Grainline Studio Tamarack Jacket

First stage of jacket finished.  Fabric from Fabrics Galore, Lavender Hill. Lining, wadding, haberdashery, lining from Masons in Abingdon. Cotton hand quilting cotton thread.

I've quilted round the Fridas, leaves, flowers, monkeys.... perhaps this was a bad idea. Has taken 2 weeks, couple of hours a day.

Simple shapes and easy to sew together. Recommend you use a walking foot so fabric doesn’t move around when sewing the padded layers. My jacket was hand stitch patches. Fabric were cotton scraps and mostly in cotton lawn.   I’ve made the jacket twice and planning a third version. It’s a great jacket to autumn or spring when there’s a little cooler

This is a great pattern! Having seen a similar one made by the contestants on the Sewing Bee, I decided to make one for myself. I purchased 6 different half metres of lightweight denim, cut into 4 inch squares, joined them into a piece of patchwork fabric, then cut out the two fronts and sleeves. I used a plain toning chambray for the back. I then added two layers of wadding to front and back, and one for the sleeves, then quilted each piece before joining all together. I made double welt pockets and added a zip. Lining picked out the yellow of one of the fabrics, and I cut bias binding from the chambray I used for the back. I’ve already worn it several times and it’s both stylish and cosy. It’s really a relatively simple pattern which can be adapted as I have done or made up as is. I’m really happy with my jacket!

I can’t believe I only made this pattern recently.

It’s such a great basic piece for your wardrobe, although there’s nothing basic about the pattern, it’s so well constructed and versatile that you can make a different version each time.

I made a size 8 and it came together very easily especially using the quilted fabric, no need for lining, but I took my time applying bias binding to finish the seams so that it looks nice on the inside as well!
I shorten it and made it a little longer at the back.

It’s perfect for this time of year, when there’s a chill in the air and you want something warm but not too heavy.

I’d really love a longer version, lined with some warm fabric, perfect for the autumn/winter, but with my ever growing to do list who knows!

I made the Tamarack jacket in the new extended sizing range 18. I have admired quilted jackets for a while, but thought they would be way too boxy on my curvy figure. Grainline has added a couple of bust darts to their design and that, along with the curved hem, shadows my figure enough that I was quite surprised how much I liked it. I think I always have a puffer jacket in my head when I hear quilted coats, but actually the resultant fabric is much thinner and more malleable than that.

I did not make any adjustments to this jacket and I love the fit. I used two pieces of quilting cotton for the outer and lining and I love the effect of them. It's definitely more "art teacher" than my usual style, but I'm enjoying something a little different and it's sooooo cosy.

The pattern itself is quite simple, but the tricky parts are the welt pockets, quilting and binding. All can definitely be achieved by following the comprehensive instructions and I personally found that handbasting the pieces and then using my walking foot on the machine definitely helped with the quilting. I am a novice quilter, but the pieces are nice and small and sewing straight lines wasn't too bad!

This is definitely a good jacket for spring and autumn and I've already worn mine quite a bit. I have more details and pictures in a detailed blog post if you're interested. :)