A “jelly roll” is a roll of fabrics that contains at least one print of each fabric in a collection, cut into long skinny strips, 2.5″ x 44″.  There are usually 40 different prints in a roll, but often some prints will be duplicated.  When I saw the Circa 1934 fabrics, I instantly wanted to use them in my kitchen.  Well, I wanted to use them in my future kitchen.  The one where I’ve already painted the cabinets quilter’s white, the counter tops are NOT cracked tile, and the backsplash is jewel-like, shimmery tiles … or maybe they’re pressed tin.  Or something I haven’t thought of yet.  Anyway, in my mind this fabric is a perfect fit for what will be.  Since it was the easiest, most affordable part of the planned changes, I went for it even though it’s not the best fit for my kitchen today.

The pre-cut jelly roll strips made this a very quick project.  I measured the window, figured out how many strips I needed for the width on each side, then cut the strips long enough to hem at the top and the bottom.  (My window is 36″ tall.  I cut the strips 40″ long to allow for neatening up the ends and hemming.)

Then, sew.

After I had the strips sewn together, I ironed the seams flat and top stitched along them.

This makes the fronts look nice and neat, and it also cleaned up the backs.  Since I decided not to line the curtains, this seemed important to me.  (I love the way the colors glow when the early morning sun shines through the window.)

The top and bottom are just turned under and hemmed, then held up with clip-style curtain rings.  With the little clips, you don’t have to fuss with making a rod pocket — just sew a plain rectangle for your curtain and you’re good to go.  How easy is that?

Bonus: I have plenty of fabrics left in the roll to make a few kitchen accessories, too!