Some of you may remember that my first quilt coat did not go so well. I bought a coat pattern that I thought was my size, but turned out to be an AU size and not a US size… so it was actually 2 sizes too small. I was devastated! It was such a huge disappointment (understatement of the year)! But after some recovery time, I sold the one that was too small and started over again!
I learned some things with my first one- which made it a little easier the second, third, and fourth time around. So I will share with you what I have found and made.
GETTING STARTED
There are so many quilt patterns out there! How could we possibly pick just one? Well, you don’t have to! You can make as many quilt coats as you want! But for your first quilt, I suggest that you pick a pattern that has a small design so that it will fit on the jacket pieces and still look like the quilt top/design that you love. Think about if you want your quilt coat to have an all over pattern or just a block on the back, pockets, ombre effect, etc. What feels like YOU?
You can check out my Quilt Coat pinterest board for more inspiration!
The first time I made a quilt coat I used my Comic Relief pattern. But once I cut the pieces out of the quilt for my jacket… you could no longer see the shapes or get the full effect of the design. On top of the coat being too small (and being distraught about it) I also had several comments about the jacket looking like it had a swastika on my back! Ugh! It was like rubbing salt in the wound.
So this time- I went for a simple construction. I still used my Comic Relief pattern but instead of turning the pieces into a pinwheels, I made all the pieces face the same direction. If you want a quilt coat with an all-over design, you should choose a pattern with a smaller design/block so that you can still get the full effect of the design on your jacket pieces. If you just want an accent block on the back- be sure that the block is small enough to fit your back panel!
QUILT PATTERN IDEAS
Here is a list of quilt patterns that I think would make a great quilt coat!
- Simple squares or rectangles all over- you could follow a disappearing 9 patch pattern
- “Better Together” by Quilter’s Candy
- “Ebb and Flow” or “Iris” by Penelope Handmade
- “Classic Checkerboard” by Beech Tree Lane Handmade
- Something with straight lines or “bars”
- “Weighted” or “Deco Weave” by Hoffmama
- All over HST patterns also great
- “Ombre Herringbone” or “Arrow Block” by Beech Tree Lane Handmade
- I used my Comic Relief pattern and layed out the blocks in various ways to get different options.
I’m sure there are more out there that I’m not thinking of at this moment. But that’s a good start to show you what I’m talking about and to get your creative juices flowing!
Quilt coat patterns
Here is a list of coat patterns that work well as a quilt coat. Keep in mind that some of these patterns are not written specifically for quilts. So some of the pieces (like lining material) or instructions wont be applicable. Just read through it ahead of time and make your own notes that will make sense with what you are doing! Don’t be afraid to alter your pattern to your taste either! This is your quilt coat! Make it the way you want it!
Also be sure to examine the measurements of your selected coat pattern and make sure that you find the correct size for you. If you feel like you are in between two sizes- always size up! Quilt Coats are thick and it’s always better to have a bit more wiggle room (literally).
- “Heidi Cardigan” by Style Arc (this is an AU company and sizes will vary depending on where you live!) For this pattern I adjusted the sleeves to be straight instead of tapered and I sized up! This pattern was not written for quilted material.
- “Chore Coat” by Patchwork and Poodles. This pattern is written specifically for quilted materials and was easy to follow!
- “Nova Coat” by Papercut Patterns
- “Cardigan Coat” by All Well Workshop
- “Tamarak Jacket” Grainline Studio
- “Quilted Hoodie” by Well Springs Design Co.
- Simplicity S9190 Men’s Bomber Jacket. I made this quilt jacket for my husband and it is very technical and I did include the lining. The pockets were particularly tricky!
- Simplicity 8418 Women’s Bomber Jacket. I haven’t made this one yet- but I plan to!
- “Coda Quilted Coat” by Love Notions. This is my favorite one that I have made for myself so far!
- “Quilted Hooded Toddler jacket” by North Patterns. I made this for my toddler and it is absolutely adorable and we get comments and compliments on it every time she wears it! I made it a size too big for her so that she could wear it for more than one year. We just roll the sleeves up a bit.
- “Hovea Jacket” by Megan Nielson patterns. This is also on my list of planned makes!
Prepping the Quilt Coat pieces
You can do this one of two ways. The first way is to create an entire quilt or use a completed quilt for your quilt coat. I would go this route if you already have a quilt you want to use or if you really want to create the overall design of some pattern.
As I stated before, for my first one, I used my Comic Relief pattern. When that quilt coat didn’t work out I made another using the same pattern but I altered the layout of the blocks.
If you are making the quilt, go ahead and complete your quilt top once you have decided on a design.
The other option for creating a quilt coat is to only create “panels” or sections that match the size of the coat/jacket parts you will need. This is how I made my husband’s Quilted Bomber Jacket (Simplicity S9190). I created a quilt panel that was big enough just for the back of his jacket and then quilted plain black on black fabric for everywhere else.
Quilting the Quilt
The way you quilt your quilt coat is really important! The quilting is what brings your quilt top to life! It’s the “top coat” of your nail polish. There are so many options on how to quilt it. First, there is the hand-quilted look. This will really give it that comfy, homey, loved-filled look, but it will take awhile! Second, there is machine quilting yourself. This is the faster and more cost-effective way, but you are limited on designs you can choose. But the classic lines or crosshatch will look good on anything! Last, there’s longarming. I usually go this route because its fast and you can get cute designs on it.
If you send your quilt to a longarmer or you longarm yourself, I suggest picking a pattern that is a fairly nondescript all-over pattern and not too loose! This will make your jacket look cohesive and professional. I find most of my patterns for the longarm on Urban Elementz. For my example quilt coat, I went with the “fish-net” pattern and I absolutely LOVE it!
cutting out the quilt coat pieces
This is the part you are probably dreading- especially if you are using a completed quilt! Cutting up your quilt is not for the faint of heart! But have no fear! The results will be worthwhile.
STOP HERE: Take the time to DOUBLE CHECK your measurements and the size of the pattern you are using before cutting into your quilt!
If you bought your pattern as a PDF, you’ll need to print it or have it printed at a local shop. Make sure that everything is printed at 100% and NOT fit to scale (unless the pattern suggests otherwise- READ YOUR PATTERN FIRST). You can usually double check that it was printed correctly if there is a reference square.
Following pattern guidelines, tape your papers together, matching up all the lines, and cut out the size you need. If you bought a pattern that contains the printed tissue, cut out along the lines that you need.
Once you have all your template pieces cut out, lay them on your quilt or quilted panels and pin them in place so that you can cut around them. Be sure to take note of which pieces need to be cut out twice or mirrored.
Then comes the uncomfortable part. The cutting. The first time I did this, I sat in front of my quilt with scissors in hand for a good 10-15 minutes just staring at it and questioning all of my life’s decisions up to that point. Finally my husband was like, “Just do it already!” (what does he know!) so I did!
ASSEmble the quilt coat
Now that the hardest part is over- you can focus on making it all worth while by sewing it back together into the most beautiful and comfortable quilt coat you’ve ever seen! If you have never sewn clothing before- don’t be intimidated! It’s a lot like sewing curves in a quilt- which you have hopefully tried! If not, you can take a look at my How To Sew Curves tutorial. But basically, you want to use lots of pins, match up edges and markings, and take it slow!
Once again, be sure to follow your instructions on your coat pattern, but be aware that there might be some steps that are unnecessary for a quilt coat! Don’t be afraid to change things up if you need to!
FINISHING INSIDE SEAMS
Depending on the coat pattern that you choose, you may have raw seams showing on the inside of your coat. If that is the case, you’ll need to cover those up with some double fold binding (preferably bias binding). You’ll also need binding to finish the edges of the quilt coat!
For my example quilt coat, I used the same fabric as the lining/backing of the quilt to cover my inside seams. I cut several strips at 2.5″ and sew them together end-to-end. Then I press each edge in toward the center so that the two sides meet. I then pin the binding over the raw seams and use a running hand stitch on both sides of the binding. This way the stitching doesn’t show up on the front side of the jacket and gives the quilt coat a seamless and classic quilt feel!
FINISHING OUTER EDGES
For the outer edges of the quilt coat, I used a regular binding like I make for my quilts. I cut several 2.5″ strips and sew them end-to-end. Then I press the long stripe in half lengthwise. I used this on all the raw edges of the jacket, sleeves, hood, and pockets. I like to machine bind. So, starting on the raw edges on the back/lining side, I sew 1/4″ all the way around. Then, I fold over the folded side to the front of the coat/quilt and top stitch along the fold of the binding.
The key to making this look clean and professional is using the same color thread as the binding fabric! You can find my 6 Tips for Machine Binding here.
Last, but not least, I attached a tag just below the jacket neck line! I bought mine from Ever Emblem! They have iron on labels and fold over labels! If I had been thinking straight, I would have stuck a folded one into my binding when I closed up the raw edges along the neckline. But I spaced it! Luckily, I also have the iron on kind! So I ironed on a label and then hand stitched along the edges to help keep it in place permanently!
That's a wrap!
You made it! You can now go strut your stuff to your next grocery run! I am anxiously awaiting cooler weather so that I can wear mine out! It has been way too hot to go anywhere with a quilt coat. But if you ask my husband… he will tell you that I’ve been finding any excuse to wear it around the house anyway! I am super proud of myself for overcoming the set-back of my first coat not working out. I am so glad I decided to make more quilt coats since then- it has been totally worth it! Thanks for sticking around to watch or for being brave and trying it out along with me!
Special note
On one of the quilt coats that made, I was devastated to find that the marking utensil I used left permanent lines on my fabric. I used a Frixxon pen to mark quilting lines on my fabric before quilting it on my domestic machine. Once I was done, I thought the iron would make all my lines disappear. Well I didn’t know that that doesn’t work as well on darker fabrics. It leaves a white line from the acid in the pen ink.
I tried everything I could to try to get the lines out. But all that scrubbing and treating left faded marks and discoloration along all my quilted lines. This was truly heartbreaking as I love that coat! But there you have it- Don’t mark your quilting lines with a Frixxon pen.
