Sewing a Quilted Jacket from Knit Fabrics

In the Sewing Circle this past quarter our sewing challenge was to sew a jacket or sweater and preferably a quilted jacket or sweater. We explored quilting knits. I made a quilted jacket for myself and thankfully finished it before Hubby and I headed off on a long weekend trip to beautiful Nova Scotia. My jacket was the perfect layering piece for walking the cool and windy Nova Scotia beaches.

Everyone and their brother has a quilted jacket pattern out there but none of them are for knit fabrics so you may be wondering:

Why Sew a Quilted Jacket out of knit fabrics?

1. A Knit Quilted Jacket is soft and cozy.

I made my jacket out of a soft sweatshirt fleece with a wool batting. It is soft to the touch and cuddly.

2. A Knit is pliable while a quilted jacket made from quilting cotton and cotton batting can be stiff and uncomfortable to wear.

   
   

   My jacket bends and flexes. It doesn't feel like I am wearing a stiff garment. In the video below I cover fabric, pattern and binding recommendations along with several tips and tricks, but you can also scroll down and read the major points rather than listening if you prefer.

Fabric Recommendations:

I tested a cotton jersey, cotton interlock, cotton French Terry and Sweatshirt knit. I found that the jersey, interlock and sweatshirt knit all worked well. I wasn't pleased with the stiffness of the cotton French Terry. My fabrics had a GSM of 185 - 300 and I was happy with the results using all of those different weights. I ended up making my jacket from Sweatshirt Fleece from Raspberry Creek fabrics* which is 72% polyester, 25% rayon and 3% spandex. It has a GSM of 240.

Batting Recommendations:

I tested wool, cotton & polyester battings. I didn't like the stiffness of using a cotton batting. I choose a wool batting* for my jacket for the breathability and warmth of wool. I don't mind the extra care that may be needed using a wool batting. Members of the Sewing Circle who were making their jackets for children were using a polyester batting so it can easily be tossed in the washer and dryer.

Pattern Recommendations:

Any quilted jacket pattern that has bound edges will work. The knit is bulkier than a woven fabric so avoid using a pattern that finishes the edges with a facing.

Binding Recommendations:

I bound my jacket using a cotton jersey. I wouldn't recommend using the sweatshirt fleece for the binding because of the bulk of the fabric. A woven binding that is cut on the bias will also work. I chose to hand stitch the binding in place, but if you prefer to use the stitch in the ditch method, the Enjoying the World of Knit Fabrics shows step by step how to execute that binding.

I hope you give sewing a quilted knit jacket a try! If you do, please leave a comment on the YouTube video and let me know how it went!

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