Make a Cosmic Cactus Jacket - Part 1: Getting Started
A quilted jacket is also an amazing statement piece of wearable art that you can personalise to suit your individual style and tastes.
You may be a quilter and never sewn a garment!
Or you may be a garment sewer and never quilted!
Plus, there are special considerations when taking a standard jacket pattern and making a quilted jacket.
This three-part series is about how you can make a Cosmic Cactus quilted jacket. But you can also apply the method outlined to make any quilted jacket.
To make the Cosmic Cactus jacket, you will need to purchase the Cosmic Cactus pillow pattern.
Toddler girl jacket by Josephine Accardo @hafajojo
Don’t know where to start!
Part 1: Getting Started provides an outline of what you need to know!
This week we will be covering:
• Looking for Part Two: Fabric Requirements
About our collaboration:
I hadn’t considered making the pillow block for a jacket, but when one of my pillow testers asked if she could use this design for a quilt jacket instead, I didn’t hesitate to say ‘yes’! So along with the lovely Josephine Accardo from @hafajojo we considered how to make this design work for a jacket.
This collaboration was about me looking at things from a design perspective and learning the process of making a quilt jacket, and Josephine looking at it from the perspective of the maker and outlining the process. We started out by looking at the design and seeing if it would work for a jacket. In particular, Josephine wanted to make a child size jacket for a girl. No alterations to the size or design were required, only some careful placement and sewing of the back panel.
What you should know before you start:
This is a general guide which explains the process, provides some inspiration and information for you to start the process of making your own Cosmic Cactus jacket.
The method outlined is for making and adding a panel for the jacket back and adding additional quilt blocks to the jacket for the pockets and sleeves.
There is an assumption you understand basic quilting terms and methods such as piecing, quilt sandwich and binding.
The finished size of Cosmic Cactus pillow block you will be making for this jacket will be 12” x 16”.
The Cosmic Cactus block will fill the back of a toddle size jacket (as pictured above). For an adult size jacket, the block will not fill the back of the jacket. This is not a problem, as you can make a custom sashing (outlined later on) to go around the block.
I would suggest this project is not suitable for longer style jackets and coats due to the size of the Cosmic Cactus block. Upscaling the block is an option for those more experienced or adventurous!
1. The feature block
The Cosmic Cactus pillow block will be the feature block for this jacket. The completed block will form part of the jacket back. To make this block, you will need to purchase the Cosmic Cactus pillow pattern.
When making the block you will exclude the sashing, as you’ll need to make a custom sashing as outlined in Part 2: Fabric Requirements.
You can take small elements from the Cosmic Cactus pillow design and use them in the pockets and sleeves if desired, with some suggestions outlined in Part 2: Fabric requirements.
Cosmic Cactus block will be the feature of this jacket. Colourway for jacket by Josephine.
A simple rotation of the block to portrait orientation will allow the block to fit on the back of the jacket.
Please note: If using a directional fabric be mindful of the change in block orientation.
2. Selecting a suitable jacket pattern.
There are a ton of jacket patterns out there, but there are a few considerations to make when selecting one for a quilted jacket. For this quilted jacket we are simply adding a back panel and some other elements such as pockets or sleeves. This means there should be no major alterations required to the jacket pattern.
Tips for selecting a jacket pattern:
Look for a pattern that has simple clean lines with no gathers or pleats. Patterns with a collar, hood, yoke, zippers or buttons will all work for this project.
Check how the Cosmic Cactus block will fit on the back pattern piece of the jacket, referring to the following instructions and diagram:
If you’ve already made the panel, find the centre point of your pillow panel and then place the jacket back pattern piece on the centre line. Ensure the panel comes within seam allowance lines.
Use the measurements of the finished size (12” x 16”) of the Cosmic Cactus pieced panel to check it will fit.
3. Suitable patterns for quilted jackets.
I’ve put together a small selection of patterns you could consider for making a Cosmic Cactus quilted jacket, including a couple free patterns. For the New Look patterns, I would suggest selecting the shorter jacket styles.
But there are a ton of other patterns out there you could consider too!
Collarless Jacket: New Look Pattern 6536 comes in two lengths and is perfect for Sherpa or double-faced fabrics.
Hooded Jacket: New Look Pattern 6585 comes in three lengths and includes pocket variations and is intended for double-faced or reversible fabrics only.
Designed as a quilted jacket: The Tamarack jacket is designed specifically to be made as a quilted jacket.
FREE Patterns:
Toddler Coat Pattern - Josephine decided to make a girl jacket using this pattern by Small Dream Factory (available for free on their website).
Paola Jacket is free to download to registered Fabric-Store customers. This jacket is a straight boxy fit with four large patch pockets and some people have used this pattern to make a quilted jacket.
4. How you can make your jacket reversible.
Reversible coats are super functional allowing you to wear your jacket two different ways!
To make the jacket reversible, the inner jacket seams will need finishing off.
Don’t require your jacket to be reversible? Or don’t want to take the time to finish off your seams, then simply serge or zig zag the inner jacket seams.
How can you finish off your seams to make your jacket reversible?
Double fold bias binding:
Bias tape is your best friend here! A double fold bias tape will fully enclose the seam. You can choose to either make your own custom bias binding. Josephine recommends the Clover Bias Tape Maker 3/4” (18mm) if you plan on making your own binding.
Please note: You will also need to bind the outer exposed edges i.e. neck (if not making a collar), sleeves, pockets and lower edge of jacket. This is covered in Part 2: Fabric Requirements.
Other finishing methods you can consider:
French seams
Hong Kong seams
Add a separate lining: When making your quilt sandwich, don’t add your backing piece to your quilt sandwich and follow your pattern for making the jacket lining.
These methods are mentioned and will not be covered here, but for experienced garment sewers you may prefer one of these instead.
5. Why you should test the pattern.
Testing the pattern allows you to make any adjustments to the pattern before making the the final jacket.
When testing the pattern, check you are happy with how the jacket fits in regards to size, length and style.
Test the jacket pattern using a muslin, calico or any cheap fabric.
You might want to skip this step if you have made the pattern before or are super confident. But if you’re like me you probably find your patterns need some adjustments. In my case I have long arms! As a result all the garments I’ve made need to have the sleeves lengthened. Sizes do vary across pattern manufacturers and I’ve been disappointed in the past by garments being on the larger side.
Tip: No need to finish off the jacket entirely, so only sew the basic jacket shell so you can test it for size and fit.
Double-breasted toddler girl jacket by Josphine Accardo @hafajojo
Did you know you can use the Cosmic Cactus pillow block to make a sewing machine cover?
Find out more in the blog tutorial here.
Next read Make a Cosmic Cactus Jacket - Part 2: Fabric Requirements.