Quilt Coat – A finish!
“Make a quilt coat” they said. “It will be fun, easy and fast”! Um, no. It was fun. Fast and easy, no. It was an adventure.
This is a really long post and very garment-centric. Some of you may not be interested in the details, so feel free to scroll through the pretty pictures!
Several crucial decisions were made, some of which made it more complicated than it needed to be:
- My choice of pattern, the Tamarack by Grainline includes set in sleeves, which is a bit challenging when using quilted fabric.
- The pattern I chose did not include darts. I’m not busty so it worked for me. Darts would be a real issue with a quilt coat if you need them. A dart by definition would include 8 layers of fabric and four of batting – yikes!
- Oh did I make the right batting choice! I used a “half batt” of wool (I teased wool batting into 2 skinny layers and used one). Even the skinniest cotton would have been waaaay too stiff.
- My choice to make it reversible. Oh my, I had no idea how much more complicated that would make it!
- I added 2 1/2″ strips between the blocks. That made my repeat 13 1/2″! When you’re trying to match patterns, that is a huge repeat!
- The blocks were hand pieced, old and very imprecisely pieced.
Now a word about garment making. I co-led a garment making group as part of the American Sewing Guild. My co-leader Anita is a Master garment maker and fitter. I learned a lot from her. I have been making garments since grade school and have studied tailoring. I have a few opinions:
- Fit, proportion and detail are EVERYTHING in garment making:
- I wanted to match my repeats across the garment. This elevates the look. I did have an obvious fail on the sleeve. Even though I started with a quilted piece that was something like 60” square, there was not enough fabric left to cut another sleeve. This. Will. Bug. Me.
- Fit: I am passionate about good fit. So many women who are unhappy with their bodies do one of two things: hide it under yardage, or, plop a stiff, oversized garment on top to “hide” their body. A well-fitted garment is flattering! It skims your curves and balances your proportions. Ill-fitting garments scream that you are unhappy with your body. Yardage and oversized garments are unflattering.
- I took the extra step to dial in the fit on a toile, which I wrote about it here, time well spent. Proportion is key also. I hits me at high hip in front and just above the lower curve on my behind.
- I adjusted the shoulder to accommodate my slight forward bend. It’s an easy fix and a small detail, but that makes me look upright even though I have a bit of a slump already. And I made sure that the arm scythe hits right. at. my shoulder, another detail that flatters the body. Good fit starts at the shoulder.
- I was thrilled with how well the collar laid! Many “craft patterns” are not well drafted and I was going to be very disappointed if the collar looked janky.
- I put a discreet label that I got from Wunderlabel. I put it on the quilty side, it’s less obvious there. Nice little detail, no?
A word about my pattern choice. You will notice that many quilt coats are made with a raglan sleeve for good reason – it shows off the uninterrupted flow of the quilt. You’ll also notice that most photos of a raglan sleeved quilt coat shows the wearer with their arms out. If you saw that same coat with the wearer’s arms at her side, like they would be in real life, you would see bulk at the armhole. Just me, I don’t care for that so I chose the set-in sleeve.
Seam finishing was a huge issue. Because I wanted the garment reversible, the seams needed to be neatly finished. I am not going to do a tutorial on what I did; I used techniques from several finishes to get the look and function I wanted. There are areas of this coat that have TWENTY layers!
Please note, my seam finish is NOT: Hong Kong, lapped, Turned and Stitched, flat felled, bias bound or French, it is “JR”, Jenny Rigged😊
Things that made this process easier and better:
- A proper mannequin. I am soooo thankful that I got this mannequin back in the day. The garment industry changes their slopers on occasion and I picked this one up greatly reduced when they changed slopers.
- My LauraStar. Yes, I am an Ambassador, but I would have lusted after this no matter. For a garment maker, I think a steam generator is key. Look at the way my armscye lays, isn’t that gorgeous? It’s a lot harder to get that press on the curve with a regular steam iron. And it rocks for quilting by the way: the board can suck your fabric to the surface for pressing pieces and blow away for pressing yardage. I can press yardage lickety split. If you are thinking of getting one, I’ve got a coupon for you….
- Good feet. I used my quarter inch foot with the dual feed engaged and the edge stitch foot throughout the process and it made for a more professional finish. And my BERNINA just plows through 16 layers, no problem.
- An arsenal of pressing tools. I used every one of these in the making of my coat and was happy to have them.
Details – the good and the bad.
- The cuffs are a little long. I may go back and fix that.
- I had a LOT of quilt left over, yet not enough to cut a new sleeve. These quilt jackets take way more fabric than you think!
- Even my BERNINA could not plow through 20 layers. I had to hand sew in many places….through 20 layers. That’s the kind of thing that gives you arthritis!
Use my mistakes and consider these to make all this easier:
- Use an old and pliable quilt for your fabric, a much easier choice to work with. And hand quilted will drape much nicer than machine quilted. I mindfully chose an open design (stipple) in a fairly large scale to help with the drape. If I had used a closed design like bubbles, it would have been considerably stiffer.
- Use a hoodie as your pattern. You may recall I was going to take a class at Meissner with Sue Raspberry but it was moved to a date that I couldn’t make. Locals, take her class! Don’t make it hard like I did!
- Don’t make it reversible!
How do I feel about my coat? Pretty good! I am a little mortified at some of the less-than-ideal details, but I am pleased with the fit, the reversibility, the silk “lining”, the length and it’s overall look.
My biggest concern was that it would look “Happy Hands at Home”, which it actually kinda does, but I am seeing this all over in high fashion, so there! Even the Kardashians did a spread with quilts (pun intended) for Calvin Klein. Pshhhh, if the Kardashians can look cool with quilts, so can I, right?😊
If you read my newsletter (which you can sign up for here), you know that I had Big Plans for my Christmas/New Year’s break. I am actually thrilled that I completed this One Big Thing! And all of a sudden, I have a clean studio; what a treat! But not for long……
I’ll be sharing at:
Enjoyed this very much. Don’t think I would make one but learnt a lot about fitting clothes. Thank you.
Thank you Rebecca!
I really love the resulting jacket. I even think the jacket would not look as good had you succeeded in matching the repeat at the sleeve like you had hoped. It looks really comfortable and very appropriate for your life style. I like the long cuffs by the way. A major accomplishment to make it reversible too. It’s truly well done.
Thank you for your comments Betty Jo! Interesting take on the repeat – much appreciated. And the cuffs, I am going back and forth on that one.
Oh my gosh Jenny!!!! You are simply amazing. I love you our attention to detail which is obviously why your work is so good!! The cherry on top is you write and share your experience so we live through it too!! By the way you should be writing for a magazine!! Love your writing style too!! Agree on cuff length. Great job!! My son works for Nordstroms and had informed of this quilted jacket trend awhile ago. Your so I trend!! There jacket prices were in the thousands….not reversible by the way!! Good job and thanks for sharing!!
Interesting, the quilt coat trend thing. Can you imagine, thousand?? Thank you for your kind comments!
My approach to quilted coat-making is different, but I am impressed by your achievement. You shared some excellent tips for making a quilted coat. You are right on about fit. Your jacket looks great. Can’t wait to see the next one!
Thank you Rachel! Next one??? Right now I feel like I’ve just given birth and I need to recover, lol!
Very impressive. Thank you for sharing all that info. I learned a lot. So interesting.
Thank you Sandy, I’m thrilled that I could be informative; I want others to do wearable art also.
I’ve wanted to make a jacket for a long time. Thanks for step by step helpful suggestions. I also sew on a Bernina, did you have to change your settings for sewing the thickness? Foot pressure? Stitch length? Thanks and beautiful job on your jacket.
Trisha, I have to laugh. No, I didn’t change my presser foot pressure, but I should have! I just didn’t think of it and I KNOW to do that too. Just a total brain fart. I did keep the standard stitch length and used the hump jumper thingy to get over some of those humps.
Well done, great detailed information. I made most of my clothes as a pre teen and teen and even into my 20s. Not much clothing for myself after that . I find it very interesting to see others do it who take it so seriously, thanks for sharing.
THank you Pat. After doing garments for a couple of years, I learned a lot about fit. Most off-the-rack stuff does not fit my odd body. I don’t have time to sew most of my clothes so I settle for decent fit.
This is a great garment, Jenny! Thank you for your detailed process and especially your pain points! Wear this with pride. It’s an amazing creation!
Thank you for that Janet! Yup, there definitely were pain points!
Loved the way your jacket turned out. Thanks for all the details in building it. Really makes one appreciate all the hard work you put into it. Making it reversible even more so. Well done!!!! Having a well proportioned mannequin is a life saver!
Thank you Sue! I’m glad I went for the reversible, but man it was a lot more work! And yes, I am grateful to have a real mannequin!
Jenny, it came out beautiful! Love how the pattern matches across your body. Did you piece and quilt the original piece? Well done!!! Thank you for sharing your tips.
Thank you Connie! The original blocks were orphan blocks that I bought at a quilt show sale but I pieced them together and quilted them. Glad you enjoyed the post!
Your jacket’s a real beauty, Jenny! I used to know how to make garments (took 6 years of Home Ec., made a lined wool suit with bound buttonholes in Grade 9, and my wedding gown…) but I lost interest when a) my kids no longer wanted me to make them clothes; b) my daughter learned to make her own (not that she does, mind you) and so did my son (ditto); and c) I took up quilting. I applaud your taste, your skill and your tenacity!
Hah, I too did the whole tailoring thing in High School, made a properly tailored, get this, lavender polyester hot pants suit, LOL! It’s hard to find time for all your hobbies and understandable that garment making fell to the bottom, except for knitted garments.
I m so glad you linked up With Finished or Not Friday. Your jacket is beautiful. I can’t even imagine thinking about doing something so beautiful. Your detail is amazing and sharing of all you learnt is so very generous. Added you to my follow list, looking forward to what you make next!
OH thank you Jan! Really, sometimes it’s just solving one problem at a time…and sometimes creating more from the previous solution, lol!
Wow, I am so impressed with your quilt jacket! Excellent job and I love that you shared your process details. I have been wanting to try making a quilt jacket so really enjoyed this post.
Oh do make your jacket Judy! Learn from me and keep it simple, lol! And do show off your completed jacket.
That is truly an amazing jacket! when someone on the street looks at it they are not going to see your frustrations – they are going to go Wow!!!
Thanks for sharing your journey with this coat – The things you learned are totally worth sharing with us!!!
I sure hope so Alycia! Thank you for the encouraging words.
Jenny, if you need a perfectly fitted blank canvas for a quilted jacket that flatters every figure and is fitted without darts, take a look at my Pop Top Jacket pattern. See my website, http://www.jenniferamor.com It is the base for numerous award winning jackets and has been around for over 20 years without going out of style. I never use a quilt cut to fit. Instead, I fit the quilt design to the 3 pattern pieces so there is no waste. To make The Pop Top Jacket reversible, I make two jackets and join them around the edges. As for batting, your best choice is Thermore by Hobbs. They made it for me back in the 90s as a drapable thin batt especially for use in clothing. This avoids the “just escaped from a bed “ look. Set it in sleeves are always best for a quilted garment to avoid all the extra underarm bulk. Also, really easy to sew, going around the armhole, then straight down the sleeve seam. Hope this helps! Haven’t seen you in years!
Thank you Jennifer. I am not going to make another jkt soon!
Timely post for me! I’m just about to start the Tamarack jacket. I really like the length of yours. After reading your post I think I won’t do reversible. I hope mine turns out as nice as yours!!!
I’d love to see what you do! I’d love to see it!
Jenny, your jacket is lovely! Having the fit so well done really suits the quilt. I like the sleeve length. Can always turn up an inch or whatever to make them shorter. My mom always knit sweater sleeves longer, so a turned-up cuff is normal to me. I made a quilt jacket in the early 80’s in a class with Virginia Avery. It’s cut in rectangles, and not the most flattering, but I still love it. Will have to take some pictures and post them in Instagram.
Yeah, the sleeve length is growing on me. Ah, Virginia Avery jackets, remember them well! I’d love to see it/them!
Wow! Your coat is absolutely beautiful. I have the Tamarack pattern and may be brave enough to try it this year. Thanks for all your details ❤️
Just remember, it should be a simple jacket! Don’t make it complicated like I did. I’d love to see your final jacket!
Your jacket looks so ‘just perfect’ on you and you’ve given a new life to an old quilt! Thank you for sharing your techniques, tips & troubles!
Thank you Janet! I can’t believe I actually finished something over Christmas!
Fabulous and helpful post….love the jacket!
Thank you Nadine! It was quite an adventure!
Congratulations on your finish, it looks absolutely great. Learning how much knowledge and work went into it is not only elucidating, but also reminds me why I make quilts instead of garments!!!
LOL, yes, but the seams are shorter and you don’t have to have perfect points:-)
It looks AWESOME Jenny! So flattering on you and I absolutely agree about fit. My mom would go the opposite direction from the “hide-it-under-yardage” tribe, squeezing into too-small sizes like sausage casings so she could tell herself she was “still a size 6” when a 10 would have been much more flattering. You know we all want to take your class on the JR Seam Finishing Technique now. One think I’m curious about — are you saying you made a big square quilt first, and then cut it up into your pattern pieces? When I’ve thought about trying to make a quilted jacket (you know, in my spare time, of which there is zilch), I thought that it would be most efficient to make a separate quilted fabric piece for each pattern piece, way oversized to allow for quilt shrink and pattern positioning, but similarly shaped, and then lay the jacket pattern pieces on those irregular quilted shapes to cut them out exactly. You know, to save from piecing many more blocks than needed. I’d still load a solid piece of batting and backing fabric on the long arm and then baste the patchwork pieces on top of that as efficiently as possible. Or did you use an already-made quilt for your jacket? Your project looks very professional, BTW. No Janky Homemade Nothin’! Congratulations on a terrific finish!
Thank you for the high praise Rebecca Grace! I did construct an entire quilt, then cut my pieces. And yes, you sure could do separate quilted pieces for each which might make great sense for your long arm. I’d LOVE to see your version of a quilted jacket!