I am thinking of ordering some of that lucious batiks fabric from the quilting cottage to make a jacket. My problem is that I want to simply use solid pieces of fabric as opposed to patchwork and sorta quilt it over the sweatshirt. In other words substitute the sweatshirt for the batting in the quilt sandwich. I don't have a clue as to how to get started. the directions I have call for stiching random scraps directly to the sweatshirt that you open up. Kind of like quilt as you go or crazy quilt , but I want to do stippling instead of quilt as you go. Any suggestions or links to sites that I could go to for directions? I saw this type last February at the quilt show and last year too, but these were for judging not being displayed by vendors. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi Vicki, Just need to ask a question, when you say sweatshirt you mean a short jacket with sleeves???
Can I ask when you say you want to use whole pieces of fabric you mean you want to cover the whole jacket and not use little tiddly bits like we do in patchwork??

We call a sweatshirt an anorak, and I am not sure if we are talking the same thing here.. Elle

A sweatshirt is a long sleeved pull over. some open in the front, but most are pull overs.

This might be a long shot but here's what I would do. I would cut the sweatshirt apart and use it for a pattern. Do the quilting and then sew it back together. Maybe someone else has a better idea.

Vicki, one of the quilted jackets at the show last weekend had a note that it was made from a McCalls pattern. I haven't done it, but I would imagine you could quilt your fabric sandwich and then cut the pattern pieces out of it. You could reduce the bulk of the seams by trimming the batting out of them. Just a thought!

Elle - the sweatshirts usually used for this are pull-overs, made out of a heavy jersey knit or fleece-type material, and have long sleeves. Many quilters use them as a base to make a quilted jacket.
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:...w.adoremy.com/

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:...onderfuldreams

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:...ns/pinkjkt.jpg This one is a pattern from www.keepersquilting.com/Patterns.htm

Thanks everybody. i am going to check out my new catalog from Keepsake quilting. If using patches, they tell you to cut the side seams off and start sewing patches to the right side of the shirt. But I didn't want patches, just a solid piece and wasn't sure how to do it.

Yep, understand now. Think someone has already said this, but for me I would unpick all the seams and lay flat all the pieces, apply your batiks crazy quilts style (like Izy´s tute), do your clever stippling stuff and the sew it together. Easy peezy lemon squeezy :lol: she says tongue in cheek. good luck lets know how ya do.

Okay just read this posting and its not little patches you want. Then when you make your pattern, be careful because your material won´t stretch like your sweat top when you put it on, so you need to make your pattern a little bigger when you cut it apart. I think this is as clear as mud but perhaps you understand :D
Elle

Batiks are beautiful but if you are going for one of those designs where the sweatshirt and the fabric shrink a bit batks won't shrink.
I have made two that I think are what you are talking about. Don't have a website because we did in in my wearables group but I can walk you thru it.?All of my directions will presume you are talking about the kind that shrinks a bit.

1/get a sweatshirt larger than what you normally wear. The higher the cotton percentage the more it will shrink.
2/ lay the sweatshirt out flat inside out and mark a line down the center front.
3/ sew a line with highly visible contrasting thread on either side of line you marked down center front. 1/4" on either side of front center mark or just the width of your presser foot. Do not cut.
4/ cut open up the sides and the length of the sleeves on the bottom seam.
5/ remove all ribbing and save.
6/ stay stitch neck--you may even want to use twill tape to stablize it.
7/ we used 7 different fabrics 1/4 yard each. There will be plenty left over.
8/cut the fabric in 4" wide strips
9/ then those strips into 4" x 4" squares
10/ then some of the squares in half for 2" by 4"
11/ some of those in half for 2" x 2"
***********or do all of them in a random design you like*************
12/ lay these out randomly on the sweatshirt--one section at a time is easiest. A friend of mine was going to use spray adheseive. I don't know the results.
13/ quilt over this in whatever manner you wish. do so with entire surface
14/ sew seams together with small seam--serger is great.
15/ baste ribbing to a scrap of material with large basting stitches
16/ throw all of this in the washer and dryer to shrink. This way scraps will have shrunk like the rest as will have ribbing but won't be distorted.
17/ cut up the center front and try for size.
18/Adjust sleeves and length as you wish
19/ reattach ribbing if you want or make bias strips from scraps and bind edges.
Hope this is where you were going.