Jmes4kids

I'm planning on doing a quilt finished size is 36"x48". It's a fence rail pattern do you think one 40 piece jelly roll will be enough?

And do I have to use only 3 different fabrics, rotating, or can I start dark at one end and move over to light or something else. Because I'm not sure 1 jelly roll will give me enough of the 3 fabrics I will have to use. I'm sorry if this is confusing.

Feel free to ask questions you need to to help me. This is my very first project. I've never quilted a square ever before this.

quiltingcandy

You can make a rail fence quilt with any fabric you want. If you want the contrast to be dramatic as the one pictured then you would use only three fabrics. Google Rail Fence quilts and you can see a large variety.

When I have made the rail fence quilts in the past, I just sewed 3 or 4 strips together then cut them into squares - however wide the strips were would determine the square size. They go together so fast, I use the pattern when I need a quick quilt.

Jane Quilter

Here is what you are buying in each jelly roll.
40 strips x 2.5"= 100 inches of fabric
100 inch / 36 inches/yd = 2.78 yards of fabric (cut into 2.5 strips) at about 44" wide

So to make a quilt 36 x 48. This about 1 yard of fabric at about 48" Plus more for the seam allowances ...which you have about 1.78 yd s extra for, you should be fine

Jane Quilter

The trick with your pattern and jelly roll, is you don't have just 3 fabrics, you have more like 30 fabrics and they may or may not split into 3 categories. Looking at the tag, I'm guessing your categories are red, green, and white/grey. If you dont have enough green, you may have to pick some green out of your own stash . You wont know until you unroll the jelly roll. So unroll and let's see what you got! This is all part of the fun of quilting.

Geri B

.....and most jelly rolls have duplicate strips, sometimes even three of some colors. Or several shades of a color. So, like said, unroll and sort out the colors to see what you have.

joyce888

Since you will have more than enough you should be able to cherry pick the strips you want. You could also divide them into light/medium/dark and make your rails with one each in the same order. Doing this will also give you a secondary pattern; mixing the order will give you a random look.

tessagin

Missouri Star Quilt Company has a few videos for the fence rail. Jenny also has one called the "Diamond Fence RAil" It has a chart with the video. She uses on jelly roll of 2 1/2" by 42" strips.

Quilt30

I don't believe a jelly roll will give you what you want. You say you want three colors. No jelly roll that I know of contains just three colors. Since one of the posts say a jelly roll contains almost 3 yds, I suggest you but a yard each of the colors you want and cut your own strips.

Garden Gnome

I think I would separate the jelly roll fabric into 3 piles, light, medium and dark. Make your strip sets with one of each hue, always placed the same. That way, even though the rails will be different color combos, they will be consistent in color density placement. Again, check Jenny's tutes.

Bluelady

It will be great fun to do it with a jelly roll, the mix of fabrics will give it a unique color blend! Have fun with it.