Starting "the" Jacket ............ tentatively

Selecting the fabrics is the easy bit!  There won't be enough of the batik to line the whole but that's ok, I quite like that different parts will be lined with different fabrics. The more mishmash this is the better.  I have lots of different fabrics but I don't have a lot of many of them.  There are a few half yard pieces that are new as is the batik (I would have purchased enough to line the whole jacket had there been enough) but much is scrappy bits left over from other stuff.  This is what delights me the most, using up what I have and trying to make it all work together!

Not sure yet but it might need some further colours ..........

 

Now for the uphill struggle!  How many more days can I spend thinking about this before getting started?  I can't think of a better alternative to paper piecing for now .............. a) I'd rather there wasn't anything between the main fabric and batting for smoother quilting and b) probably the less layers the better.  The Pillsbury Doughboy I could be but let's try not to get to Michelin Man!  The more I quilt it the less puffy and quilty looking it will be right?  Well that's what I'm hoping!

The baking parchment isn't wide enough for the pattern pieces so I'll sew sheets of it together.  It's quite strong yet does tear ok when needed ............. I don't want to be rustling like a packet of crisps walking along the road if I can't get it all out!

Using Vogue 2915, I shall crazy quilt the pattern pieces onto paper (back, fronts and sleeves) extending the pattern a couple of inches all round to allow for shrinkage when quilting ........ except for the length of the sleeves which drown me already!.  The random patches need to be upsized from that which I'd normally use ............. nothing smaller than 3" perhaps?  That might actually be a challenge!

I plan to free motion quilt the top fabric onto the wadding and lining.  Although I'm not actually there yet, this is where I'm stuck.  I don't want the quilting to extend into the seam allowance so that I can stitch the side and sleeve seams through the top fabric and wadding only if that makes sense.  It would leave less bulky seams plus I could neatly hand stitch the lining in place where applicable.  Problem is, as the quilting is going to "shrink" the pattern piece, where is the seam line going to end up so I know where to stop the quilting?  Oh and there's another thing, should I carry out any embellishment before or after the quilting?  Maybe I should make a mini jacket first ............ and hope it doesn't put me off!  Perhaps starting with a square ie. cushion size would be easier for measuring thus more helpful for sampling?  I've had the pattern cut out for two days now but I seem to be making this all sound rather complicated .............. thought processes take time.  Searching for answers one finds other stuff ............ pretty stuff that one can "pin" rather than clog up the laptop with so many bookmarks that other people can't find their stuff ................  getting addicted to "Pinterest" was not part of the plan and, I am quite sure, will not help stitch the jacket!!

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