Upcycled Blanket Coat

A few years ago, I had a quilted cotton blanket that I loved the look of but never used as a blanket – the size wasn’t right for my bed and I don’t always like the weight of thick cotton blankets. So I thought it might get more use pieced into a fancy coat!

For the pattern I used Vogue 8930, with modifications. I wanted to preserve the scalloped edges of the blanket as much as possible, so I had to get creative with my cutting and do a little more piecing here and there, especially along the bottom border.

The pattern is also meant for fabrics that are a little drapier and less thick than my blanket. Ultimately I decided to add a belt for a more structured option in case I wanted to wear it closed.

Here’s the back view:

And the side view, worn open – I like this unbelted look better than I used to:

So even though I made this coat a few years ago, I’ve never seriously worn it out anywhere!

It’s one of those projects where I doubted both my vision and execution during the process of making and altering it (Is the fabric too stiff? Is the shape too crazy?). But with a little distance from the time I made it, I think it turned out lovely. So I plan to give it a chance this year as the frigid Chicago winter starts to thaw into spring.