One Jelly Roll, One Big Lap Quilt: The Rigatoni Shortcut

William Williams · 2026-10-28

If you've ever stared at a Jelly Roll on your sewing table and thought, "I want a finished quilt by the weekend," this one's for you. The Jelly Roll Rigatoni is the newest pattern in the Shortcut Quilt Series, and it's built for exactly that kind of fast, satisfying finish. What makes it so approachable? Precuts. You're not squaring up yards of fabric or doing a ton of complicated cutting. The Jelly Roll does most of the heavy lifting, and you get to focus on the fun part: sewing. ### What You Actually Need to Get Started The supply list is refreshingly short. Here's the whole thing: - One Jelly Roll (that's 40 strips of 2.5-inch-wide fabric, pre-cut and ready to go) - 3 1/8 yards of background fabric - A free pattern download - Your usual sewing setup (rotary cutter, mat, ruler, machine, thread) That's it. One Jelly Roll and a few yards of background fabric will get you a generous lap quilt. For a beginner, that's a huge deal. You can finish a real, usable quilt without buying half a fabric store first. ### Why Beginners Tend to Love This One There's a reason the Shortcut Quilt patterns have a following. They're free, they come with a video tutorial, and they're designed around precuts so your cutting time shrinks dramatically. If you've been nervous about jumping into quilting, this is a gentle on-ramp. A quick tip from experience: press your Jelly Roll strips before you sew. They come with a fold crease, and a few minutes with an iron saves you a lot of fussy seams later. It's the kind of small step that makes everything downstream easier. ### Choosing Your Fabric The sample quilt was made with Collections for a Cause: Magnolia by Howard Marcus for Moda Fabrics. It leans into vintage florals and a classic, heirloom feel, the kind of quilt that looks like it's been in the family for years. But honestly? That's just one option. The Rigatoni block layout plays well with almost any collection, so pick whatever speaks to you. A bold modern line will give you a totally different look than a soft traditional one. That flexibility is half the fun. > "A good Jelly Roll pattern doesn't tell you what to sew. It just shows you the door and lets you walk through it." ### A Note on Fabric Clubs If you find yourself hooked on Jelly Rolls (and you probably will), there's a monthly club that delivers one to your door. It features a new Moda Fabrics collection each month, and members save 12% compared to buying the precut individually. Worth a look if you like a little surprise in your mailbox. ### Sharing Your Finish When you're done, show it off. Use the hashtag #JellyRollRigatoni on Facebook and Instagram and tag the shop so your work doesn't get missed. There's something genuinely motivating about seeing other people's versions of the same pattern. So grab a Jelly Roll, pick a background, and give it a go. You might be surprised how quickly a finished quilt ends up on your couch. Happy quilting!