Quilting transforms fabric into something dimensional, textured, and wonderfully warm, perfect for creating cozy outerwear like our new Fowler Coat. Whether you're working with traditional cotton, repurposed vintage quilts, or modern double-sided fabrics, quilting opens up a world of creative possibilities for garment sewing.
Today, we're sharing everything you need to know about quilting garments, from choosing your materials to finishing your seams. These techniques apply to any quilted project, but we've been perfecting them while developing samples for the Fowler, and we can't wait to share what we've learned!
Table of Contents
Choose Your Fabric Wisely
The beauty of quilting is its versatility. You can use smooth-faced cotton (like quilting cotton or poplin) for a classic look, or experiment with heavier fabrics like twill, canvas, or even denim for a more substantial finish. You can also choose to use solid pieces of fabric and then add texture and pattern with a stitching pattern, or actually piece fabric together like with actual quilts; the sky is the limit with creative potential.
One of our favourite approaches? Repurposing vintage quilt tops! We found an unfinished quilt top on eBay and transformed it into a stunning coat. Just make sure you're not cutting into a precious family heirloom. Look for incomplete projects or damaged quilts that deserve a second life.
Pro tip: If you want to skip the quilting step altogether, you could make a super simple jacket by using a double-sided fabric. Many of the brocades and jacquards at Core Fabrics have a contrasting side, which means you can make it reversible, or just have a flash of colour when you open your jacket. You could also use a pre-quilted fabric if you want the look and warmth of quilting without the effort.
Quilting options from left: Pieced + quilted, Solid fabric + quilting stitch lines, Pre-quilted jacquard fabric
Select the Right Batting
Your batting choice dramatically affects both the look and warmth of your finished garment. Here are your main options:
Cotton batting like this gives you a classic, flatter quilted look and is easy to work with for beginners.
Silk batting or underlining (often with scrim on both sides) like this creates a puffier, more insulated garment that's incredibly warm. The scrim (that mesh-like fabric on the surface) helps stabilize the batting.
Wool batting or underling like this provides excellent warmth and often comes with scrim on one side. We recommend this for heavier fabrics.
Whatever batting you're using, check whether it's loosely woven; if it is loosely woven with lots of fibres, it may end up working its way through your fabric (which happened to us with a recent sample!) Heavier fabrics work much better with looser-woven batting.
Use Quality Thread
Choose a good quality polyester thread for durability, or try cotton quilting thread for a different effect. Cotton thread will shrink slightly when washed, creating beautiful texture and dimension in your quilting lines. This is a technique borrowed from traditional quilt-making that translates beautifully to garments.
Keep Your Layers Together
Before you start stitching, you need to secure your three-layer sandwich. Here are your options:
Temporary adhesive spray is absolutely magical. A light mist keeps everything in place; it washes out completely, and nothing shifts while you work.
Safety pins are the traditional approach. Place them throughout your fabric sandwich, removing them as you quilt.
Wonder clips work well for holding together smaller pieces, though you can only place them around the perimeter. They are also great for holding bias binding in place while you work.
Thread basting is the most time-consuming, but it gives you complete control. Simply hand-baste your layers together and remove the threads as you go.
Quilting on the Grid
Straight-line quilting is the most accessible approach. Create diamonds, squares, or parallel lines using a walking foot (more on that in a moment!). You can use chalk, painter's tape, or a large quilting ruler to mark your lines before stitching.
Here are some ideas:
Free Motion Quilting
Free-motion quilting lets you "draw" with your thread, following printed designs or creating your own patterns. This technique requires a special darning foot and practice, but the results are stunning. Monsie once made a jacket with free-motion quilting that traces the flowers printed on the fabric. The magic is all on the exterior while the lining side stays clean and simple.
There are endless pattern options when it comes to free-motion quilting. You are essentially adding another layer of design since you can either follow an existing motif in the fabric or superimpose an entirely different pattern on your jacket. The three examples below are very different interpretations of the same technique: a wavy grid, a leaf motif, and total improv based on the fabric print.
Setting Up Your Machine
A walking foot is essential for straight-line quilting. It has feed dogs on top of the fabric as well as underneath, pulling all your layers through evenly and preventing shifting or puckering. Many modern machines have built-in walking feet, but if yours doesn't, it's worth the investment.
For free-motion quilting, you'll need a darning foot. That's the small circular foot that lets you move your fabric freely in any direction. Using a darning or embroidery foot and a little muscle, you can move your pieces around under the foot in any direction if you disengage your feed dogs. You can refer to your sewing machine manual for how to do this (on older machines, it's usually a little button on your table). This will allow the fabric to move in more than one direction and is helpful with bigger pieces or the kind of crazy design when you want lots of squiggles.
Stitch length will be determined by how fast or slow you go, so you can reduce your stitch length to 0 and play with your speed until you settle on a stitch length that works for you. The most important step here is to try and move your fabric at a consistent speed. You can either trace your design onto the fabric or just improvise; it really just depends on the effect you're going for. Sticky gloves in latex or rubber will help you to get a grip on the fabric and move your quilt sandwich a little more easily.
Use a size 12 or 14 needle to pierce through all three layers effectively. Reduce your presser foot pressure to help the fabric sandwich glide smoothly under the foot. And crucially, test your tension on a scrap sandwich. You want perfectly balanced stitches on both sides.
Prep & Planning
Always pre-wash your fabric and pre-shrink your batting by soaking it. This prevents unwanted shrinkage after your garment is complete and ensures everything behaves the same way during construction.
Take time to plan your quilting pattern. Use chalk or painter's tape to mark your lines, do the math with a large quilting ruler, and test your tension and stitch length on scraps. A little planning saves hours of frustration!
We recommend you make a test piece of your particular combo before you quilt everything to ensure you like the end results. Use our free potholder pattern if you want to make a test sampler; this is also a good opportunity to try your quilting technique, check your thread tension, etc.
Quilt First, Cut Later
This is our number one tip: always quilt your fabric first, then cut your pattern pieces.
Quilting causes fabric to shrink and draw up, sometimes significantly. If you cut your pattern pieces first, they'll end up too small after quilting. Instead, cut your fabric and batting larger than your pattern pieces, create your quilted sandwich, do all your stitching, and then cut your pattern pieces from the quilted fabric.
Start from the Center
When quilting, always start from the center of your piece and work outward. This pushes the fabric away from the center as you stitch, preventing pleats and wrinkles from forming.
For larger pieces (like coat fronts or backs), roll your fabric into "burritos" on either side of your starting point. This makes the bulk manageable under your machine and keeps excess fabric out of your way. If you are following an already existing grid like the patchwork and plaid versions, you can simply follow the lines of your outer fabric, again, starting in the middle and working your way out on both axes.
Finish Your Seams Beautifully
Once your quilting is done and your pieces are cut, construct your garment as usual. For finishing the interior seams, you have several options:
Serging is quick and clean.
Zigzag stitching works if you don't have a serger.
Bias binding creates the most beautiful, professional finish.
For the Fowler samples, we tried all three approaches: bias binding for a clean finish on both sides, flat-felled seams for a reversible look, and serged seams for efficiency. Choose based on your desired finish and whether your garment will be lined.
Ready to Get Started?
Quilting might seem intimidating at first, but once you understand the basic principles, it becomes an incredibly rewarding technique. The Fowler Coat is the perfect project to try your hand at garment quilting. It's designed specifically with these techniques in mind.
Have questions about quilting? Drop them in the comments! We share new videos every Friday, so make sure you're subscribed to see our upcoming tutorial on applying bias binding to finish your quilted garment edges.
Happy quilting!
