The quilt that became a coat

Several years back I had started a quilt as you go project using 2 collections from Denyse Schmidt, Flea Market Fancy and Chicopee. I lost steam on the project and set aside the panels I had completed along with the fabric.

For quite awhile I've been wanting to repurpose some of my unfinished quilts to create a quilted coat or jacket. It felt like a really good way to get some UFOs out of the stash and make something beautiful that I can wear.

I chose the VikiSews Cheryl coat pattern, which I received for free as part of being a VikiSews brand ambassador. I made the size XS in the shortest height bracket. I shortened the sleeves 3 inches but did not make any other alterations.

The pattern has instructions for quilting the pattern pieces, which I did not need because my fabric was already quilted. I had enough panels made for the fronts and back, though I had to join two panels for the back. For the sleeves I quickly assembled new panels and quilted them using 505 basting spray (Amazon affiliate link).

I'm not going to lie--I had some trouble with the instructions for the welt pockets. Because the pattern uses photographs and the lining in the sample was basically the same color as the outer fabric, I had a very difficult time interpreting some of the steps. In the end I used my own logic to figure out how to enclose the pockets without having any seam allowances showing on the inside or outside. I have no idea if I did it the same way the instructions did, but in the end it worked out.

Besides the pockets, the construction on this coat is really easy. The bound seams are time-consuming, but not difficult. I did have to hammer a few seam intersections because they were quite bulky. The batting I used is Quilter's Dream Request (Amazon affiliate), a low-loft 100% cotton batting. It's actually pretty thin, so if you use thicker batting than I did, I think you would definitely need to flatten your seams before trying to apply the binding.

Although I am practically religious about prewashing my garment fabric, I do not prewash quilt fabric so I was expecting this coat to shrink pretty significantly in the wash. It did indeed shrink a lot, which is great because the coat is so oversized. I think the sleeves are about 2" shorter after washing than they were originally.

I did not add snap closures because I will always wear the coat open. My plan is to keep this coat at home and wear it on really cold days, like wrapping up in a blanket but with less bulk.

This coat is truly one of my favorite makes of all time. I love that I repurposed a project that I was never going to finish. I love that it's so cozy and snuggly to wear. I love the bright colors that will give me that shot of dopamine during deep dreary winter days.

I have fallen hard for the patchwork coat, and there will be more in my future.