Megan Nielsen Hovea Jacket and Coat

I got the Megan Nielsen Hovea pattern for Christmas and have been looking forward to making it all year! I had originally planned to make my own patchwork for the project, but then I splurged on some absolutely gorgeous jacquard fabric from Merchant and Mills and decided to use that instead. The fabric design looks like quilted stars and I thought it would make a really fun and interesting coat.

The jacquard fabric isn’t particularly thick, but it is made up of two layers - much like a double gauze. I pondered what to use for the lining and thought a cotton voile would probably be best as it is nice and lightweight, but I wanted my coat to be really warm and instead opted for some plain quilting cotton. In hindsight I think the voile would have been a better option as my coat has ended up being a little bulky, but it is definitely very toasty!

As well as being a little bulky, I think my coat is a bit too big and if I made it again, I would definitely size down. I am between a size 2 and 4 on the Megan Nielsen size chart and although the pattern states that plenty of ease has been included, I opted to make the size 4 which was probably the wrong decision!

In terms of construction, once I had quilted my pieces and cut everything out while painstakingly pattern-matching, actually putting my coat together didn’t take that long at all. I chose to bind the seams using the same quilting cotton I had lined it with, but I decided not to bind the sleeve seams as I was beginning to worry about bulk and stiffness and thought this would be a bad move. Instead, I overlocked the arm syce and sleeve head before inserting the sleeve and then pressed the seam open, which I think was a good call.

I really wanted to be delighted with my finished coat as I had been looking forward to making it for so long and it was such a labour of love, but at the moment, I'm not. It’s certainly very warm and will be worn a lot this winter, but I just think my choice of lining fabric and size means it has missed the mark slightly and, in all honesty, I’m a bit disappointed with it.

I still adore the Hovea pattern and I have seen so many beautiful versions on Instagram that I will definitely make another one. I will just be sure to make better choices about my fabrics and the size I cut next time!

I made version F - the cropped quilted jacket - of this pattern. I used pre-quilted Nani Iro double gauze for body (from Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics), cotton batik for inside pockets and Hong Kong seam finish. I made my own bias tape for the inside seams and for the double gauze fabric I used to bind the outside edges of jacket and sleeve hems.

You can make the quilted jacket into a reversible jacket but I opted not to because I was using pre-quilted fabric that was a plain muslin on the inside. But that plain inside inspired me to add pockets to the inside and to finish the inside with Hong Kong seams. Also, double gauze ravels - so it was another reason to finish the seams that way.

I cut the inside pocket pieces in batik fabric, making them the same size as the outside front pockets, and basting them in place. When I sewed a vertical line of stitching dividing each pocket in two, I sewed through the pockets on each side.

I noticed that the front pockets were rather shallow and that stuff would fall out so I stitched a line dividing the pocket into two. And later read in the instructions that that is something you may want to do, noting that you could stitch a line the width of your cell phone. There are good tips in the instructions, incorporating info from the pattern testers. I recommend reading through all the instructions of the version you are making BEFORE you start sewing. lol

I made size 14 and added 1 inch of length to the jacket, sleeves, and pockets. I have very long arms so that's why I decided to add another inch to the sleeves. If I were to make this version again, I would add another inch of depth to the pockets.

I don't know if I would sew version F again (how many cropped quilted jackets do you need?) but there are five other variations of this pattern so maybe I'll try the mid-length quilted version.

If you're a quilter, this would be a fun project to make a quilted jacket. And if you just want to sew a quilted jacket, you can always get pre-quilted fabric or have fun quilting fabric. And with so many versions to choose from - including non-quilted designs, you have a lot of options with this pattern. The hardest thing is deciding which version to make!

I wrote an extensive blog post on making the Hovea Jacket. And you can see more photos of the finished jacket here.

This is a great pattern. The instructions are very clear and come in a lovely firm booklet. There are many more in depth instructions and suggestions on their web site No two garments made with this pattern will be the same. There are so many variations you could make anything from a lined winter coat to a lightweight dressing gown. I used two fat quarter bundles for the patchwork and just bought one extra fat quarter for the background to the peony block in the middle of the back. I deviated from the advice when making the quilted panels as I cut out the top and then cut the wadding and lining fabric larger cutting it to pattern when I had done the quilting. I did make a toile as the pattern pieces are so large I thought they might be too big and with the patchwork I did not really want to be cutting into that to make it fit. However the toile fitted perfectly and I didn't need to make any changes I think it appeared big because of the off shoulder sleeves.

Megan Nielsen Hovea Jacket and Coat