How to Make a Quilted Jacket with a Pattern

Want to stay warm and snuggly this Winter? A handmade quilted jacket is just the thing you need! This jacket makes any outfit snuggly and shows your unique personality and style. Don’t worry if you’re a beginner – I will show you how to make your own quilted jacket with this step-by-step tutorial!

I recently embarked on this fun quilted jacket project to create a cosy quilted jacket. Having recently moved to Christchurch, New Zealand, where it gets super chilly, this seemed like an appropriate project.

After seeing so many beautiful quilt coats from Julie O’Rourke and Sea, I needed to jump on the bandwagon and sew my own.

The trouble with living in New Zealand is that finding a pre-loved vintage quilt is next to impossible. If you live in an area where vintage quilts are accessible, consider purchasing one to make your jacket if you don’t want to spend hours quilting. Some great places to look are eBay, Depop, and Facebook marketplace.

If you want to try quilting your jacket, look online for patterns. You can also find many great second-hand quilting books or magazines in secondhand stores.

If you’re new here, I love making many of my clothes. You can learn how to make a few of my most treasured clothing items yourself by following my tutorials. This DIY wrap skirt and tiered maxi dress are perfect additions for Summer. You can also make these Spring & Summer approved tops, my favourite diy cami, and this cute zero-waste off-the-shoulder top.

Check out my digital sewing pattern store if you prefer using sewing patterns. Here, you will find the Camille Top, a loved sewing pattern by many.

If you are new to sewing, here are some helpful sewing articles to help you get started:

• Learn how to sew – Ultimate guide for beginners
• Best sewing machines for beginners
• Sewing tool and equipment guide
• Types of fabrics
• How to cut out fabric

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How To Make A Quilted Jacket With A Pattern

I purchased the supplies below for my quilted jacket. Your supply list may differ slightly from mine, depending on whether you are making a quilt and what jacket pattern you choose. Just use this as a guide.

Materials & Supplies List

• 2m main fabric
• 1m contrasting main fabric
• 0.5m 2^nd contrasting fabric
• 2m lining fabric
• Olympus 100% cotton Sashiko thread
• Olympus Sashiko needles 
• Jacket pattern – I used the All-Well Cardigan Coat hacked into the Simple Collar version.

Quilted Jacket Materials

I used beige linen for the primary material, and the contrasting fabrics are blue floral cotton and an old blue & white striped shirt that I found in a thrift shop for $2.

I lined my quilted jacket with hand-dyed linen. I created a soy milk mordant to soak my linen fabric before naturally dyeing it with avocado pips and skin.

Best fabrics to use:

• Quilting Cotton
• Medium to thick Linen

Quilting cotton is specifically made for quilting. Depending on your fabric supplier, it’s sturdy and often high-quality. If you are unsure of what fabrics to use, you can learn more in my guide to types of fabrics.

How To Make A Quilted Jacket

Step 1: Choose a quilt pattern or find a quilt

If you don’t want to sew a quilt, find a premade quilt that is either new or vintage.

I made my quilt using a book called The Patchwork Quilt Design & Colouring Book, which is full of helpful quilting information. I settled on a traditional saw tooth pattern.

Once the pattern is decided, begin planning where each fabric will go.

I decided on using plain linen as the inner squares and the borders. Then, I used the stripe and floral as the triangular shapes and the outer border squares of the saw tooth pattern.

It would help to consider how big or small each quilt block is. The smaller they are, the more cutting and sewing that’s needed.

Take your time to plan and get things right before you start cutting out your materials.

I made four mini quilts to fit each sewing piece rather than an entire rectangle quilt because it would waste materials.

Draw a diagram of the quilt block pieces with dimensions and how many bits to cut out.

Step 2: Cut out the fabric

Following your quilt block diagram, begin cutting out all the pieces needed to sew the quilt up.

Step 3: Sew the quilt blocks together

Start sewing the quilt blocks together. I found it easiest to sew piles of the same block pieces together at once before moving on to the next. For example, a Saw Tooth can be sewn together starting with the flying goose method.

Sewing in batches will make this quilting process a lot quicker.

Step 4: Trim the quilt blocks

Before sewing the Saw Tooth blocks together, they must be squared up and trimmed. This is done by using a rotary cutter and quilting ruler.

Trimming the blocks helps keep everything accurate. Seams can stretch once sewn to other fabrics, so don’t miss this step.

Step 5: Sew the quilt together

Begin joining the quilt blocks into a pattern layout you are happy with.

I used my sewing pattern pieces to help guide me on how many pieces to sew together.

I sewed linen borders around the Saw Tooth blocks to break up the pattern.

Step 6: Sew the lining together

Find a flat, hard-surfaced area to lay the lining and batting fabrics. I placed my lining right side down first and taped it to the tile floor using masking tape. I pulled the fabric tight to keep it nice and flat.

Place the batting down on top of the lining and smooth it flat.

Place the quilt top onto the batting and lining. Smooth this out, and tape it to the tiles like the lining. This holds everything in place for pinning.

Once all three quilt layers are in place, begin pinning the layers together with quilting safety pins. These will keep all the layers together so the quilt can be hand or machine stitched.

Try adding more pins than less so everything sits nicely. Pull the tape off the fabric and tiles.

Step 7: Quilt the fabrics together

Mark lines into the quilt top to quilt the fabric layers together. I used the back of a butter knife and a long ruler to mark mine. A Hera marker is the proper tool to mark the lines, but I don’t have one.

Step 9: Follow the sewing pattern to sew together the quilted jacket

I chose to stitch my jacket together by hand because I prefer the finish. Sara has shared a helpful step-by-step hand-sewing tutorial on her Instagram stories.

Begin stitching the fabric layers with a needle and thread. (or use a sewing machine if you prefer). Follow along the marked lines. (Follow Sara’s tutorial as linked above for this step).

Step 8: Cut out the quilt using a jacket pattern

I chose the All Well Cardigan Coat pattern because I loved the shape and style. This pattern comes with a pattern hack guide, which I followed for the collar.

Chalk on the pattern pieces and cut the quilt out.

Follow along with the sewing pattern instructions to construct your quilted jacket. The pattern I used had instructions to bind the outer jacket edges, which I like.

I decided to cut out binding strips and use them to finish the inside seams.

Quilt Jacket Summary

This is one of the longest sewing projects I have done so far. It was pretty challenging, but it was fun to make. I hope you have found some inspiration and helpful tips to make your quilted jacket and can appreciate this special art form. There’s something joyous about slowing down and taking time to craft something in a world that’s so rushed. Happy sewing, friend!

More Sewing Projects to Make:

• How to Make Pot Holders with No Pattern
• How to Make a Pin Cushion
• DIY Wrap Dress
• DIY Patchwork Laptop Case
• DIY Heating Pad for Microwave
• DIY Ruffle Check Cushions {Heather Taylor Inspired}
• DIY Baby Blanket Step-by-Step Sewing Tutorial
• How to Make an Apron (With Apron Pattern)