Freedom Garden- Rue Quilt Coat

Hi Makers! Sara Brown from @SaraBQuilts here today to talk about my re-entry into the garment making world with Riley Blake Design’s and My Mind’s Eye’s newest collection, Freedom Garden! Sometimes quilt plans go awry and the perfect idea forms from that failure and I am here to talk about it today! 

When I originally saw Riley Blake Design’s Freedom Garden, Ditsy Floral in Sky and Gingham in Sky really appealed to me. I had big plans to make an Irish Chain quilt with those two prints. However, when I received the fabrics I realized that they did not have enough contrast and the chain would not show up well. I still loved Gingham and Ditsy Floral in Sky so much that I decided it would be great to wear out and about. Thus, my idea to make a quilt coat was born. 

I chose Spaghetti Western’s Rue Coat (pattern HERE) because I loved the slouchy look and the giant, ruffled collar version. The instructions made the construction of this quilt very simple and I love how it turned out. That said, I made a very rookie mistake that no experienced garment maker would make and I am here to share it with you, so you don’t make the same mistake! 

If you choose to print a garment pattern at home and tape it together, be very mindful of the scale square that should be on the first page of the printable pattern. On the Rue Coat pattern, there was a one inch scale box. When I printed the pattern out, the scale was off by 1/10th of an inch. Doesn’t seem like much, right? Well, let me tell you! It ends up being a lot and took my size XS quilt coat to at least an XL according to the size chart. If one side of the coat was 17” wide, an additional 1/10th of an inch for each inch is an additional 1.7” to the total size. So my one piece of advice is to always make sure your scale is perfectly accurate before beginning! 

But with scale issues behind us, let’s talk about Freedom Garden! I chose the Gingham in Sky for the outer fabric of my quilt coat. It is a nice soft blue and the gingham is the perfect scale for a coat. I think it would make a beautiful summer dress as well! I used the Ditsy Floral in Sky as the accent fabric. It made the perfect ruffle on the large collar and the ties. The subtle contrast was a perfect pairing for a quilt coat. For the lining fabric, I chose the Riley Blake Design’s Stars Seasonal Basic in Blue. It is a wonderful coordinating basic that goes so well with the colors of Freedom Garden. When I re-make the coat in my correct size, I would like to use the Medium Floral in Blue. 

I love my Freedom Garden Rue Coat so much and love how comfy it turned out to be. Freedom Garden turned out to be the best collection for this project with its subtle blues and pretty florals. I hope you enjoy working with Freedom Garden as much as I did, and I hope my garment making error helps you out in the future!

Happy sewing!

Sara (@SaraBQuilts)