What Is This Book?
Sewing Quilted Patchwork Jackets is a 128-page guide (8.5 x 11 inches, published December 3, 2024) that walks you step by step through handcrafting a quilted jacket. Whether you start with brand-new fabrics or upcycle and repurpose an existing quilt, orphan blocks, or fabric scraps, the book instructs you through each stage of the process — from positioning blocks and adding appliqué elements to layering, quilting, and constructing the garment piece by piece.
It is written for quilters who are new to wearable quilting, but it does not stop at the basics. Intermediate and advanced quilters can modify the projects to suit their own level of expertise, and a gallery of quilted jacket photographs throughout the book provides inspiration for your own variations.
Why Quilters and Sewists Use It
A quilted jacket sits at the crossroads of quilting and garment sewing, and that is exactly where many quilters hesitate. Piecing a top is familiar; turning pieced work into something wearable — with a lining, a collar, cuffs, and pockets — is a different skill set. This book bridges that gap by providing an overview of basic garment construction alongside the quilting techniques you already know.
It is also a practical way to give treasured textiles a second life. An unfinished quilt top, a stack of orphan blocks, or favorite fabric scraps can become a jacket you actually wear, rather than fabric that stays folded in a bin.
How to Use It: Step by Step
- Start with the overview. Read the introduction to basic garment construction, fabric selection, piecing and placement, liners, and hem length first, so you understand how a flat quilted panel becomes a shaped garment.
- Choose your starting materials. Decide whether you will piece new fabric for the jacket, repurpose an existing quilt, or build from orphan blocks and scraps. Lay your pieces out and plan placement before you cut anything.
- Pick a pattern and size. The book includes two basic multi-size downloadable patterns — one adult and one child — each with multiple length options. Choose your size and preferred length before you begin.
- Position blocks and add appliqué. Follow the guidance on properly positioning blocks and adding appliqué elements so your design lands where you want it on the finished garment.
- Layer and quilt. Layer your pieced work as directed and quilt it, creating the warm, textured panels your jacket will be built from.
- Construct piece by piece. Assemble the jacket following the step-by-step construction, then finish with the details the book covers: collars, cuffs, and pockets.
Practical Tips
- Plan placement on the body, not just on the table. A block that looks balanced laid flat may sit differently across a shoulder or chest. Use the book's placement guidance and check positioning before quilting.
- Let orphan blocks lead. If you are working from leftover blocks, sort them by size and color family first, then fill gaps with coordinating new fabric or scraps.
- Decide on length early. Hem length changes how much piecing and quilting you need to do, so choose from the pattern's length options before you start cutting panels.
- Use the gallery. Browse the quilted jacket photographs for ideas on modifying the basic projects — small changes to collars, cuffs, or pocket placement make a jacket your own.
Care and Storage
Store the book flat on a shelf with your other quilting references, out of prolonged direct sunlight. Because the two patterns are downloadable, save the files in a clearly named folder, or keep a printed copy with the book, and print a fresh copy if your working pattern gets worn. Keep the book near your project while you sew so the steps are within reach.
Project Ideas
Make a first jacket from new fabrics using the adult pattern, following the construction sequence exactly to learn the process. Turn a beloved but unfinished quilt into a wearable jacket. Build a child's version from orphan blocks and scraps to use up leftovers. Or start from a basic pattern and modify the finishing details, drawing on the gallery photographs for inspiration.
Shop the Sewing Quilted Patchwork Jackets at Linda's Electric Quilters.
