There’s a new quilted coat in the works! One of the top comments/questions I get about my jackets is “What steps are involved in the planning process of a handmade quilted coat?”
Given how much fabric it takes to stitch one up, I get the interest.
Since I’m about to dive into making a new quilted coat, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to walk you through the steps I took to plan this quilted coat out. Moreover, this one is intended for my mum and she had very specific requests for her quilted jacket 😉
In today’s post, I walk you through how this project came to be, how I involved my mum, and how we arrived at the final fabric selection for her custom Hovea Coat featuring the Etched Diamond Quilt x Hoave Coat Pattern Extension for a little added quilty flare!
Let’s dive in!
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How this Project Came to Be
It was back in the early Fall of 2022 while I was on a call with my mum when she changed the subject and got to the point: “Shannon, I’d like you to make me my own quilted coat.”
I’d just finished making this Ombré Jade version and wasn’t planning on making another one until the Winter Quilted Coat Workshop (sold out).
I didn’t really have planning another coat on my radar, but I could tell that she was excited, and she seldom asks me for anything (Butterfly pillow aside 😉), so, I couldn’t possibly say no!
The Consult
After my experience with my BFF’s coat (aka the Ombré Jade coat), I wasn’t expecting my mum to have a very specific colourway in mind. But she most certainly did! And I was happy that I took the time to include her in the process rather than just assume she wanted me to take the lead.
It didn’t take long before she sent me a colour pull!!
The Request
To sum it up, my mum essentially requested a Hovea Coat with the patchwork featuring the Etched Diamond Quilt x Hovea Coat Pattern Extension that showed off a mix of purple, turquoise, and navy in deep jeweled tones.
Sizing
This was probably my mum’s least favourite step in the design journey: taking her measurements! But it’s a critical step to make sure I get the size and fit right.
Moreover, Megan’s Hovea Coat Pattern comes in Original and Curves, so you want to have a good grasp on sizing before even thinking of shopping for fabric.
The great news is that the Etched Diamond Quilt x Hovea Coat Pattern Extension covers both coat patterns, so rest assured the patchwork details will fit within your coat size.
The Research & Planning
Knowing that my mum wanted cool jewel tones in purples, turquoise and blue, I set out to find possible fabric options to meet that requirement.
This is where I love having my Colour Cards on hand. It was through having these swatches that I was able to quickly sift through them and realize my initial thought of featuring the Eggplant Essex Linen wasn’t really going to meet what my mum was requesting.
With my mum’s love for purple, I set out to find lining fabric options that would coordinate with the exterior jeweled-toned turquoise and purples.
Normally I work from the outside in, but I’m so happy I worked ‘backwards’ as this step took quite a bit of time.
There are plenty of purple fabric prints out there, the challenge is whether the motif, value, scale, and shades are appropriate.
At one point, it felt like I was trying to find a needle in a haystack.
I decided not to time myself and this is probably a good thing as I know I spent hours upon hours scouring the web for possible candidates.
There were several rounds of options that I sent my mum and, the good news is, she knows what she wants.
The bad news is most of what I was sending her she didn’t like – ha!
As soon as we landed on some options that she was happy with, I built the final exterior fabrics from there.
Specifically, my mum ended up liking this and another print by Tilda Fabrics. It’s one thing to know what you like and want, it’s an entirely different issue to find said fabric in stock 😉
The Fabric Plan
After all that research, consultations, and planning, I finally set out to do some shopping.
Turns out, there’s a shop on my way up to the lake where I was able to pop in and purchase:
- Tilda Solids in:
- Chambray in Plum
- Coral Ocean Flower
Come Shopping with Me (Video)
The Thread Plan
While my mum was in town for Easter, I had the chance to bring some fabric swatches and my thread colour cards, and a few spools to finalize her thread options.
I had suggested using this blue Aurifil Thread to coordinate with the background fabric and this mauve Aurifil Thread for the lining.
Once again, my mum had very specific ideas and requested a deep purple for the lining. I mentioned this would show through and she said she understood and wanted it to be a feature/pop on the inside!
She also requested a deep purple for the big stitch hand quilted binding that I’ll be doing (tutorial on how to big stitch hand bind here!)
So, that’s the plan! I love that this project is a true combination of my mum’s preferences mixed in with a little bit of my guidance and research.
I’m excited to see this latest Hovea coat featuring the Etched Diamond Quilt x Hovea Coat Pattern Extension come to life!
As you can see, there were quite a few steps and consults involved in the planning of this quilted coat. Let me know if there’re any questions that pop up for you and I can address them further in the comments below!
For more quilty inspiration, check out:
Happy quilting!
xo
Shannon
PS if you’d like some company while stitching up your own quilted coat, then come join the Spring (sold out) or Fall virtual quilted coat workshops! Or, take it at your own pace with the video-on-demand Quilted Coat Course.
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Fabulous blog! and I love the fabrics chosen. I think I need the exact coat for myself! But I as well love that pillow!!!! Is there a pattern in your stash here? I just didn’t get a chance yet to see if you have one. Can’t wait to see the progress of the coat.
So happy you like this fabric pull!! The pillow was made from an orphan block which is a free pattern by Lilly Ella if memory serves. Click the link to the pillow and there’s a link to the Paper Piecing tutorial with a link to the free butterfly pattern!
you are so sweet to answer me so swiftly! Thank you and have a great weekend….. just south of the border from you we are having summer, we just skipped over spring, maybe you will have summertime weather too this weekend?
We have!! It’s been a glorious sunshine all day with temps around 20C. Love this time of year when the greenery is starting to reappear confirming mother nature is waking up! Enjoy the sunny weekend!
I bought the pattern for the jacket recently snd thrilled that you are offering a class on making the jacket in September.
I don’t sew garments so I was wondering if you teach how to correctly find your size when making the pattern in the class? I would hate to get it made and it not fit correctly.
Hi Mary, so thrilled to hear you want to dive into making your own quilted coat. I do provide an overview of how the coat fits and how I found my size, along with guidance on how to determine your size too! The best way to find your fit is by making a mock-up with muslin, which is not covered in the workshop. This would require lots more time to tackle, but it’s the safest bet for getting the fit you want! The good news is, the Hovea Coat is quite flexible in terms of fit, so you don’t have to get everything exactly right for it to fit you. Let me know if that helps!