Any one use a fire coat in a quilt?
 

I know this is a crazy question, but all the same I am asking :) A while back I asked a question looking for ideas on a tshirt quilt for a fire department. Here is a link to that thread https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f...s-t308821.html

Long story short I asked for more shirts. I was given a couple of shirts..and fire coat. Say what? That is what I thought.. a fire coat. The lining was removed so its not heavy at all but I don't know exactly how to incorporate this

One hand its crazy and not sure that I can make it work.. on the other hand it would be very cool as a fund raiser for a fire department

has anyone here ever used or seen a fire coat in a quilt? I am just looking for idea of how to proceed.

I have attached a picture of the back of the coat. I have it cut into sections and in the washer now trying to find inspiration

I've incorporated some non-ideal fabric into quilts before... but yeah, this is a challenge!

I'm thinking that this is the label or maybe center square of the project, I imagine they have some embroidered crests for their department somewhere like shoulder patches? Or if you/someone you know has a machine that can digitize an image and embroider the unit name and pertinent label info.

The other thing I can think of is maybe make a tote to place the final quilt in using the jacket/trim in that.

Great suggestions, IceBlossom!

Agree, not the normal ideal "fabric" to work with, but being that it's a firemen's fundraiser quilt, it is a perfect match for inclusion IMHO.

That being said ... how difficult will it be to work with? seams? bulk? pressing? quilting?
Looks like a Jeans Needle might be important to use.
Combined with the t-shirt softness/instability, adds to the challenge, but totally do-able.
IceBlossom's crests/patches suggestion would probably help pull it all together.

We know you like challenges ... and meet them well, so Go For It ...
... and put those firemen to work in sourcing you more raw materials!

Worse case scenario ... you get too much stuff ... and then you make a 2nd project.
Perhaps that tote that IceBlossom has suggested?
Could add to this year's fundraiser, or be kept for a future one.

Good Luck!
Looking forward to seeing your results.

Thanks guys I was given some patches and I agree with you... I can use those and some of this as a center focal point in the quilt. I will just keep auditioning different layouts and see what I come up with.

as far as working with the material, its not been bad. Not as heavy as jeans sort of like khaki pants maybe

Let the adventure begin ha ha ha

i the idea of turning it into a tote!

I agree with the idea of a tote bag for the quilt. I looked up what these coats are normally made of and the results I got is a combination of two fabrics, Kevlar and Nomex. Thinking it wouldn't be very cuddly in a quilt made to actually be used and could possibly be a very problematic fabric in the actual quilting process (thinking it might cause tension issues going from T-shirt to Kevlar.)

Fire coat quilt.
 

Hi! Just a thought. Maybe adding a picture or more of the department would personalize it further for a fund raiser.

I would probable leave the back of the jacket whole as pictured and put it in the middle of the backing, maybe with the name of the fire station sewn into the jacket.

I would think about making fire coat shaped appliques out of the coat material (and embellish them to look like the coat). They'd be stiff, but not as bad as using more of the fire coat in the quilt.

*like* .... and takes away from the hum-drum look of the plain coat fabric.