourself to visualize this measurement without measuring. This will take practice.
Use a scant ¼” seam allowance (a foot with a guide is especially helpful) and stitch with the seam beginning and ending at the apex of the overlapping diamonds.
Press the seam to one side. The diamonds line up perfectly!
Be sure to trim off the dog ear. You want your seams to be neat, pretty, and FLAT!
That’s it! With a little practice, you’ll be piecing diamonds like a pro. And for a more in depth, terrific photo tutorial of how to piece a diamond lonestar from Jelly Roll strips, simply click HERE.
Enjoy!
Hi Kimberly, I love your Jelly Roll lone stars! It’s such a neat way of using those strips without having to deal with just HST and squares/rectangles… Hope all the Einmos are doing well! Hugs, Birgit
You spoke to our quilting guild yesterday in Southern Pines, NC, and I had the best time!! Thank you for all of those fantastic ideas. I have always liked jelly rolls and other pre-cuts, because I have a hard time putting colors together and they are done for you!! I can’t wait to start on one of your patterns, The hard part is deciding which one to do!! Perhaps, I will just close my eyes and pick one!
Thank you again, Jackie
I love the crafts class so much I had to go buy the Jelly Roll Quilt Magic book. Thank you for sharing with all of us and the best to you and your family. I can’t wait to get started on a new project but need to finish a few first.