Made By A Fabricista: Quilted Jacket Chronicle

What do you get when mixing the best things about apparel sewing and machine quilting? A quilted jacket! It's funny that I elected to sew myself a quilted jacket for this Fabricista blog because I don't consider myself much of a quilter.

I can count on my hands the number of quilted projects I've made over the last few years. While I fully appreciate the end product of quilting, I don't normally gravitate toward starting quilting projects.

That's why making a quilted jacket is a new and exciting project for me! It gives me the fun of making a quilt on a much smaller scale. If you are an avid apparel sewist and are new to quilting, this is the perfect project to take for a quilting test drive!

For my quilted jacket, I used the Seamwork Easton Jacket pattern. I decided to stick with a solid-colored fabric for the jacket's exterior and ordered 4 yards of Dark Umber Brown Lycra Stretch Canvas Suiting from the Fabric Mart website. I wanted a contrasting color for the jacket lining so I ordered 3.25 yards of Soft Ballet Pink Rayon Ikat Floral Medallion fabric. In addition to the exterior and lining fabrics, I also needed cotton batting and buttons to make the jacket, which I pulled from my stash. 

Time was saved by using my projector to cut out the jacket pattern pieces. I always appreciate it when a sewing pattern comes with projector files and all of Seamwork’s new patterns have them. 

It took me longer to decide how I wanted my quilted exterior to look than it did to cut everything out! I started by sewing the exterior fabric and batting for each pattern piece together with vertical lines spaced every two inches. After finishing the vertical lines, I wanted to enhance the stitch design. 

Next, I added diagonal lines every two inches starting from the left corners and then again from the right corners. This created a diamond pattern of stitching which I liked more than just the vertical stitch lines.

This is where a quilted jacket gets to be fun. You can get creative with your stitch patterns or with the fabrics you use to create the exterior of the jacket. Maybe I will make another quilted jacket using fabric scraps from my past projects! 

Another place you can get creative is by adding pockets to the jacket. The Seamwork Easton Jacket pattern doesn't include pockets, but many people add them. Pockets are a must-have for a jacket, so I added side seam pockets. I debated adding patch pockets but ended up with the more invisible side seam pockets in the end. 

The remaining jacket assembly was rather quick. After adding the side seam pockets, I assembled the jacket lining and created double-fold bias tape for binding the jacket’s raw edges. The pattern recommends closing the jacket with metal snaps, but I used regular buttons and sewed buttonholes instead.

The buttons were acquired from the Fabric Mart bargain bin and saved in my stash for the perfect project. I’m so glad I could finally find the perfect project to use some of them. I prefer real buttons to snaps for jackets, so the extra effort in making buttonholes was definitely worth it. 

I hope my quilted jacket has inspired you! If you’re looking for the perfect sewing project this fall, look no further than a quilted jacket! With so many different ways to express your creativity, you will be sure to make something one of a kind that you will be proud to wear! 

SHAINA  |  @shaina_sews 

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Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories: BLOUSEWEIGHT & SUITING.