Here's my tute/take on a quilted jacket.
Once you get going with it, it's actually pretty easy, but if you get confused, don't hesitate to ask me in a PM.

1. Get your sweatshirt. Any color that will compliment the colors that you are going to use. I have a gray one because that's all I had. This one is going to be mine and I really don't care if the gray doesn't match all that well.
Make sure the sweatshirt is a bit bigger for you. You really don't want your jacket fitting all that tight. I suggest maybe a size larger.

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2. Remove the ribbing from the sweatshirt. I preferred to rip the stitching out, but if you want to cut the seams, that's fine too.
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3. Once all ribbing is removed. Lay the sweatshirt out on your ironing board/space and iron a good crease up the side to where there would be a side seam. Once that is done, cut up the crease until you reach the underarm of the sleeve.
[IMG]http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...PICT0129-3.jpg[/IMG]

4. Remove the stitching from the sleeve, both around the arm hole and down the side of the sleeve.
[IMG]http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...PICT0131-3.jpg[/IMG]

5. You may have this sort of stitching at the front of your shirt, just rip that out too...it doesn't hold anything and the stitching comes out pretty easy.
[IMG]http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...PICT0132-3.jpg[/IMG]

6. Last but not lease, take out the shoulder seams. Now you have it all taken apart.

7. Lay out the front part of your shirt, fold in half carefully and iron down the front. You might want to measure to make sure you have the exact middle of the front. A "whisker hair" off won't matter, but inches WILL matter. You don't want a wonky front!!
[IMG]http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...PICT0133-3.jpg[/IMG]

8. Once you have the middle of the front, cut the crease. Now you have 2 halves.
[IMG]http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...PICT0134-3.jpg[/IMG]

Now the fun begins!!
Pick out your fabric. I used 14 fat quarters for mine. 14 different prints/solids. You can use different fabric or you can use 6 of the same, 2 of the same, doesn't matter. This is your jacket, make it the way you want.
[IMG]http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...PICT0143-3.jpg[/IMG]

Cut your fabric into strips. I preferred using 3 inch strips, but if you want 2 inch strips or 1 inch or 5 inch, it's up to you. All depends on how big you want the squares on your jacket.
[IMG]http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...PICT0144-3.jpg[/IMG]

I decided to make a bit of a design with my strips, so I took 7 strips and sewed them together, then took 7 of the different fabric and sewed them, so I had 2 sets of strips sewn.
[IMG]http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...PICT0145-3.jpg[/IMG]

Once you have these all sewn, cut them again into strips the SAME SIZE as the original strips. If you cut your strips to start at 3 inches, then you will cut the sets at 3 inches. If you cut at 2 inches, then the sets will be cut at 2 inches and so on and so forth.
I failed to get a picture of the strips cut, but you can see them in the following pictures.
Are you still with me???

Now that you have your strips cut, it's time to start making the jacket!
Keep your strips in seperate piles so you don't get them jumbled up. I only have 2 piles, so it makes it pretty easy for me.

Take one of the front pieces. Lay it flat and take one of your strips and lay it at the middle of the front...the long cut that you have. If your strip isn't long enough, no worries, just sew another strip to make it long enough!
You can either sew onto the fuzzy part (inside) or the not fuzzy part (outside). It doesn't really matter. I like sewing to where the fuzzy will be the inside of the jacket. It's all up to you, like I said, this is YOUR jacket.
Oh, make sure that you use the SAME color thread that matches your sweatshirt.
[IMG]http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...PICT0146-3.jpg[/IMG]
Pin this down and sew 1/4 inch seam right at the edge.

Take your next strip, lay it next to the one you just sewed down. Audition it so it is in the perfect spot that you like it at. Make sure you have at least 1 1/2 of the squares (if you cut your strips at 3 inches) overhanging at the top. Once you have your strip where you like it, lay it on top of the first strip, right sides together, pin it down carefully and sew the strips down onto the shirt piece.
[IMG]http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...PICT0147-3.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...PICT0148-3.jpg[/IMG]

Once that is sewn down, flip it over, iron it out.
[IMG]http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...PICT0149-3.jpg[/IMG]
It's starting to look pretty, yes?

Continue on until you have the entire piece covered. Make sure you have overhang at both top and bottom. I usually make sure I have at least one extra square at the top and one at the bottom. If you are using smaller squares, you would probably need 3 or more for your overhang.

Ok, you are probably asking....What about the armhole? It's a funky shape and I don't know what to do!! Well, just sew a strip over it, it's ok...we like overhang at the moment.
[IMG]http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...PICT0151-2.jpg[/IMG]

Now, I have this little area about almost an inch showing. I'm not going to waste a strip on it, so I'm going to use the scraps that was left over from my cutting. I know, it's not going to look all that great, but you'll see...
[IMG]http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...PICT0152-3.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...PICT0153-4.jpg[/IMG]

Now, the front piece is all covered. Turn it over and you are going to trim up the overhang. Before I do that, I take a bit of Elmers Glue and tack down all the pieces that aren't sewn at the edges. It makes it easier to cut precisely. The glue will wash out, so don't worry.
[IMG]http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...PICT0154-2.jpg[/IMG]

Now that you have it all trimmed, this is what you have.

[IMG]http://i112.photobucket.com/albums/n...PICT0155-3.jpg[/IMG]

Now, you have one side done, go for the other side!
By the time you have both sides done, I SHOULD have the sleeves AND the back done for you to see!

I hope I haven't confused anyone so far. If I have, just send me a PM and I'll help you out.

Can't wait to see the rest.

Looking good so far Terri. Thank you.

Awesome Terri, love your colors.

Hi! Teri, thanks so much for your comment on step 5. I have a Jerrez(think that's how they spell it!)sweatshirt outlet store not far from my house. I had gone there a few weeks to get a sweatshirt but when I noticed they had added that V stitching, I never thought it could be removed.
I think this is the new style for their sweats, more masculine. They used to care every color you could imagine in the sweatshirts and for years we've been going there every winter to get a several of them. Now it seems they're offering a line of mens and one for women. And stop carrying all the beautiful colored sweatshirts. I don't like the womens' sweats because they are making them less baggy and not as long through the body. Great if you want a dressy looking sweatshirt!
Thanks so much for all your hard work and great tutorial. Can't wait to see the rest of the jacket. Chris

Thanks for this! I am hoping to do one of these for my mom for her birthday & had been looking for a tute like this.

Great tute, been wanting to make one of these for years you really spelled it out well.

This is looking great! Can't wait to see the rest, it's something I know I'll be making :-) Thanks for doing the tute!

I want to try this. So far it sounds like something I can do. Thank you!! :D

Me too! It will go in my ever growing pile of to do's. Thanks.

Thank you for doing such a well set out tute. The direction's and pictures are very easy to understand, congratulation's on a great tute can't wait for the rest

Great tutorial when you get it finished can it all be posted in one place so that we can copy and paste? thanks so much!

Thanks, I've been wanting to try one or two!

I'll be posting the sleeves and the back sometime today.
I'll ask one of the mods if this next part and then the last part of it can be moved back up to the top, that way it'll all be together.
Other than that, the tute will stay in this section.

Can't wait! Thanks for sharing.

Great tute

I am thinking of what I have at hand to use, for sure no sweatshirt, although I did see some pretty pastels at Wall Mart the other day.

Could we make the jacket longer and if yes how would we do that.

What I would love to see, is how it's put back together to finish it. Have wanted to do one of these for a long time. Guess I need to take a class on it. Thanks

I agree with lcb14510 - I had no problems with destructing the sweat shirt and adding strips. However, I'm not sure how to put it back together again with the bulky seams, etc. and so that it looks neat on the inside. I know some people use sergers but I don't have one. So, how do you "construct" your new jacket and what do you do with the bulky seams? Please also show the inside of your jacket.

Thanks.

Yes the seams could be bulky, no serger here either.

Very cool.

Thanks for the tute ..... when finished do you SID the quilting part, or just all over meander .... do you do this to each separate section before re-assembling? .....

Wow, I am imagining this in a small version for a child. It would be adorable and quick to make I think. Looking forward to the rest.

So neat to have this clear information about something we would all like to do!

Great instructions. Can't wait to see the rest. I think I can do this!!!

thanks for the tute I've been wanting to do this for sometime but was affraid. now thanks to your fantastic instructions its back on my list of to do's

...thanks...easy to understand...pics are great...can't wait to make one....

Great instructions. Thanks for sharing.

The inside looks so neat! Did you sew the strips on the fuzzy side of the original sweatshirt?

I am inspired to try this. Thank you for your clear directions and all the coments that help make it so clear.
I am book marking this entry!

I did one of those sweatshirt covered jackets and didn't remove the sleeves--just the underarm seam. I just crossed the seam with the strips from the jack bodice and back and then folded over the sleeve strip end and top stitched. Made the reconstruction pretty easy.

What a great tute! I just saw a jacket done similar to this last week. I have been making the sweatshirt jacket where you cut out different shapes of fabric and zigzag stitch them to the shirt. It is really taking a lot of time and thread. I think I'll stop and try this one. Thanks for taking the time to make this tute for us.

I have the fuzzy side that is showing. I figured that I like that better. I wear my sweatshirts that way, but that's me...It's YOUR jacket, you make it how YOU want.

Great job. You made it look so easy. Can't wait to try your directions. Will make great Christmas presents.

Thank You! Can hardly wait to see the rest.

I'm getting ready to make a jacket too the Fractured Bargello one in raspberry and lime greens watermelon colors.
Cleaning the sewing room first, have a mess so will be while before I get to it.

Thank you.I want to try one too.

I have been wanting to do a sweatshirt, now I can, cant wait for the rest of the tute. You do good work, girl.