(but Beginning Garment Sewer)
Are you tempted to make a quilted coat but not sure you’ve got the garment sewing skills? We know many quilters are intimidated by the prospect of making a garment, so we’ve asked an expert quilter who is new to garment sewing to share with our readers her journey making two quilted Opus coats. We hope this post will give you the courage to join us in October for a 2-day quilted jacket workshop at Artistic Artifacts. Many thanks to Michelle Johnson-Weider for writing this blog post!
Inspiration from Sewing Quilted Patchwork Jackets
“I am a long-time quilter who only began garment sewing in 2025. In fall 2025, I learned that two local sewists, Rae Cumbie and Carrie Emerson, had written a book, Sewing Quilted Patchwork Jackets, and were offering a three-day Fit for Arts Patterns garment sewing retreat in mid-November near Baltimore. This felt like the perfect way to overcome my anxiety about tackling a quilted coat. After I signed up for the retreat, I learned Rae was teaching a weekend Sewing a Quilted Jacket class in early November at a local quilting store. Figuring I needed all the help I could get, I signed up for that too.
Opus #1 – One Block Wonder Quilt with Front Band Style
Rae and Carrie’s book inspired me with its wide range of possible projects. I decided to make an Opus coat with a front band from quilted pieces I would sew especially for the project. Because I’ve sewn many One Block Wonder quilts, I picked that technique. I layered six identical panels of beautiful quilting cotton with a koi design, cut out triangles, and sewed them into rows of half-hexagons. I sewed those into panels just large enough to be able to cut out the pieces of my Opus pattern, which I’d had printed by a copy shop. I kept a seventh panel intact and sewed hexagons around the panel to create the look I wanted for the back of the coat. Once my panels were assembled, I quilted them.
For the weekend class, I brought my quilted koi panels, the printed Opus pattern, and the muslin I’d sewn at home. Rae personally fitted each of us, after which I adjusted my pattern and cut out the coat pieces. I had to trim batting from my seam allowances and from where the dart was sewn. Thanks to all my prep work, my coat was nearly finished by the end of the weekend; I only needed to hem everything and add the band collar. However, after seeing the many beautiful coats Rae had shown us in class, I decided I wanted to add a lining to both of my coats. I’d never sewn a lined garment before, but I had the retreat to come, where I knew I could get more instruction.
Opus #2 – Shirt Collar Style from Foundation Piecing Patterns
As busy as I was, it seemed like a waste to make only one coat when I was attending both a weekend class and a retreat – which is how I ended up prepping two different quilted coats at the same time! For the second project, I decided on a duster-length Opus in autumn colors featuring foundation paper piecing (FPP). I picked a large modern fox FPP pattern by Sasha’s Quilts for the coat back and sides, and a small fox FPP pattern by Easy Piece Patterns for the coat front. I already had many FPP leaf patterns, which I decided to add all over for embellishment. Rae and Carrie’s book has an appliqué project that would have been much simpler than sewing all those individual FPP leaves and figuring out how to fit them together, but that was not my vision.
I pinned my FPP pieces to my Opus Coat muslin to help me figure out how to assemble my complicated design. I used Swedish tracing paper to figure out the shapes I needed to cut from background fabric to fit around my FPP pieces and just kept sewing pieces together until I’d finished an entire panel. I also had to adjust the big fox pattern to fit properly on the back and sides. I decided to add a curved flying geese FPP collar too, which was an additional complication.
Progress and Completion at Fit For Art’s Retreats
At the November retreat, Rae and Carrie gave me the encouragement and hands-on help I needed to sew my first ever free-hanging lining and band collar to the koi coat. Adding the polyester lining really sharpened the look of the coat and made it much easier to take on and off. I am a very hesitant hand sewer, so I resisted the idea of hand stitching the hem lining, but I’m grateful Carrie made me persist, because that really made the finish beautiful. She broke each intimidating new skill down into manageable steps I could follow even when my brain was overloaded with hours of sewing decisions.
As for the fox duster, I was finally able to get all my complicated pieces lined up thanks to Rae loaning me her dress form, and I began quilting the panels. The retreat gave me the opportunity to do long focused work on my two very ambitious quilted coats, while having the pattern designers (both expert sewers) at hand with insight, oversight, inspiration, and instruction.
I finished my koi Opus Coat in time for the DC Modern Quilt Guild holiday party, where it was greatly admired. Over the next several months I continued working on the fox duster, following the book’s instructions and the notes I’d made at the November retreat. I attended the Fit for Art Patterns March 2026 retreat, where I sewed a Carpe Diem tunic and continued work on the duster, which I finally finished in April.
The Satisfaction of Success with a Bit of Guidance
I learned so much about sewing and design while making these two quilted coats and I’m enormously proud of them. The Opus coat is a very well-designed pattern with a lot of flexibility, which allows you to make a truly unique garment. I wore the koi coat extensively at QuiltCon in February 2026, where I discovered it is a comfortable and warm coat in addition to being beautiful. I certainly benefited from Rae and Carrie’s expert hands-on instruction, but I’m sure that more confident sewists could make an Opus entirely from the book. Writing this blog has me thinking about future Opus coats I’d like to design and sew – and I definitely have some ideas based on the marvelous reversible collage coat from the book!” Michelle Johnson-Weider
We’re sure you’ll join us in congratulating Michelle on making two very beautiful and unique quilted coats! We know she’ll enjoy wearing them for many years.
You too can sew your very own dream quilted jacket or coat, especially with a little bit of help. Get your quilted jacket journey started this October 9-10 at Artistic Artifacts during a workshop dedicated to learning the techniques in Sewing Quilted Patchwork Jackets; register today to join us at Get Going Sewing Quilted Jackets. Continue your progress with Rae and Carrie at a Fit for Art retreat at the Maritime Conference Center near BWI. You can register today for one (or more!) of the Fit for Art retreats scheduled for November 2026, April 2027, and November 2027. We look forward to making quilted jackets with you at these upcoming classes and retreats!
