Complicated Coda - Why Do I make everything more complicated?

 

I wanted to make a quilted jacket for spring, sort of like the Farel Jacket from Sézane.

The Coda jacket from Love Notions came on $5 sale about the same time I got this in my head and it's the obvious choice anyway:

I wanted to use one of 3 linens I had around and quilt myself. I hoped the instructions would tell me all I needed to know but they left a lot out. I think there's a course you can buy but I decided I could figure it out.

I searched in the facebook group and a bunch of people had luck with Warm and Natural which is a thin cotton batting. I got the full size quilt size at Joann because that's enough for 2 and some practice. The smaller size wasn't really that much less and it looked like I would just have a weird amount left over. 

At JoAnn, I brought samples of my 3 potential linens and looked for a floral quilting cotton. This one matched my favorite of the linens and is so pretty. The linen is Brussels in Ocean from Three Little Birds 

I washed both fabrics but I didn't want to wash the batting and it says on the package it can shrink 3%. Which is a bit in my size. 

So what I decided to do, and I don't recommend this, is to sandwich the layers, hand baste in large squares about every 6", quilt, and then wash again.

How to quilt?

If you scroll up to the example, it's in large waves. I looked to see about getting some sort of template already made up for waves, but they seemed expensive and not at all what I wanted. I wasn't clear what to do with them either. I watched a few videos on ruler quilting and it seemed like a good idea... But what I did do first, was fool around in Inkscape to try to figure out a pattern. 

First I tried a sine wave. Then I drew a bunch of different arcs and duplicated and flipped them and tried them on the pattern:

I finally decided on one and made a whole pdf of it. Then I projected it on my fabric, and chalked out the whole thing. Boy was that tedious because I don't have one of those wheely things so I had to use the pencil type chalk holder. 

Then I sandwiched the lining, batting, and linen, and hand basted about every 6 inches. I then tried to use the free motion foot to quilt, but it was bad. So I took that out, put on a regular walking foot, and just followed the lines. On my regular machine. Yes, it was a lot to manage, but I did it.

And I sewed around the outside and threw it in the wash. I did not cut anything off to do that - I had already cut the batting in half lengthwise, but I wanted all the fabric to fade the same. It dried fairly quickly. I was surprised. 

I graded the Coda and put the 4x sleeves on based on my size. Then I arranged the pieces to fit on about 41" in width because I wasn't sure how much I lost. Of course when I went to cut it out I realized that I really couldn't make sure the quilting lined up from side to side completely because I hadn't planned that. Oops. 

What I would do, is to cut around with some extra room - maybe just an inch seam allowance, and then quilt each piece with lines that are strategically placed. 

Projected. Cut it out. Serged all the way around all the pieces. Made 2" (double folded to 1/2") binding 

I mostly followed Karina's instructions but I found that the side part is pretty difficult with the quilted layers.  But I did apply the pockets, sew up the shoulders and side seams, and do the binding. Then I went to set in the first sleeve and whoa it needed easing. I wonder if I didn't adjust the armscye enough?  I did get it in and then I tried it on. Ew.

I got some very helpful advice from the Guildies (as always) and basted the other side seam with 2" taken out tapering to the pocket, and the sleeve tapering to the elbow. So much better. I sewed them up and then re-serged, and then did a little zigzagging. (so unlike my plan, it is definitely not reversible, unfortunately. 

Next time I would add the inner layer as a lining and just quilt the top layer to the batting. It would be a lot tidier.

I added a little bar tack at the edge of the pocket flap. I finished it up with pewter colored spring snaps from Wawak. (And I got to use my Japanese hole punch! and set the snaps with a hammer which is fun)