Making the Coverlet Jacket

Hello and on this rainy May morning, a little post to brighten things up.

Perhaps you know this feeling fellow stitchers, but I was given this remnant from coverlet over a decade ago and it has been sitting in my sewing room waiting for its moment ever since. I always knew it would be worth to keep it, but the explosion of summer patchwork jackets and quilted things in the shops this spring has spurred me into using it - that and the fact that I am really on a roll to use up things that are taking up space in my new (and smaller) sewing room.

It is pretty fabric. Made of cotton and in good condition, I have no idea how old it is - maybe around the 1950’s, but as it has lurked in my sewing room, I have often thought that it reminds me of the garments and quilts featured in one of my all time favourite books ‘Quilts of Provence’ by Kathryn Berenson.

While I am sure that my fabric is machine made and doesn’t really compare to the hand quilted clothes of the late 18th century, there is a flavour to be captured here and placed in a more modern garment.

I pulled out my ‘Tamarck jacket’ pattern that I had used last year for a patchwork jacket. This has been one of my most worn projects and you can read about it here.

Initially I thought I would make a little waistcoat/gillet with a flowered lining and perhaps some embroidery. Knowing that I didn’t have enough fabric for a complete jacket seemed to point me in this direction, but when I had worked out how to use the motifs and cut two panels, I wasn’t at all sure if I liked this look or not.

After some reflection I had a change of plan and decided to make a full jacket using the floral contrast fabric for the sleeves. The fabric is a lawn weight print so it is nice and light and I quilted it and then added an embroidered linen cuff, which was worked in a simple chain stitch.

From then on it was pretty straight forward to construct the jacket. My pattern pieces were already altered from last time to have shorter sleeves and a boxy look along the bottom because I needed it to be shorter in the body too. I am only 5’2” so in so many ways dressmaking is really helpful for me. I also added some patch pockets on to break up the white.

All this came together reasonably quickly, but then I thought long and hard about a collar. My initial feeling was to make a sailor collar in the pink linen and embroider it. I drafted a pattern for this and even cut one out, but it just looked too twee for me. It was all a bit sugary and so I reverted to a simple binding and tie finish.

I am really very happy with the result. I think that this is the perfect summer jacket and it has the vintage feel that I always love. The scalloped edging along the bottom is a really lovely detail and I have to say it all feels as if it will be quite hardwearing. It is a definite win for sustainability and up cycling.

It has also been a great confidence booster for me with my dressmaking abilities and has made me realise that you don’t need many patterns, if you just find one you love and adjust to your fit, it can be reused in so many ways. I shall call this my ‘Coverlet Jacket’ because it encompasses the whole idea of 18th century bedspreads, quilted clothing and a nod to style from a bygone age that I adore.

So here’s my ‘handmade Summer’. The bag is a Tilda project that you can read about here and I have had this for many summers now, along with a smaller version and it is one of the best things I have made for seaside life. The Alabama Chanin scarf is also a project that I loved so much and you can read about that here. The joy of handmade things never fades for me - it is such a creative, mediative and practical pastime and you end up with unique things that are so fun to use and wear. It’s stopped raining here now, so I am off to the beach for a walk…with all of this…. of course.

See you soon, Ruby x