Category: Quilting

Quick View of the 10 Easy Steps

1. Select a jacket pattern.
2. Select the quilt pattern.
3. Select the fabrics.
4. Measure your pattern pieces.
5. Create “mini quilts”.
6.  Wash and dry your mini quilts.
7. Cut out your jacket pieces from your mini quilts.
8. Sew your jacket.
9. Bind the raw edges around the jacket front, bottom and sleeves.
10. Add desired embellishments.

1. Select or create a jacket pattern. Choose a pattern with as few pieces as possible or create a simple jacket pattern with the following pieces:
   • Pocket
   • Front
   • Back
   • Sleeve
   • Collar or hood
   • Pocket
2. Select the quilt pattern for your quilted pieces. You can go very simple and use one fabric for the main part and a second for the backing. You could use individual squares sewn together, or use detailed quilt blocks with or without sashing.
3. Select the fabrics. You will need approximately 5 yards of fabrics. Amount of each will vary depending on your quilting pattern. If you want a variety of fabrics, choose 16-20 fat quarters. Always make sure you have some extra on hand in case of mistakes or miscalculations.
4. Measure your pattern pieces at the widest and longest points to determine each pattern piece’s width and height. Add about 6% for shrinkage if using unwashed fabric. Write these measurements down in the following manner with the width first and the length second. The number in parentheses before the width and length is for the quantity of each you need. You will need at least two fronts, two sleeves, one back, one hood (or collar) and one or two pockets depending on your pattern.
5. Create “mini quilts” in each size stated above based on your quilt pattern from #2 above. As you create the “mini quilts” tops, keep your pattern piece handy and think about the placement of your quilt blocks or squares and where they will fall in the finished jacket. For your two fronts and sleeves, you can create mirror pieces, completely different pieces, or complementary pieces. On the jacket back, you can feature a special quilt block or fabric piece. Be creative and have fun. Back and bat each mini quilt top just like a real quilt. You do not need to bind the edges as you would a finished quilt. However, you should either serge or stitch around them. Serging is the best choice. Second best is to use a zig zag stitch letting it overlap the raw edges. Third best is a straight stitch all around. When you are done, you will have a mini quilt for each part of your jacket.
6.  Wash your mini quilts in lukewarm water and tumble dry. This will allow shrinkage to occur before you make your jacket. It also gives your quilted pieces that nice crinkly quilty look and feel. Include a piece of the backing material that you can use for your seam binding. Remove your mini quilts and backing from the dryer immediately after the dryer stops and make sure your pieces are completely dry. Lay your pieces flat.
7. Using your pattern and the correct mini quilt for each pattern piece, cut out your jacket pieces from your mini quilts. Remember to cut the quantity you need of each pattern piece and to cut the second one in REVERSE. In other words, cut one front with the pattern face up, then cut the second front with the pattern face down so you have a left front and a right front with your quilt pattern on the correct side of each. The same for your sleeves. Transfer any pattern markings that you need to the cut pieces.
8. Follow your sewing directions to sew your jacket. As you sew, finish each seam. First, trim the seam to ¼ inch. Then finish it with a piece of seam tape or a serger. For a nice, finished look, use boughten or handmade seam tape and bind each seam. A single piece centered over the seam overlapping the raw seam edges and stitched down on both sides creates a very professional finish.
9. Once your jacket is sewn, make quilt binding and finish the raw edges down the fronts and bottom of the jacket and at the cuffs. Make sure there are no raw edges left showing when you are done.
10. Add any final embellishments such as buttons and button holes or decorative touches you desire.

Congratulations! You just completed your quilt jacket!

I made this pretty little sweetie when I was first learning to quilt about 10 or 12 years ago. Unfortunately it’s been sitting on a bureau top collecting all sorts of junk. Now it has a tear and many stains on it. To make matters worse, a plant leaked on it and made the red run color.

One of my Facebook friends said this about it, “Lovingly antiqued”.

I replied, “Almost ruined. Very sad. It was quite a nice piece, especially for a beginner quilter, as I was when I made it.”

I even Free Motion quilted it. I can’t believe I did this when I was first learning quilting.

I have fabrics picked out to make another one. I don’t know when I will get it done, but I am ready when the time is right.

Maybe I will write up the pattern when I redo it. I found this pattern in a quilt magazine, but I don’t have it anymore.

Standard mattresses vary in thickness from 7” to 24”. Older mattresses are thinner while newer pillowtop mattresses are thicker. A 15” overhang would be fine on a bed with an older mattress. However, it would not work as well for a bed with a pillowtop mattress as it would leave about half of the mattress height exposed. When calculating length, take into consideration the distance needed to cover the height of the bed pillows if you wish your quilt to cover the pillows rather than lay under them. About 12 inches is the average except on a toddler bed, where you only need about 4 inches.

Formula to Calculate Finished Bed Quilt Size

Quilt Width  = Mattress width + (2 * overhang desired on side)

Quilt Length  = Mattress length + overhang desired on end + allowance for pillow tuck

I have read much about tools for quilting. A lot of people push expensive tools – rotary cutters, quilting rules, and cutting mats – and high end machines in order to be able to quilt. If you are new to quilting and your machine is 30 years old (or older) and you do not even own a rotary cutter, don’t worry. You can still quilt. When I started quilting, I went to my local department store’s craft section and bought a:

• Fiskars 3-Inch-by-18-inch Clear Acrylic Quilting Ruler;
• Fiskars Rotary Cutter;
• Fiskars Cutting Mat, 12-Inch by 18-Inch.

These simple, inexpensive tools and my 35-year-old Singer got me started on my quilting adventure.  The only stitch you need to do quilting is a straight stitch, so even the most basic machine can be used to make a quilt. Your grandmother’s treadle will work, as well.

I am assuming, since you have a sewing machine, that in addition to the machine, you have:

• Sewing pins
• Sewing scissors
• Thread snippers
• Stitch ripper
• Seam guide

With these simple tools, you can get started making quilts. You do not need professional, expensive tools to make pretty, functional quilts. Remember, our grandparents and great-grandparents and our great, great, great, great- (add a few more greats in) grandparents did not have the luxury of any of these tools and did everything by hand. Technically, the only cutting tools you need are a ruler and a pair of scissors. So don’t waste your money buying expensive tools. Spend your money on fabric, instead. 😉