December, 2021 - Sewing by Diana

I’m ready to try making another quilted jacket. I plan to make the following changes:

Create blocks and surround them with solid fabric for each piece instead of cutting from an already made quilt.
Add side pockets.
Add a floating lining.

Create “Fabric”

To create the “fabric” for this jacket, I pieced 4 blocks using the “Second Sunrise” design by Raymond Steeves at https://3dudesquiltingdesigns.com/ Each block ends up being about 18 inches by 18 inches.

I figured one whole block for the back, one for each sleeve, and one block split across the front.

Then I compared the blocks to the jacket pattern pieces and figured out how much to add to each block to make it big enough to cut the piece out. For example, here is what I added for each front piece:

Quilt the Pieces

Then I tried to decide whether to quilt the pieces as rectangles or cut them out first and then quilt them. I decided it would probably be easier to quilt them as rectangles so I did that for each pattern piece, except for the pockets. I figured it would be cozy but too bulky to also quilt the pockets.

Here is how the back section looks after quilting with just batting. I included the pattern piece, which is meant to be on the fold, for comparison.

Cut Out the Pieces

Then I put the pattern pieces back on the quilted rectangles and cut out each piece.

Assemble the Shell and Lining

First I sewed the pockets onto the front and back side seams.

Next I sewed the shoulder seams, sleeves, and side seams (including the pockets) to create the outside shell.

Then I did the same for the lining except for the pockets, which I did not include inside the jacket as well.

Then I put on the lining, inside out, and put on the shell over it.

Then I took the shell/lining set off, pinned the exposed edges, and sewed them together.

I probably didn’t need to but I serged the edges after that, to make a nice clean edge for the binding. Of course my cats came to check it out as soon as I put in on the floor for a photo.

Bind Exposed Edges

Finally I bound the exposed edges, including the body and sleeve hems, the same way I bind a quilt with one exception. I found out last time that the binding needs to be a bit wider so I cut it 3 inches wide instead of the 2-1/2 inches wide I usually do for binding.

That’s it! It was a bit more work than the first quilted jacket I made but the results are totally worth it to me. I love the tidy look and feel of the inside without any exposed seams and I love having pockets.

I’ve been wanting to make a quilted jacket for a while. I tried making my own pattern but found it difficult to draft the sleeve cap and I ended up buying this pattern.

You can see that the pattern has different lengths and neck styles. I used the sleeve and neck style from A and the length from C.

Since this was to be my first try at a quilted jacket I figured I wouldn’t use my favorite fabric or make a special quilt for it. I had a quilt top around that I never sandwiched and finished as a quilt because I didn’t like it enough to put in the time and materials at the time I made the top.

Now I went ahead and sandwiched the top and quilted it but did not add binding.

I created a full-size back pattern so I could see how it would lay on the quilt for cutting. And I created a second front pattern piece from the original for the same reason.

I laid the pattern pieces out on the quilt and found that I didn’t have enough area to also cut out the sleeves. That’s okay, for this first try I figured I would make them out of a solid cream fabric I had around, which I did.

I have been watching videos on youtube of how other people made quilted coats and here are some that I especially liked:

Upcycled patchwork quilt coat diy

Making a Quilt Coat | Repurposing Damaged Quilts into Wearable Clothing

Quilting Window – Quilted Jacket

The first video in the above list was the push I finally needed to get a serger. I got the one she used in the video after reading reviews about it online and hearing that it is not terribly expensive, generally reliable, and has an easier to thread system than many other sergers. It arrived and I was afraid to set it up 🙂 I finally set it up the next day and did some practicing.

Then I serged around all the jacket pieces I had cut out: back, two front pieces, and two sleeve pieces. It’s kind of fun once you get the hang of it!

I sewed the shoulder seams on the front and back pieces, right sides together. Then I decided to topstitch the serged seam layers to make them lay flat. It was easy on the shoulder seams because they are straight and short.

I often like to sew the sleeve in before sewing the side seams on my garment body and on the sleeves. I find it’s much easier for me to navigate the complex curves that way. I sewed the first sleeve on and tried to topstitch the serged seam layers but it was much harder because of the curves. Hmmm. I decided to not do that on the second sleeve and see how it feels to wear and how it looks.

Then I sewed the sleeve and side seam next to the attached sleeve. Easy peasy. Topstitching the serged seam layers not so easy. Perhaps this wasn’t such a great idea after all.

I tried on the jacket and, other than the sleeves being too long, I really liked how the result looked and felt.

So I attached the second sleeve and sewed the long seam along the sleeve and side it was attached to. I did not topstitch the serger layers.

I tried the garment on again and I like it better without the topstitching. Well that simplifies things.

Next I marked the sleeve length I wanted and trimmed off the extra. Then I cut a 2-1/2 wide inch strip to bind the sleeve bottoms, the same way I do for a quilt.

I tried the jacket on again to see whether I wanted to make any adjustments on the front edges. I think it’s fine the way it is. It’s comfortable to sit down in and I could add buttons later if I wanted to.

I learned another lesson on the next step. I cut 2-1/2 wide inch strips for binding for the neck, front, and bottom edges but I should have cut 3 wide inch strips. I sewed about a 3/8 inch seam instead of a 1/4 inch seam to make sure none of the serging would show but then I didn’t have enough on the other side to sew the binding down without catching it on the front. Oh well. Lesson learned and it doesn’t look bad, just not my favorite look for binding.

I can imagine so many wonderful quilt designs to use for future jackets! I do want to try one with a floating lining because I think that might feel better for wearing but that’s a project for later.

Here are some views of the outside and inside of the finished jacket.

Month: December 2021

Quilted Jacket — Take 2

Create “Fabric”

Quilt the Pieces

Cut Out the Pieces

Assemble the Shell and Lining

Bind Exposed Edges

Quilted Jacket — First Try