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Shannon Fraser Designs

Spreading quilty joy one stitch at a time!

Essential Notions to Make a Quilted Coat

May 26, 2023 by Shannon Leave a Comment

Here are the essential notions and tools I rely on every time I make a quilted coat! See the full list on the blog. #notions #quiltedcoats #sewinggarments #garmentsewing

Me-made May seems to find me sharing new tools with you! Last year, around this time, I shared some of the notions I’d brought into the studio for my garment-making journey. Today I wanted to expand on that list and get more specific about the essential notions I use to make a quilted coat.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve made quite a few quilted coats, and, along the way, I’ve learned a thing or two about what works and what doesn’t. Not just in terms of the actual construction of the coat, but also the notions I turn to every time I make one.

The good news is you don’t need a ton of items. A few select notions will set you up for the best outcome and for a pleasant stitching journey.

Let’s dive in!

Here are the essential notions and tools I rely on every time I make a quilted coat! See the full list on the blog. #notions #quiltedcoats #sewinggarments #garmentsewing #shannonfraserdesigns

This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission.


Materials

Fabric is a huge component of your quilted coat, it’s the main star and needs a blog post of its own 😊

Three, in fact, I’ve shared about:

  • Capsule Wardrobe: How Your Closet Helps You Pick Fabric for a Quilted Coat + Free Guide
  • 3 Tips on How to Pick Fabric for a Quilted Coat
  • Planning Fabrics for a Quilted Coat

I’m including them here in case you need some guidance on the textile front. The rest of this post is focused on the notions you’ll need 😉

Fabric pull for the first quilted coat I ever made featuring the Hovea Coat + the Etched Diamond Quilt x Hovea Coat Pattern Extension. This was a mix of Essex linen with cotton solids in shades of raspberry and pink paired with a Liberty floral and a black and white stripe for the binding. See more on the blog #fabricpull #quiltedcoat #garmentsewing
Pictured above is the fabric pull for the first quilted coat I ever made.
Hovea Coat featuring the Etched Diamond Quilt x Hovea Coat Pattern Extension by Shannon Fraser Designs #quiltedcoat #quilting #garmentsewing
Pictured above is the Hovea Coat by Megan Nielsen Patterns paired with the Etched Diamond Quilt x Hovea Coat Pattern Extension.

Essential Notions to Make a Quilted Coat

I thought it might be helpful to break down the essential notions to make a quilted coat into categories so you can follow the logic of the notions that have made the list. Here are the notions I pull out every time I’m stitching up my own quilted jackets.

Pre-Preparation Essentials

Seamstress tape

This will come in handy for taking your body measurements to nail the size you should be making. It’s also handy for measuring out larger pieces of fabric and batting.

Tracing paper

I’m not entirely sure where I heard this tip, but instead of purchasing traditional sewing tracing paper, I picked up a roll of this medical table paper. It works like a charm and is a fraction of the cost of the other.

Colour catchers

My hubz went on the hunt for me to find colour catchers and they wound up in my holiday stocking! I’m so happy I have these sheets on hand as I toss them into the wash (and dryer!) when I’m pre-washing my fabric.

I’ve yet to have any fabric bleeding issues, which I’m sure this is partly based on the fabric I purchase and the fact that I always use these Colour Catchers!

Colour Catcher sheets are an essential for when I'm pre-washing my fabrics before making a quilted coat. See all of my essential notions on the blog. #notions #garmentsewing #quiltedgarments

Tape & dispenser

When I worked in an office, I loved setting up my desk with my essential office supplies. This tape dispenser is one of those fun items that bring me back to those days. Now, I find this tape dispenser super handy when wrapping presents and piecing paper patterns together 😉

Sharpie

This could be anything – a pen, a pencil, a crayon – I tend to go with a Sharpie because I have a ton of them on hand and they glide nicely on the tracing paper.

Ruler

Since I don’t want my Sharpie to mark up my quilting rulers, I use a regular ruler I’ve had since elementary school for tracing my patterns.

Pattern weights

I’m never without fabric scraps, so it was a no-brainer to whip a set of these cute DIY pattern weights. It’s a free pattern Grainline Studio offers their newsletter subscribers. They work like a charm and bring a pop of colour to my sewing table, which makes me happy.

Essential notions you need to make a quilted coat. These DIY pattern weights are not only are they cute, but they're also a great scrap buster. It's also a free pattern by Grainline Studio! #notions #garmentsewing #quiltedcoat

Pressing Essentials

Iron

Pressing is such a key component of quilting and garment making. You really won’t get far without proper pressing. My go-to has been Rowenta irons. I’m on my third – ha! I miss the original one I used to get, but this new one is doing the trick.

Wool pressing mat

This is certainly not a requirement; a regular ironing board will work just fine. But I have noticed that I’m able to achieve flatter seams with the wool pressing mat, so now I stack it on top of my regular ironing board.

Tailor’s clapper

This one is kind of optional, in that you can totally make do without it, but if you want lovely crisp flat seams this guy will do the trick!

Starch alternative

My preference is to forgo starch and work with a starch alternative. I share more about my rationale in this post, but suffice to say, I love Flatter for helping me get rid of stubborn creases.

Essential notions you need to make a quilted coat. I'm not a big fan of traditional starch, so my go-to to help get rid of stubborn wrinkles and creases is this Flatter spray. #notions #garmentsewing #quiltedcoat

Cutting Essentials

Rulers

There are the rulers I turn to every time I’m working on one of my coats:

  • 8.5” x 24”
  • 12.5” x 12.5”
  • 6” x 12”

Rotary cutter & blades

Cutting tires my hand and arm out like you wouldn’t believe, so I’ve learned that having a proper rotary cutter and fresh blade are key to alleviating the pain and getting amazing cutting results.

Blades matter – the sharper the blade, the safer it is. Which is why I love these blades by LDH Scissors.

Cutting mat

Do a little research before committing to a cutting mat. I’ve found that they’re not all made equal, despite them all having similar prices. This one I picked up several years ago has been serving me well.

Tailor’s scissors

I LOVE my tailor’s scissors. They’re a joy to use and cut beautifully.

Essential notions you need to make a quilted coat. I never realized just how important a good pair of tailor scissors is to have in your studio. I love this pair by LDH. #notions #garmentsewing #quiltedcoat
Pictured above are the coat pockets for my warm-toned Sprout Wovens coat.
Video on Demand Quilted Coat Course featuring the Hovea Coat + Etched Diamond Quilt x Hovea Coat Pattern Extension #howtoquilt #memadefashion

Embroidery scissors

Again, buy a good pair. I started by buying super inexpensive ones and found myself changing them up often. This pair is probably my fave.

Half-Square Triangle Essentials

Rotating cutting mat

This leveled up my HST trimming game when I brought it into the studio. Like regular cutting mats, they’re not all made equal. I encourage you to read this blog post where I share my review and why I love it so much!

HST specialty ruler

This one is not required, you can absolutely trim your HSTs with a regular ruler, but this 4-in-one ruler makes it so much quicker!

Essential notions you need to make a quilted coat. These are my go-to notions for trimming up my half-square triangles. See more on the blog.  #notions #garmentsewing #quiltedcoat #halfsquaretriangles

Patchwork Piecing Essentials

Pins

At some point in the patchwork piecing journey, you’ll need some pins. These are my go-to pins.

Thread

I used to discount the importance of thread in my sewing until I heard it referred to as the glue that holds your project together.

That was a total light bulb moment, and I haven’t looked at thread the same since. So much so, I’ve written a few posts to encourage you to think of thread as a fun design element.

  • Quilty Texture Through Thread Play
  • Why I love Aurifil thread
  • Ultimate Aurifil Thread Shopping Guide
  • Favourite Thread Weight
  • Ultimate Thread Storage Solutions

My go-to thread for my patchwork piecing is this 50wt Aurifil Thread. I sometimes use this natural white version if I’m working with a lot of white fabric.  

Essential notions you need to make a quilted coat. Once I started sewing with Aurifil Thread I was hooked! Plus, they come in a plethora of gorgeous colours sure to match your project! #notions #garmentsewing #quiltedcoat #thread

Sewing machine

It doesn’t matter whether you have an entry-level sewing machine or a top-of-the-line computerized one; whatever you have at home will do just fine. I started out on a basic Singer and managed to quilt a 90” x 90” quilt on her. This isn’t something I wouldn’t recommend as it was quite the challenge, but it can be done. I switched to stitching on a Juki TL-2010Q back in 2016 (I believe) and love her to bits! You can read what I love and what I don’t in this post.

Open-toe presser foot

Your sewing machine probably came with a few different feet and the one I love using for patchwork piecing is my open-toe presser foot.

Seam ripper

Mistakes happen! A seam ripper is your best tool to help you rip a stitch and start again!


Quilting Essentials

Quilting Thread

You’re probably wondering why thread is appearing on the list again! And that’s because thread is yet another design element in your quilted coat.

Lots of options here.

I’ve used 50wt, 40wt, and 28wt so far in my quilted coats. Refer to my post on the Ultimate Aurifil Thread Shopping Guide to find a shop that carries the thread weight you want to play with.

Essential notions you need to make a quilted coat. Thread is one of the fun notions you get to play with in designing your own quilted garment. I love using 50wt, 40wt and 28wt when machine quilting my coat panels. See more on the blog. #notions #garmentsewing #quiltedcoat

Walking Foot

 As I tell my students, I would never attempt this project without a walking foot. Need I say more? 😉

Basting Pins

I’m a pin baster and I wouldn’t get far without some curved basting pins.

Kwik Klip

Totally not required but was a basting game changer for me. I went from pain and dread to speed and pain-free by using the Kwik Klip when pin-basting my quilts and quilted coat panels.

Essential notions you need to make a quilted coat. There are some of my go-to tools for pin basting my quilted coat patchwork panels. #notions #garmentsewing #quiltedcoat #pinbasting

Guide bar

OMGeee did this ever speed up my quilting without having to pre-mark everything. If your sewing machine didn’t come with a walking foot guide bar, then I encourage you to pick one that suits your machine. This is the one I got for my Juki.

Coat Piecing Essentials

Clips

There’s a lot of fabric and bulk to contend with when making a quilted coat. These clips work wonders at keeping everything together. I initially tried with pins, but they just got bent out of shape.  Save 10% with code shannon102

Seam Gauge

This is a new addition to the sewing studio which I shared with you in this post. Making my own quilted coats is what finally pushed me to hit buy on my cart 😉

Binding Essentials

Pearl cotton thread

Design is in the details and for me, that means adding big-stitch hand-quilted details to my bias binding. Pearl cotton thread in size 8 is my go-to. Read this post to find a shop near you that carries pearl cotton thread.

Thimble

I’ve tried quite a few different thimbles over the years and this is the one I always come back to.

Embroidery needles

To accommodate the thicker thread, these are the needles I use for my big-stitch hand-quilting. Learn how to big-stitch hand-bind in this tutorial.

Essential notions you need to make a quilted coat. Here are some of my big stitch hand quilting essentials for when I tack down my bias binding. #notions #garmentsewing #quiltedcoat
Pictured above is the Sit ‘n Sew Pincushion – pattern available in the shop.

Essential Notions to Make a Quilted Coat

When I see all the essential notions to make a quilted coat listed out, it seems like a lot of stuff – ha! I promise it’s all items I use every single time. Here’s a recap in bullet form so you can easily see what you already have or don’t have in your sewing essentials.

  1. Seamstress tape
  2. Tracing paper
  3. Colour Catchers
  4. Pattern weights
  5. Iron
  6. Wool pressing mat
  7. Starch alternative
  8. Tailor’s clapper
  9. Rulers
  10. Rotary cutter & blades
  11. Cutting mat
  12. Tailor’s scissors
  13. Embroidery scissors
  14. Rotating cutting mat
  15. HST specialty ruler
  16. Piecing thread
  17. Pins
  18. Sewing machine
  19. Open toe foot
  20. Seam ripper
  21. Quilting thread
  22. Walking foot – don’t even think of attempting this project without one
  23. Basting pins
  24. Kwik Klip
  25. Guide bar
  26. Clips
  27. Seam gauge
  28. Pearl cotton thread
  29. Thimble
  30. Embroidery needles
Top notions you need before diving in and making your own handmade quilted coat! See the full list up on the blog. #notions #sewingnotions #garmentsewing #quiltedcoat

For more quilty inspiration, check out:

  • Dive into me-made fashion with the Etched Diamond Quilt x Hovea Coat Pattern Extension
  • The story behind the Etched Diamond Quilt x Hovea Coat collaboration
  • Latest quilted coat in my Spring wardrobe
  • Jade Ombré quilted coat
  • Warm-toned Sprout wovens Quilted Coat

I hope you found this round-up of the notions I use regularly when stitching up my own quilted coats helpful.

Do you have any essential notions that you rely on when making your own quilted garments? Share them in the comments below!

Happy quilting!

xo

Shannon


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Hi! I'm Shannon. A modern quilt pattern designer based in Montreal. My quilting journey started by stumbling upon a half square triangle tutorial and I've been hooked since. I'm now spreading that quilty joy to you! Read More…

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