I played around a lot when I was designing Wildwood. Quilted garments are often finished with bias binding and I toyed with the idea of eliminating the bias in favour of a lined and bagged jacket. After much experimentation I decided that bias was the way to go for the pattern. I just love the way it outlines the jacket, and while it can be cumbersome, the finish is just so beautiful. Now, with all that said, you can totally sew this garment without any binding (for the jacket view) or very little binding (for the vest view). I did figure out a way and I made a great jacket using this method. Read on to find out more!
Quilting the fabric
I am using pre-quilted fabric for this hack. This is a cotton jacquard that has a lovely quilted texture to it. You can make your own quilted fabric for this hack, too, with one big difference: You are only going to quilt the outer fabric to the batting, and you are going to leave the lining separate. I used a midweight black linen for my lining.
Choosing a lining
Choose a complementary lining and keep in mind that the lining will be a little bit visible around the edges of the outer fabric. You want a lining that will wash and wear the same as your outer fabric. Choose a fabric with similar give (stretch) horizontally and vertically. Choose a similar fiber for best results. For example, if your outer fabric is cotton, go with a cotton lining.
Can I use a slippery lining like bemburg?
Yes you can use a light and slippery lining in this case, but again, keep in mind that it may show along the edge of the jacket. To avoid this, you could draft and sew facings.
Pockets
You have a couple of options for pockets:
- You can sew them to the outer fronts before adding the lining. If you do it before, the pocket will be attached to the outer quilted fabric only.
- You can wait until after the fronts have been lined. If you wait until after, the pocket topstitching will be visible on the lining side of the garment, but it will be very secure.
To sew the pockets without binding, place the outer pocket and lining together with right sides facing. Sew around all the edges using a 3/8” (1 cm) seam allowance, leaving a 3” (7.6 cm) gap along the bottom edge. Trim the lining seam allowance to 1/4” (0.6 cm).
Turn the pocket right side out through the gap. Ensure all edges are fully turned out and press the pocket flat, keeping the seam allowance around the gap pressed to the inside. Topstitch around the pocket using a 3/8” (1 cm) seam allowance.
Sew the pockets to the quilted jacket front, stitching around the pocket using a 1/8” (0.3 cm) seam allowance. Start and stop at the pocket opening markings. Secure the opening with bartacks.
Sewing the garment
Instead of binding the edges of the fronts and back, pin them together with right sides facing. Sew around all the edges except the armscyes using a 3/8” (1 cm) seam allowance. Trim the lining seam allowance to 1/4” (0.6 cm).
Turn the fronts and back right side out through the armscye. Reach in and use your fingers to fully turn out along all the edges. Press the fronts and back flat. Topstitch all the way around the fronts and back using a 1/4” (0.6 cm) seam allowance.
Following the Wildwood instructions, sew the shoulders and side overlaps.
View A (Vest): Follow the Wildwood instructions, fit and bind the arm openings.
View B (Jacket): With right sides facing, sew the outer sleeve and lining together along the sleeve hem using a 3/8” (1 cm) seam allowance. Trim the lining seam allowance to 1/4” (0.6 cm).
Fold the outer sleeve and lining lengthwise and sew the sleeve seam using a 5/8” (1.6 cm) seam allowance. Press the seam open.
Fold the lining inside the outer sleeve with wrong sides facing. Match up the raw edges of the fabric around the sleeve cap. Topstitch around the sleeve hem using a 1/4” (0.6 cm) seam allowance. Optional: Baste the raw edges together around the armscye to make the sleeve easier to set in.
Following the Wildwood instructions, sew the sleeves to the jacket. Finish the seam allowance using a zig-zag stitch, serger/overlocker, or bias binding.
Voila! That is how you sew the Wildwood Jacket & Vest with no binding! I love this lightweight jacket. It doesn’t have batting in it so it feels more like a smart blazer or layering piece. The midweight linen lining gives it some weight and it feels luxurious. I also just love this floral jacquard! It was a surprisingly quick project since I used pre-quilted fabric and did not do the binding.
