If you're a quilter, chances are you've got at least one jelly roll tucked away in your stash — that iconic bundle of forty 2½" strips that always seems like a good idea to buy and somehow never quite makes it out of the closet. Well, September 19 is officially its day to shine: National Sew a Jelly Roll Day, hosted every year by Moda Fabrics as part of their Project Jelly Roll celebration.
What Is Project Jelly Roll?
Every year, Moda releases a fresh batch of free patterns designed specifically around a single jelly roll — no complicated yardage math, no hunting for coordinating fabric, just grab a roll and go. And the best part? They don't take last year's patterns down. The full archive is still live, so there are dozens of free designs to dig through — quilts, totes, pillows, table runners, you name it.
This year's 2026 lineup includes:
- Celtic Knots
- Mosaic Floor
- Crooked Roads
- Scattered Diamonds
- Labyrinth
You can find all of these, plus the full back catalog of past years' patterns, at Moda's Project Jelly Roll page.
No Current WIP? No Problem.
I don't have a jelly roll project actively on my table right now, but that's kind of the beauty of this day — it's less about what you're working on and more about what you could start. If you've got a jelly roll sitting in your stash feeling guilty about it, today's your permission slip to pull it out.
Personally, I'm eyeing the Labyrinth pattern from this year's lineup, and Tiddlywinks from the 2024 archive, for a future project.
Whether you've got a jelly roll ready to go or you're just now adding one to your cart, today's a great excuse to start something new. Happy National Jelly Roll Day! 🧵