How to Quilt Your Own Fabric

Quilting your fabric adds warmth, structure, and texture to a garment, and it's more approachable than it looks. In this tutorial, we'll walk through the process step by step, using the free Core Boréal Vest pattern as our example project. Download the free pattern and get the full sewing instructions for the vest itself are available here.

• Main fabric — we're using a lightweight cotton poplin
• Batting — we like cotton batting, with or without scrim
• Backing — we're using a lightweight cotton voile
• Quilting or topstitching needle
• Topstitching thread — if you want your stitching to show
• Ruler
• Marking tool
• Pins or safety pins

Before you start, decide on your quilting design: vertical lines, horizontal lines, squares, diamonds, or even free motion quilting. For this project, we're keeping it simple with 1-inch vertical lines.

1. Make a test sandwich. Layer a scrap of your batting, main fabric, and backing together to test the combined thickness and try out your stitch line before committing to your real fabric.

2. Cut your pieces slightly oversized. Cut your backing about 1 inch larger all around than your pattern piece, and cut your main fabric + batting 5/8" larger around.

3. Baste your layers. Pin or glue-baste the main fabric, batting, and backing together so they don't shift while you sew.

4. Mark your lines. Draw your quilting lines starting from the center and working outward.

5. Stitch your lines. Roll up your fabric so it fits through the throat of your machine, then start sewing along your marked lines, working outward from the center in both directions to keep the fabric from shifting or puckering unevenly. If you're having trouble keeping your lines straight, try running a strip of painter's tape along your marked line as a stitching guide.

6. Recut to size. Once all your lines are stitched, trim your piece down to the correct pattern size. Don't forget to transfer your notches and markings.

7. Assemble as usual. Follow your regular pattern instructions to sew your project together. Keep in mind that quilted fabric is thicker than a single layer, so you may need a quilting needle to stitch through all those layers smoothly.

• Use a walking foot if you have one. It feeds all three layers through evenly and helps prevent shifting or puckering, especially on long straight lines.
• Lengthen your stitch. A slightly longer stitch (around 3–3.5mm) generally looks better and lies flatter on quilted layers than your regular sewing stitch length.
• Pre-wash your fabrics. Cotton poplin, and voile can shrink at slightly different rates. Pre-washing helps avoid puckering or distortion after the first wash of your finished piece.
• Mind your grainlines. Keep your main fabric, batting, and backing aligned on the same grain before basting.
• Give it a press. After quilting and before recutting, give your panel a light steam press to flatten it out.
• Trying free-motion quilting? Drop your feed dogs and use a free-motion or darning foot.

And that's it! Once you've quilted your fabric, you're ready to cut and sew your Core Boréal Vest just like you would with any other fabric, just with a little extra warmth and texture built right in.