Sewing a quilted jacket: With a simple pattern, even beginners can conjure up a quilted jacket that looks store-bought. In this tutorial with a sewing video, you will find everything you need to know.
The most important things at a glance
- Quilted coats and jackets can be sewn from quilted fabrics, also simply called "steppers"
- They are usually processed in a single layer and unlined, because the fabric is already "finished" and looks beautiful from both the inside and outside
- You can easily sew quilted jackets with a sewing machine or an overlocker
- In this post, you will find tips & tricks for working with quilted fabrics
- In the sewing tutorial, I will show you how to sew a quilted jacket yourself
- The sewing video guides you through the entire sewing process
- Sewing level: Beginner
- Sewing time: approx. 3 hours
Can I sew a quilted jacket as a beginner?
Of course! Basically, a jacket is nothing more than a shirt that opens at the front. And a shirt like that is truly the easiest exercise ever. It goes without saying that we still need to talk about a few things in this post. Because unlike shirts, jackets—in this case, quilted jackets—are sewn from special fabrics that may not be quite as familiar to you as jersey and the like.
But don't worry, with a few tips & tricks, you'll be sewing thick quilted fabrics or teddy fleece in no time.
Many beginners shy away from sewing jackets because they fear they won't be able to handle the closure. With the Kirsa quilted coat, I therefore deliberately made sure that even beginners should be able to follow the instructions.
How did I do that? I developed a template that you can place on the finished jacket to determine the button positions. I will show you how to do that further down in the instructions.
And I designed the jacket with snap fasteners. You don't have to sew any buttonholes to conjure up a dreamy jacket that looks store-bought. Only better. :)
What do I need to know before I start sewing?
Take enough time for this project. The challenge when sewing a jacket lies in the fact that we will be pinning and topstitching long seams. And at the same time, we have a lot of material under the needle that must be moved with the seam. Why do we do this? To avoid tension on the fabric and to ensure that the fabric lies flat while we sew.
Have a few fabric clips ready; they often work better with quilted fabrics than sewing pins, which may fail with multiple layers of fabric.
My urgent recommendation before you work with a "good" fabric: Sew the pattern once using inexpensive fabric to see if you need to make any adjustments to the pattern. We are all built differently; sometimes you need a little more or less width around the bust or waist, or the length needs to be altered. In doing so, you can also see if the intended size fits you.
For me, such muslin models—as these test pieces are also called because they are often sewn from muslin fabric—have very often become favorites that I just as often love wearing as the model made from "good fabric". :)
Which fabrics are suitable for a quilted jacket pattern?
Most patterns for quilted jackets or quilted coats can also be sewn from other thick, fluffy, or voluminous fabrics. In the sewing tutorial, you will usually find reliable information on the fabrics for which a pattern is suitable. Many patterns are also developed specifically for one type of fabric. In addition, designers usually provide alternatives with which the pattern will also succeed.
Fabric recommendations for quilted jackets
Quilted fabric*: At the top of the list is, of course, quilted fabric. This is a material with two nice sides and a layer of batting in between. Quilted fabrics can consist of sweat, jersey, synthetic leather, or also types of polyester. Between the two fabric layers, there is often a batting made of synthetic fibers, in rarer cases also cotton. These three layers are held together by the quilting seams that give the fabric its name. Quilted fabrics keep you nice and warm and, despite their voluminous appearance, are often quite easy to process.
If you would like to avoid synthetic fibers, be sure to take a look at the magnificent quilted fabrics from Merchant & Mills in Simone's Etsy shop*. They are made without padding and get their structure solely through the quilting of several layers of fine cotton. Not only a real experience when processing, but also when wearing—just look at the stunning colors. At around 35 euros per meter, not a bargain. But one of the most beautiful quilted fabrics I've ever seen...
Can you sew a quilted jacket pattern from other fabrics?
Plush fabrics & faux furs*: What works for quilted fabric often works for teddy fleece. Never heard of it? Behind this is teddy fabric. Although plush fabrics look sophisticated, processing them is quite uncomplicated because they do not tend to fray. You can conjure up spectacular jackets and coats from faux furs that are not only much more individual than off-the-rack fashion: usually, they are also miles cheaper.
Boiled wool*: A wonderful and very natural alternative to high-tech quilted fabrics. Boiled wool is made from 100% virgin wool, keeps you nice and warm, and is excellent for making into jackets.
Important for all fabric types: Before you start working, you should wash and iron the fabrics so that they do not shrink after sewing. Be sure to follow the care instructions that you receive directly from good fabric stores (also online).
What is the best way to cut quilted fabrics?
Quilted fabrics are often thicker and more voluminous than "normal" cotton or knit fabrics because they consist of three layers of fabric connected by quilting seams. Ordinary fabric scissors often give up here because they often do not have enough leverage.
To still be able to cut thick and fluffy fabrics optimally and very cleanly, I use professional textile scissors with 3-millimeter-wide and serrated blades.
The special feature of professional scissors is the angled blades, with which the scissors can be guided straight across the surface while cutting through the fabric layers.
I recommend, for example, the Solinger World Champion professional scissors*.
Find out more about scissors for sewing here.
Which sewing thread is suitable for a quilted jacket?
Garment seams are often subjected to heavy loads. Washing and wearing take their toll over time. Therefore, it is important to use high-quality sewing thread to create robust seams.
Not least because it is also a stress test for the thread to glide through three layers of fabric and batting. Highly recommended are the good all-purpose threads from Gütermann*, with which you can sew just about anything. They are robust, available in many colors (often also in special thread combination boxes that perfectly match special fabric collections), and have a fine sheen due to the tight twisting.
Especially for quilting seams, which you need, for example, to sew the facing, you should count on high-quality thread that matches the color of the fabric (or creates a nice contrast to the fabric). It is incredibly annoying when the thread breaks during a visible quilting seam. :)
However, I am currently sewing my quilted jackets and coats with a different thread that I recently got to know through my friend Simone. That is—I already knew the thread from Madeira before, but I only really learned to appreciate it once I noticed how beautiful the seams become with it. The Aerofil Madeira thread* in many colors (my recommendation: anthracite, cream, a strong red, and medium gray—with these, you can tackle any project!) is also available from Simone. Feel free to write in the comments whether you like it as much as I do.
By the way: You can also sew quilted jackets with an overlocker. Even then, you should use high-quality thread. The Madeira thread or the all-purpose thread from Gütermann is also perfectly suitable as a needle thread here. For the loopers, I recommend (as basically for overlock and coverstitch machines) Gütermann Toldi Lock* (also available as Toldi for sewing machines, which is an inexpensive alternative to the all-purpose thread!) or Madeira overlock thread*, which is truly incredibly good and makes magically beautiful seams.
If you value particularly soft seams, you can also equip the upper and lower loopers of your overlocker with woolly nylon thread. This envelops the fabric edge in a particularly soft and decorative way because it puffs up in the seam. I treated myself to such a mix box from Madeira*, which is not exactly cheap but contains very combinable colors and lasts me a really long time.
YouTube Video: Sewing a quilted jacket
In the video, I show you how the jacket is sewn with and without a facing. There are also lots of tips and info about sewing with thick fabrics.
Quilted jacket pattern
Have you gotten the urge to put your newly acquired knowledge to use and sew yourself a quilted fabric jacket? Very cool, get started and grab my quilted coat or quilted jacket pattern. With the Kirsa pattern, you can sew both short jackets and wonderfully warm coats.
Conclusion: A quilted jacket that looks store-bought!
Who needs store-bought quilted jackets when you can easily sew them yourself? Every time, I'm amazed at how uncomplicated such a jacket is. And how wonderfully light and soft it feels when worn. So it's hardly surprising that I've sewn a whole stack of these beautiful quilted jackets and coats for myself, right? Made from thick quilted fabric with cotton batting, such a coat is also perfect for cold winter days.
So cozy – and a bit extravagant thanks to the patterned velvet fabric. Perfect with wide-leg jeans, which you can also wonderfully sew yourself. For example, with our Ellis wide-leg jeans pattern.
Pair it with a simple top like the Aenni layer shirt or Sedona shirt and you're perfectly dressed!
By the way: If you want to use the pattern (because I admit, it's so great that you'll want to wear it all year round) for a sweat coat or as an indoor jacket, you can also sew it from sweat or knit fabrics. In that case, you should sew it one to two sizes smaller so that it fits really well.
Happy simple sewing,
yours, Sabine
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