sewing a quilted housecoat?

What would be involved in making a quilted housecoat?

This time of year, the house is so cold in the morning, but I know in two hours, the sun will be up and the house will be toasty and warm.  I wouldn't mind a cosy housecoat I could wear instead of lighting a fire.  It also means I can try out quilting to see if I like it.

So what would I need to make a quilted housecoat?

I would probably just do the quilting, not the patchwork.

I need fabric.  A pattern.  Some sort of filling.

Right now I'm wearing a boxy rectangular thing for a housecoat.  Something with more shaping would be lovely.

What do you guys think?  What would be involved in this project?  

It might be easiest to quilt the fabric, then make the house coat - but, that would leave you with bulky seams against your skin. You might look at modifying a coat pattern, to get the shaping? Most housecoats I've seen are rather shapeless.

When I lived in Japan I did a lot of fiber stuff, and I had access to a lot of antique clothing and fabric. I lived in a cold place, and got myself some padded/quilted jackets, but my best find was an antique padded kimono, very similar to this one
Being a kimono, it was tied with a sash at the waist. It was super toasty in my unheated apartment, but it was THICK and I wasn't going anywhere in permies, because I looked ridiculous (I also was incompetent at tying the sash, so I used what was essentially a man's yukata sash, which is simple and not elaborately tied like a kimono obi).
At the end of the day, though, the traditional padded jacket (a variation on the same thing, but you don't tie it, you either leave it open or it has a very loose closure) was just as warm if I was wearing something on my legs. This jacket is called a hanten, and this is an example to show you simple lines. https://www.amazon.com/WATANOSATO-pattern-Hanten-Kimono-style-2XL-3XL/dp/B08292Y7VC

Pretty.

For a housecoat more like a shaped coat, would I need a specific pattern or could I adapt a coat pattern and quilt it?  What would I need to consider?  

If you want shape, I think a coat pattern you like would work well. If you are ok with very basic, that's what you'll get in almost any bathrobe. Some add lace or a little ruffle, but by and large, a robe is kinda... boxy.

I'm almost thinking of going with a victorian style house coat - which is like a simplified version of a military coat but 50 years out of date.  So it changed with the times.  

Do you mean something like this?

Many of the military coats are wool, so even without much quilting, they'd be cozy I would think. Too many commercial wool things have shiny lining which I always find cold-feeling, so you need to consider what you would line it with. My vote would be a flannel blanket (thicker than a flannel sheet that might wear out too fast).

Jay Angler wrote:Do you mean something like this?

Many of the military coats are wool, so even without much quilting, they'd be cozy I would think. Too many commercial wool things have shiny lining which I always find cold-feeling, so you need to consider what you would line it with. My vote would be a flannel blanket (thicker than a flannel sheet that might wear out too fast).

Getting there. Maybe... Single-breasted, a shawl collar... giant pocketes.  No buttons... not sure what else.  

A big part of this is to try quilting a big project to find out if I like quilting or not.  And to learn about all these different filler stuff people use in quilts.  

I like the shape of the one she used in this video.  Pattern M7875

   

But I don't think the patchwork is something I want to do.  

The thing is, as usual, my shape means that my bust measurement is several inches larger than the pattern, so I would have to make adjustments.  Maybe it would be easier to draft my own?  If I could find instructions.  

R, I LOVE that!! The pattern is beautiful, and the video itself was beautifully done. The circle skirt would be so much more comfy than a straight cut one, to,  just because it is more compatible with moving around. I always feel like a normal robe is too... restricting.

Carla Burke wrote:R, I LOVE that!! The pattern is beautiful, and the video itself was beautifully done. The circle skirt would be so much more comfy than a straight cut one, to,  just because it is more compatible with moving around. I always feel like a normal robe is too... restricting.

YES, the normal housecoat or bathroobe is too rectangular for me.  Very restrictive.

If I do get a pattern, I might try adding a princess seam or darts for the bust.  That's the other thing I have trouble with the housecoats - they are to compressing.  I want something that follows my shape.  

And, now you've got me thinking about mine. I have 3 (all gifted, but in different weights, so warm weather, cold weather, and in between - I don't need *another*), and they all have that same boxy, restrictive problem.  Since full on spring is only a few weeks away, and that one is the lightest one(easier to sew!) I think I'm going to make some adjustments to it! The top is fine, and it has 'pocketses', but it's also the most binding, at the hips. I do believe I'm going to look into my fabric stash, and find some coordinating fabric, to add some swing to the bottom! W00t! It will be a nice, relatively quick rainy-day project that will make my summer mornings much happier! Thank you!

I want to see pictures!
Sounds like fun

I have another short-alls overhaul that needs another detail or two, before I'll be happy with it, but I think I'll pull that robe outof the deeper parts of my closet today, wash it, and get the 'before' pics done.

A couple of things - you can use anything from flannel, to fleece, a wool blanket, or purpose-made quilt batting for the filling. If you are concerned about it being too thick or heavy, a lighter inner layer can help with that while still adding warmth and some body to the quilted parts. The other point - if you aren't already familiar, there is a "full bust adjustment" (FBA) formula that you can use to modify an existing bodice pattern to maintain the fit in the the shoulders and neckline while accommodating (usually)  d+ bust measurements. If you weren't already familiar, it's something you can look up and would make adjusting a pattern easier (which I think would be easier than full-on pattern drafting for a somewhat fitted garment, at least for me). Mood Fabric dot com has a free pattern for the "ZINNIA JACKET REDUX PT. II" which might be a helpful free place to start.

One last thing, if you are trying to have some shape to the garment, quilting after construction and quilting along the darts and seams will help reinforce that shaping as opposed to more straight lined quilting. You would basically be sewing a coat, a lining (or two) and then quilting it into place. It's kind of along the lines of how tailors create shape with pad stitching in bespoke coats and jackets.

I think I made one of these about 40 years ago, cozy and comfortable:
https://www.folkwear.com/collections/ethnic/products/turkish-coat?variant=32613130338370

1. Use a pattern you like
2. Fabric- for the top layer something, either knit or woven that has nice drape and a little warmth. COLOUR you like.
3. A soft old woolen blanket that you are willing to use as the warmth layer. Preferably bigger than a single size, or two singles. It is important that the blankets be soft and have nice drape. COLOUR does not matter, it will be on the inside.
4. You can line everything to give more drape, warmth... but it does add to the complexity of the final assembly. It does make it a more comfortable garment though. Lawn makes a nice liner.
5. Cut all pieces of the outer, blanket and liner, if you are inserting one.... add a little extra ease on the liner.
6. Hand baste the outer and blanket layers together... or quilt if you prefer, then overlook these layers together one by one. this adds a little bulk, but you can deal with that later. LEAVE THE LINER SEPARATE, you can overlook each liner piece individually at this stage too.
7. Assemble. As you go... iron open each seam and flat fell by hand so that the seams lie flat. This will make the garment far easier to wear.
8. Check fit and make any adjustments.
9. Assemble liner. You can attach this by hand if you want, or machine attach, tho this is too complicated to explain here. Look for a YouTube tutorial.
This is my project, with a lovely Australian wool blanket from the op shop.. (darn it, I went and took a pic, but cannot get it to load. Sorry).

I saw this coat pattern and wondered if would make a good base for this housecoat. https://www.moodfabrics.com/blog/the-bellis-coat-free-unisex-sewing-pattern/

I think so. I'd wear it.

https://www.moodfabrics.com/blog/hydrus-coat-redux-free-sewing-pattern/

Or possibly this one.

https://www.moodfabrics.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Hydrus_Redux-22-1.jpg

I think I like that one, better...I think.

So consider what the differences appear to be - and maybe compare actual pattern ratios to figure out if those differences are just artifacts.

For sake of communication, I'm going to label the one 4 posts up "green" and the one 2 posts up "brown":
1. The pockets on the brown one are angled slightly. From my experience, this makes it much more comfortable to actually put ones hands in there to keep them warm/warm them up. However, there's no reason in my "can't follow a recipe" mind, that if I decided the green one was the better fit/pattern, that I couldn't angle those pockets - depending on one's height and proportions, pockets should often be adjusted to fit the wearer!
2. It appears that the "flaps" below the collar on the green one are larger than on the brown one, but the more I look at it, I would say the green one is several sizes too large for the manikin - the shoulder seams are well down the arm, so I suspect they just "look" larger.
3. Which pattern gives you the better instructions/choice of sizes.
4. What does the wearer prefer - personally I'm not keen on things which close with a belt, as the belt tends to get in the way/come loose/slide too far one way or another. However, I don't see why the green one couldn't be altered to have buttons, or the brown one skip the buttons if you're a "belt person".
5. Which one actually appears "roomier" in the pattern. This is from someone who's *always* cold in the winter. If the robe doesn't overlap enough, when I sit down it won't keep my legs warm. I was given a robe like that, and it looks very cheery hanging on its hook! I use a ratty old robe a friend outgrew, but it covers my legs when I'm sitting!

Personally, I don't see much difference in the two - very close variation on a theme that might take careful pattern comparison to decide that they're based on the same measurements with just a few details changed to be "this year's style".

So I know this isn't what you asked but I love my knitted housecoat. I made it a few years ago now from this pattern:lore hoodie. It is so cosy, I made it using Drops Andes and I wear it all winter round the house. When I first made it I used to wear it out too.