It’s about time that I put my quilted jacket in a blog! I actually got this finished just over a month ago…as with all the things you will be seeing on here soon…I told you I was catching up with posts right?!

A quilted jacket had been on my list for a while but I just hadn’t gotten around to putting the whole process into motion. Just after Christmas, I had signed up for the Topstitch Makers Community and one of their sew-alongs was for a quilted jacket!! I found this to be the perfect opportunity for me to get started on mine. The sew-along was run by Natalie Ebaugh over a series of sessions on a Sunday evening. She gave a couple of recommendations for patterns to use and I chose the Ayora Jacket by Pauline Alice Patterns.

I had just got a few of the fabrics from the Dashwood Studio Hibernate Collection in so I knew that I wanted to use those in some way. One of my favorite things about starting a project at the moment is browsing through that relevant hashtag over on Instagram. The tag for the Ayora jacket is just fabulous! It gave me a lot of ideas about design. I knew that I wanted to experiment with a couple of design ideas and I had read mixed things about the sizing so I did decide to do a toile. Now I did sell out of most of the Hibernate Collection of fabric but I do have a little of the blue clover left. I used this one for some of the panels and my binding.

I started out with my size according to the measurement chart (40) and it ended up being way too tight, particularly over the shoulders. I then tried the size 44 and it felt much better. I was aware that the finished garment would be a touch tighter than the toile because of the thickness of the quilted fabric being used, so even though the 44 toile was a touch too big, I went with it anyway to ensure an oversized + boxy fit. The length was also questionable for me but I decided to stick with the original length for this one.

Each week during the sew-along we tackled a different part of the sewing processed, and even though everyone was at different stages in their own quilted jacket journey, it was nice to have the guidance and to be sewing at the same time as others.

I did decide to make the two sides of my jacket slightly different from each other. For one side, I pieced together rectangular pieces of fabric to create a longer patchwork look.

For the other side, I had originally planned for it to be all floral, but because the bodice jacket piece is one full pattern piece, I struggled to get it to fit onto the 44″ wide fabric. I ended up placing a panel down the center back of the jacket to make it work. I then made the pocket on this side of the jacket match the panel.

The individual pattern pieces were quilted separately before they were stitched together to form the jacket. I did a diagonal quilting pattern and lengthened my stitch length slightly so that it was a touch more visible.

The armscye and the shoulder seams were bound with self- made bias binding. This bias binding went all the way around the edge of the jacket too. This did mean that I excluded the facing piece from the original pattern. Again, this idea came from the hashtag on Instagram.

I absolutely love this jacket and I’ve already worn it so much. I am planning another one for sure but I just can’t decide on the design. I would like a longer one, maybe mid-thigh length, but I would also like a sleeveless one! I would also like one made up with lighter colors….sooooo many options and ideas!!

Just let me know if you have any questions about it!