Quilted Jackets for My Boys (2024)

After I retired, I told my kids that if they wanted me to make them something, they should show me what they want and we could "negotiate" whether I could accomplish it (this way I wasn't spending time sewing something for them that they would not use).  

Bryan had been looking at quilted jackets and wanted to see how difficult it would be to make one.  Here are some of the inspirations he sent over:

My first reaction: 

• Create a "quilt", just to cut it up!
• Create the jacket....
• This is like 2 separate projects!  Aiya!

My next thoughts:  Could I buy fabric that looks like (or imitates) a quilt, or should use an existing quilt?  

We actually do have many quilts in our home that I keep lying around and also displayed on a literal (quilt) "ladder".  Using an existing quilt would require me to get my head around cutting one of these precious blankets up (yikes!).  I finally convinced myself that if we were not using the blanket for it's intended use, at least changing it would allow it to be used.

We settled on using this blanket made by Barry's paternal grandmother:

This is Amy Kau Chung at her 80th birthday party:

I never met (Amy) Po Po Chung.  She was born on the island of Oahu in 1896, and spent her married life in Maui raising Barry's dad, Edwin, and his older brother Vernon.  The family owned and managed a General Store in Wailuku until they relocated back to Oahu when the boys started middle school.  Sadly she was widowed in her 50's, the same year Hawaii became the 50th State of the Union, and just before Barry was born - 1959.  Subsequently, she moved to the mainland to live with Barry's family, first in the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles, and later to their house in Harbor City until her passing in 1985.

This might sound weird, but while I was working on the jackets using the original blanket that she created, I felt a connection.  It is impossible not to work with a fabric or piece so intimately and not feel connected to the maker.

Here is the pattern I found and tests to see if the quilt would look OK.

I have made the observation that the majority of handmade blankets (quilts) made in Hawaii are not quilted with batting.  I assume that this is because Hawaii is a warmer climate.  So I actually had to "de-construct" the quilt first so I could add some weight with batting.

Even though I sprayed the pieces together, I wanted to make sure they held together since I was planning to take all of this work on our 3 month road trip to Alaska (a great downtime project) - so I basted each piece.

Choosing thread color and stitch length options:

I marked pieces of masking tape with the final stitch lengths so that the stitching could be as even as possible, and lines would stay somewhat straight.  

After our trip, with large pieces quilted, other decisions needed to be made, like pockets...

 

...and what to do with the lapels?

Collars:

Thank goodness we met the kids in Chicago for a proper fitting & feedback.

The exposed seams needed to be covered.  I created trim for the sleeves and the jacket bottom from extra fabric.

On the inside of the jackets I used the remaining blanket trim.

I was having anxiety over the buttonholes.  It has been almost 40 years since I have had to sew buttonholes!  Buttonholes and zippers are quite challenging...

I've been trying to add "signatures" to certain things I make.

Finally done!  

I will be giving these to the boys at Thanksgiving in Las Vegas since we will not be together for Christmas!