I MADE A QUILT JACKET! | Dana Marie Design Co Everyday Hoodie Sewing Pattern Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX_YtI304Mc

I have been so excited to show you guys this jacket! Hands down this is one of my favorite things I’ve ever made! So, let me break it all down for you.

So, obviously the fabric is a thrifted quilt. I was looking all around Charlotte for one and couldn’t find any when one of my followers reached out that she was able to snag three at her local thrift shop all the way in Oregon! So, she sent me some picks and I chose this one with the super cute lady bugs on it. The rest of the quilt is just a series of nine-patch blocks and strip piecing. But, these little lady bugs just make it feel so homemade and I love that.

I got the quilt in the mail months ago. I held on to it and used it as an actual quilt waiting for the right pattern to come to me. Every once in a while, I’d shop online for hoodie or sweatshirt patterns but nothing ever really jumped out at me. Obviously before I cut into this most precious fabric, I wanted to make sure I had a clear plan.

Then, I went into my pattern stash and found the Dana Marie Design Co Everyday Hoodie pattern I got from Sew Expo in 2019. The more I looked at it, the more I knew it’d be perfect. I loved the idea of the princess seams so the jacket didn’t look too boxy on me. And, the pockets within those seams seemed so practical. So, I went for it.

I laid out all my pieces cutting each of them in a single layer. I wasn’t trying to match the front across the zipper, I actually wanted some variation there…more so than I ended up with, but I like how the lady bugs are facing different directions and not perfectly lined up. I didn’t pay any attention at all to pattern placement for the sleeve. And made sure my center back piece prominitely displayed a lady bug. The hood went down wherever there was space left. I also ended up cutting a lower band using the finished hem of the quilt for the hem of the jacket. Smart, I know.

Sewing it up was a breeze. The pockets are made from muslin fabric. I served every single raw edge prior to sewing anything together. It’s like a hong kong finish but with serger stitching instead of bias. You have to serge the raw edges because to make sure the quilt top, batting and backing stay lined up when sewing. I serged separately then sewed the pieces to prevent the seams from having too much bulk. All of the seams other than the side seams were topstitched down as well.

The hood and the sleeves are hemmed by turning the fabric under once.

The sleeve ended up being too tight. It’s actually a great quality in a hoodie pattern when working with sweatshirt fleece, but my quilt obviously has no stretch and I needed more wearing ease. So, I dove in to the quilt scraps and cut a wedge to insert in the sleeves underseam. There are so many pieces to this jacket already and obviously the design of the quilt is very busy, so you’d never noticed. But, the additional 3 inches at the hem of the sleeve worked out perfectly.

I used metal grommets in the hood and then fed my drawstring through the hood hem so I could adjust it if I needed. I used my new favorite hack for the drawstring, too. It’s actually a shoe string.

And, I know I said I was only going to wear this around the house and for my glamping trip, but screw that. I’m going to wear this everywhere because it’s just that cool!

I can’t wait to hear what you guys think of it. I’m going to try to figure out how to make a pair of matching booties to go with it. And, if I had enough fabric left — which I don’t — I’d make a pair of pants, too! So, if you’re going to attempt a quilt coat of your own, be sure to get the largest quilt you can find. You’re going to want an entire head to toe look and you **will** use up every inch!