The Trendy Quilted Coat

The quilted coat has emerged this past year in a new form shedding its 1970’s era look and being rediscovered by a new generation with a modern take on the design. It has been so interesting to see the wide range of design possibilities giving creative people an opportunity to share fiber art with others in a personal way. As I did my research I have found so many different looks achieved by starting with a basic quilt sandwich or a repurposed quilt. I wanted to test the waters on a smaller scale by making this Quilted Dog Coat in November. I enjoyed the process and I am searching for just the right fabric that speaks to me telling me it is time to dive in and create my first quilted coat.

In the meantime I will share with you some resources I have collected in the past few months to inspire you to make a quilted coat for yourself or someone you love. Some of you may be familiar with Virginia Findlay Wolfe Quilts She has discovered the joy of making quilted coats and shared her wonderful insights on the 50th episode of the Quilt and Tell podcast. Her live online class was met with a fantastic response so she made it available to purchase and watch at your own pace. Her following of quilters were so enthusiastic that the Simplicity pattern she recommended is now sold out everywhere but you can get on a waiting list when it ships again in the future. She was quite successful in encouraging people to sew a quilted coat!

I invite you to check out Suzy Quilts She does a great job of breaking down the quilted coat patterns she has tried already and gives finished examples. This is a very comprehensive tutorial with many detailed pictures to help you through the entire process from choosing your fabrics, sewing the blocks, quilting and coat construction. She has lots of advice about the lining choices and even came up with a different solution of how to close the lining opening using an invisible zipper. Very creative!

To get a great assortment of patterns to try for the quilted coat check out Patchwork website where Eliane details seven different coats. As an added bonus she also looks at making a toddler coat and one for your furry friend! She has a wonderful idea of making a muslin or a sample out of inexpensive fabric to try out the process and the size before you spend hours on the real deal only to be disappointed in the final fit. Her blog will also lead you to some great resources to get you on the right track as you get started on this project.

I found Anemone Vermont makes one- of-a-kind quilted clothing from repurposed quilts. They also have the option to send them a finished quilt to make into clothing in just the right size. I follow them on Instagram for inspiration with color and patterns. They have a wide variety of finished items. It is a great way to purchase American made products keeping you warm in a trendy quilted coat this winter.

Farewell Frances is a great website to visit for more inspiration featuring vintage Americana quilts from the North East area. Carly is passionate about using these forgotten treasures and giving them a second life as a quilted coat. I enjoy looking at all the interesting patchwork and the different coat designs they create with the quilts.

Instagram is a great way to follow #Tamarackjacket the most popular pattern used to make a quilted coat. This will lead you to the most recent creations highlighting a variety of fabrics, block designs and quilting. The Tamarack Jacket pattern is from Grainline Studio and can be purchased as a paper pattern or a PDF download. As you can see there are many ways to go about designing and sewing a very unique and personal quilted coat. Cotton Cuts offers a great selection of fabrics in the monthly Classic box or if you prefer batiks check out our Java box.

After reading this blog I hope you will consider joining me in the challenge of sewing a quilted coat with some of the beautiful fabric offered from Cotton Cuts. We created this Pinterest Board to expand your resources for the project.