August 18, 2025 • Updated December 30, 2025

How to Make a Quilted Jacket in 2 Easy Ways

Looking for the perfect beginner’s quilting project? Using a couple of “cheater” methods, Meg Fleshman of MEGMADE Sewing will show you how to create a gorgeous quilted jacket in no time at all thanks to Spoonflower’s Fill-A-Yard® and patchwork inspired fabric from independent artists. Read on for two methods for sewing your own quicker quilted jacket, plus Meg’s fave tools for quilted jacket success!

A close up of the front of the snap placket of Meg’s cheater quilt quilted jacket featuring delicate florals, most with a blue or pink theme. She is standing in front of a white wall.

A close up of the left sleeve and front pocket of Meg’s cheater quilt quilted jacket featuring pink prints and delicate florals. She is standing in front of a white wall.

Quilted jackets have been trending for a couple years and it doesn’t look like they’ll be going anywhere any time soon. They are a great vehicle for fun fabrics and colors and have quickly become one of my favorite garments to sew. I’ve used Spoonflower products in two different ways to create two jackets featuring motifs and colors that are quintessentially me. You can make a “cheater quilt” jacket two ways: using Fill-A-Yard® with a collection of designs or exploring patchwork fabric designs created by independent artists and sold on Spoonflower. Both of these options give you the look of hours spent stitching fabric together. The Fill-A-Yard® method will result in a simple square pattern filled with all of your favorite designs. The basic layout will also allow more intricate quilting designs to shine. For a more unique quilting or patchwork, Spoonflower is full of designs featuring scallops, hexies, starbursts and scrappy patterns.

A close up of Meg's cheater quilt quilted jacket featuring delicate florals, most with a blue or pink theme. She is standing in front of a white wall.

Why Should You Use Spoonflower to Make a Quilt Coat?

1. You’ll only buy what you need, which will cut down on waste.

Instead of cutting out a few small shapes with a lot of fabric left over, Fill-A-Yard® allows you to print multiple designs all on one cut of fabric, ready for quilting.

2. You’re a beginner sewist who wants to try quilted apparel (and aren’t sure where to start).

If you’re not quite ready to go full quilting, the “cheater quilt” method is a great way to dip your toe into something new and still get the quilted jacket look.

3. You’re short on time and need a quick make.

Using Fill-A-Yard or patchwork designs cuts out the quilt piecing so you’re one step closer to a beautiful quilted jacket.

Meg holds up two cheater quilt quilted jackets featuring delicate florals. The one on the left features prints with mostly with a blue or pink theme. The one on the right features mostly pink prints. She is standing in front of a white wall.

First Method: How to Make a Quilt Jacket With Fill-A-Yard®

Spoonflower revolutionized the way you replenish your fabric stash with Fill-A-Yard®! Using Fill-A-Yard®, you can print multiple designs within one-yard or two-yard lengths. You can even print two half-yard designs in one-yard. We offer a variety of templates to customize however you like, including the ever popular Cheater Quilt. Learn more about Fill-A-Yard® and how you can use it in your fabric projects. To make a jacket using Fill-A-Yard®, begin by creating a collection of favorite Spoonflower designs. Get a step-by-step walkthrough on how to create a Spoonflower collection. It’s probably no surprise that I made a collection of pink designs for my quilted jacket!

Once you have your designs collected, open up the collection and click the “Start Designing” button in the Fill-A-Yard® bar at the top of the collection. First you’ll choose the Fill-A-Yard® layout you’d like to use. I recommend the 2-yard (up to 48 designs) option. For maximum yardage, choose a wider woven fabric like Cotton Lawn, Organic Sweet Pea Gauze™️ or Organic Cotton Sateen.

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Next, you’ll fill in the cheater quilt template with the designs from your collection. Fill-A-Yard® is neat because you can control the layout and place each design exactly where you’d like it. Feel free to create a special layout with repeating designs or even fill each square with a unique design! Once all template squares are filled the finished product can be added to your cart. Don’t forget to pick a coordinating design for the jacket lining! A solid print on Petal Signature Cotton make great bias tape for finishing your one-of-a-kind quilted jacket.

A close up of Meg's cheater quilt quilted jacket featuring pink prints and delicate florals. She is standing in front of a white wall.

The back and side of Meg’s cheater quilt quilted jacket featuring pink prints and delicate florals. She is standing in front of a white wall.

Second Method: How to Make a Quilt Jacket Using a Patchwork Design

The second option is to search the Spoonflower designs for a patchwork or quilt design. I’ve created a collection of favorite patchwork designs, but to find your own try searching for “patchwork,” “quilt,” “hexies” or “scrappy.” Add more words to narrow down the search and find exactly what you are looking for – like “patchwork quilt with feminine ditzy florals in shades of pink, peach, teal and orange.” For my second jacket I went with a scrappy design for a more freeform look. I love this Scrappy Large Fabric design by bridgettstahlman–it’s full of fun colors and patterns and looks beautiful with a cream bias binding made with a solid color.

A close up of the white print with small red flowers inside Meg’s cheater quilt quilted jacket featuring delicate florals, most with a blue or pink theme. She is standing in front of a white wall.

A close up of the left sleeve and front pocket of Meg’s cheater quilt quilted jacket featuring delicate florals, most with a blue or pink theme. She is standing in front of a white wall.

Top Tools for Your Quilted Jacket

Now that you’ve picked out a patchwork design from Spoonflower or created a custom Fill-A-Yard quilt layout, here are my top three tools for quilted jacket sewing success:

Materials to make quilted jacket are laid out on a blue cheater quilt quilted jacket. Including a hot pink 3D printed bias tape maker, some temporary Spray and Fix, white bias tape and a yellow spray bottle to fill with homemade spray starch.

Homemade Spray Starch

For beautiful, crisply pressed bias tape, I like to use a simple spray made of one part distilled water and 1 part vodka. This is an economical, non-aerosol option that has given me the best results when I’ve needed a little starch.

3D Printed Bias Tape Maker

I’ve used the widely available metal bias tape makers, and I find that my set of 3D printed bias tape makers produce a neater bias tape with less hassle. You can find 3D printed bias tape makers on Etsy.

Temporary Adhesive Basting Spray

This spray-and-fix adhesive is a lifesaver when sandwiching lining fabric, batting and outer fabric for quilts and quilted apparel. It holds the layers in place so nothing shifts or puckers while quilting and it won’t gum up your sewing machine needle. I find it especially helpful when having to finagle fabric to quilt on a home sewing machine. Generally speaking I don’t use any aerosol products (hence the homemade vodka spray), but this product is my one and only exception. A little goes a long way and one can has lasted through four quilted jackets and basting tulle and lace for several lingerie projects.

Meg’s Quilt Jacket Pattern Suggestions

Gibson Coat by It’s All in the Stitch (up to a 52”/132 cm hip)—used for my pink Fill-A-Yard jacket
Molly Jacket by Fibre Mood (up to a 57.1”/145 cm hip)—used for my multicolor scrappy jacket
Liz Quilted Liner Jacket by Daisy Chain Patterns (up to a 67”/170 cm hip)
Grainger Coat by Muna & Broad (up to a 71.5”/181.5 hip)
Hovea Jacket and Coat by Megan Nielsen Patterns (up to a 62”/157.5 cm hip)
Easton Jacket by Seamwork (up to a 58”/147 cm hip)

Thanks for checking out my jackets! I loved making these with Spoonflower and hope you enjoyed them as well. If you make a quilted jacket using Fill-A-Yard or a patchwork design, make sure to tag @spoonflower and @megmadesewing when sharing on social media—I’d love to see your beautiful work!