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Jelly Roll Stripwork Dress

ByJamie Sanders Hours
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Jelly Roll Strip Work Dress (AKA what to do with leftover jelly rolls)

Jelly Roll Strip Work Dress ( what to do with leftover jelly rolls)

I’ve been organizing my daughter’s drawers and closet this week and came across this darling dress I made from a “jelly roll.”  If you’re unfamiliar with what a jelly roll is, it’s a bundle of fabric, usually, all the colors from a designer’s line, cut into 2.5-inch wide strips.

Jelly roll Styles

When looking at which jelly roll to buy, try to find one that has been cut with pinking shears.  It will save a ton of time if you will be making clothing since you won’t have to finish all of the individual seams.

Jelly Roll Strip Work Dress ( what to do with leftover jelly rolls)

I made this dress last year and can’t believe I never posted it. It’s just darling, don’t you think? Here is a photo of a simpler version I had made a few years prior.

We took advantage of a brief moment of cloud cover and went outside to snap a few pictures…

Pattern used for the bodice:

To make this dress, use the instructions from my Ava Rose Halter Dress Tutorial to make the bodice.

The only adjustments you would need to make would be to make 2 of the bodice fronts. (Unless you want your dress to be halter style.)  

If you make the bodice as I did in this Jelly Roll Dress, I recommend adding an extra half inch to each side of the bodice, front and back.  (So 2 inches total.) This will give you a little extra wiggle room to help slide the dress over her head.

Jelly roll stripwork dress

Materials needed for a size 4/6 Jelly Roll Dress:

  • 1/3 yard of coordinating fabric
  • 9  jelly roll strips
  • Basic Sewing supplies

Instructions:

For the tie straps, cut four straps, 2.5-inches wide by 15 inches long, and attach them the same way as the straps are attached in my Halter Dress Tutorial.

This is the view from the inside, you can see the pinked edges and where I decided to top stitch each strip.  The top stitching isn’t necessary, but it makes for a more polished look.

To create the skirt:

Sew together several of the fabric strips until you have your desired length, then fold the selvage edges right sides together and sew another seam.

To make a ruffle:

Cut two strips of fabric – 4 inches by the width of the fabric. Sew them together end to end, so you have a 4-inch by about 84-inch strip.  Iron the strip in half longways, right side out, (so it is a double-sided ruffle), gather and ruffle the strip, and attach it the same way as in the halter dress tutorial.

She loves the dress, and I am glad we will be getting another summer out of it…  (Maybe even next summer too!)  Let me know if you have any questions or make one for yourself!

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30 Comments

  1. Thanks for the idea for a girl’s dress. I have made two dresses from jelly rolls, using the jelly roll as the skirt. I turned the strips vertically and serged them together wrong sides facing. Then I top stitched the exposed seams using decorative stitches and machine embroidery thread. On the two dresses I made I used a sleeveless dress pattern and made the dresses to button down the front. Then I added pockets to the front. They were so cute. With one, the strips were long enough to make a dress for my granddaughter and another for my sister’s granddaughter. I also made a set of similar dresses for the two girls using a set of lavender strips.

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  2. Pinned — never heard of a jelly roll before but what a great idea of how to use the strips! Your "model" is just adorable. Thanks for linking on Busy Monday at A Pinch of Joy! Hope to see you again soon –

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  4. This is amazing! Clear instructions and a wonderful idea! I've always wondered what people make from those Jelly roll packs. Thank you so much. I will be pinning this and trying to make one for my baby girl.

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  7. Please add this to the list of dresses I have on order with you… HAHA!!! LOVE everything you do!!

    Thanks so much for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer.. From Dream To Reality! 🙂

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  10. This is too cute! I am hoping that my next baby is a girl so I can sew her pretty dresses like this one!

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  11. Very cute! I've never bought a jelly roll – didn't quite know what to do with them. What a great idea!

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  22. This is so beautiful! Thank you for digging out the archives! 🙂

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  27. I love this idea! I'm not much of a quilter (yet!), but have always loved seeing all the different fabrics you can get in a jelly roll. I may have to go find a "purplish" color one for my daughter…She only wears something I make her if it's purple! Oh, 4 year olds! HA! Thanks for the great idea!

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  30. Beautiful! I won a jelly roll with a Christmas theme from a giveaway. I'd love to make a quilt out of it, but this is a great idea for some other jelly rolls. Thanks!

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