Start your quilted patchwork jacket journey with a simple project, like this wholecloth Opus Jacket featuring three print cottons from Tilda Fabrics Hibernation Series. By wholecloth, we mean that each section of the jacket or coat is cut from a single fabric. In this case the fronts and back are cut from one print (“Sleepy Bird”), the sleeves and band are cut from a second floral print, and the sides and flat piping are cut from a third more abstract print. Designer fabric collections make it easy to ensure that a group of fabrics combined into a single jacket complement one another. A wholecloth jacket may also be cut entirely from a single fabric. The collection of Tilda fabrics used in this jacket can be purchased as a Tilda Hibernation Bundle.
The jacket sections were free motion quilted with curving lines that followed the vine motifs in the fabric. This jacket features the Front Band Style of the Opus pattern and a free-hanging lining, which also make a good place to begin if new to sewing quilted jackets. With a free-hanging lining, the seams are covered and do not need extensive finishing; the lining is easy to insert and finish with the front band. For more details, check out Project 1 in our book Sewing Quilted Patchwork Jackets.
For additional examples of a wholecloth quilted jacket, see the Quilted Christmas Jacket, Gold Bee Quilted Jacket and Bow Wow Chow Mein.
