Lyra Quilted Denim Jacket Refashion

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Sew your own fabric sunset with this delightful refashioning project from Sophie Tarrant. Using a thrifted denim jacket, you can turn a rainbow of fabric scraps into a quilted sunset panel. We love the idea of using Sophie’s design as a jumping off point for creating your own unique quilted scenes, such as a landscape of fall foliage for autumn or a range of snow-capped mountains. Personalizing your closet has never been more fun than with this creative quilting idea.

Skill Level: Beginner

Designer Notes:

Take care when paper piecing. Always check that each fabric piece will fully cover its section of the template before stitching, allowing plenty of extra fabric around the edges. It’s much easier to trim away excess than try to fill a gap later.
Keep your curves smooth. When joining the landscape strips, make gentle, flowing curves rather than tight turns. Clip into the seam allowances after stitching to help the curves lie flat when pressed.

Materials:

Denim jacket*
Fabric*: Scraps of colorful printed cotton
Thread: To match your fabrics
Lightweight quilt batting: Large enough to cover the back panel of your jacket
Temporary fabric spray adhesive or basting tool(s) of choice
Bias tape: Premade or made from spare patchwork fabric, long enough for the perimeter of the back panel of your jacket + 5” extra for joining the ends
Paper: Large enough to cover 1/3 of the back panel of your jacket (multiple pieces can be taped together, if needed)

Note: *If needed or desired, prewash your jacket and any fabrics to ensure color-fastness and to avoid any potential color bleeding in future washings.

Tools:

Pencil
Ruler
Scissors
Rotary cutter
Cutting mat
Sewing clips or pins
Sewing machine
Iron

Piecing Instructions:

Begin by assessing your jacket. Lay it flat with the back facing up, smoothing out any wrinkles or creases. Give it a quick press if necessary, then measure the area where you want to add the panel to determine its required finished size. If your jacket already has a design or embellishment on the back – like our sample jacket, which had a chain-edged leopard-print panel – carefully unpick the stitching and remove it.
Pick your fabrics. Decide how you’d like the colors to flow through the sunset and landscape, then choose a selection of patchwork fabrics to bring your design to life. Mix colors and prints for added interest, making sure all your fabrics are suitable for quilting. Separate the fabrics into two piles – one for the sunset sky and one for the land.
Take a sheet of plain paper the same width as the panel you measured in Step 1, and approximately one-third of its height. Draw a horizontal line across the lower section to mark the horizon, then draw a circle centered on the line, allowing the bottom of the circle to extend below it. Using a ruler, draw a series of straight lines radiating out from the bottom-center point of the sun, extending toward the top and sides of the paper to create the sunbeams, as shown. You’ll use this template to create a paper-pieced patchwork design.
Take your first two sunset fabrics and place the first piece with the wrong side of the fabric against the back of the paper (the side that is not drawn on), covering the first section of the template with a minimum of 1/4” of fabric extending beyond the drawn lines. Place the second fabric right sides together with the first, aligning its edge with the line separating the two sections. Pin the pieces together with the paper template, if desired. Turn the paper over to the drawn side, and stitch directly along the drawn line of the sunbeam, sewing through both the paper and fabric from the center of the sun out to the edge of the paper. (Tip: Backstitching at the start and end of each seam line can help secure the fabrics as you sew the FPP.) Remove any pins, fold the paper along the stitched line, and trim the fabric seam allowance to 1/4”. Do not cut the paper. Unfold the paper, flip it to the fabric side (the back of the paper template), open out the second fabric, and press the seam.
Before sewing, make sure the third fabric will cover the third section of the paper template when sewn and opened out, extending beyond the drawn lines a minimum of 1/4”. Take your third fabric and position it right sides together with the second fabric that was just added to the paper template, pinning if desired. Stitch along the next drawn line (between the second and third positions), sewing through the paper and fabric. Fold the paper back along the stitched line, and trim the fabric seam allowance to 1/4”. Unfold the paper, flip it to the fabric side, open out the third fabric, and press the seam.
Using Steps 4-5 as a guide, continue adding strips in this way until all the sections of the sunset have been pieced. Press the panel once more, then set it aside for now. Trim away any excess fabric beyond the paper template, if desired.
Cut two strips of fabric for the landscape section, making sure they are slightly wider than your panel measurement. Place them both right sides up and stagger them so they overlap along one long edge by around 1”. Using a rotary cutter, cut a gentle, irregular curve through both layers. This will create the organic, undulating edge of your landscape when the pieces are joined. Place the pieces right sides together along the curved edge and sew with a 1/4” seam allowance. Snip into the curves, taking care not to cut through the stitching, then open out the fabric and press the seam.
Join additional strips of landscape fabric in the same way, clipping the seam allowances around the curves and pressing each seam in the same direction for a neat finish. Continue adding strips until the landscape and sunset sections together are slightly taller than your full panel measurement.
Cut one circle from yellow fabric, at least 1/2” larger than the sun marked on your template, then cut the circle in half. Place the circle halves right sides together and stitch around the curved edge with a 1/4” seam allowance. Clip into the seam allowance, taking care not to cut through the stitching, then turn the sun right side out through the gap and press. Place the sun on the sunset and baste in place along the bottom straight edge using a 1/8” seam allowance. Position the sunset and sun and landscape sections together and mark a gently curved horizon line where they will meet. Cut along the line, then place the sunset and sun and landscape sections right sides together (keeping the sun sandwiched between the layers). Stitch along the curved edge with a 1/4” seam allowance, securing the sun, sunset, and landscape together into a single panel. Trim along the curved edge if needed, then open out and press to complete the basic patchwork panel.
Place the finished panel on top of a piece of quilt batting, making sure the batting extends beyond all four edges of the panel. No backing fabric is required here. Spray-baste the layers together using a temporary fabric adhesive, then smooth the panel carefully to remove any wrinkles (or baste using your preferred method). Using your sewing machine, quilt through the panel and batting, following the shapes of your design. For the sun, stitch a series of concentric curved lines, working from the center outwards to echo its shape. Quilt the sunset using rows of straight lines running the length of each sunbeam, spacing them closely together to emphasize the radiating design. For the landscape, follow the curves of each fabric strip, stitching rows of lines across the width of the panel to add texture and definition. Continue quilting until the whole panel is securely stitched and evenly textured. Make sure to backstitch at any starts or stops in the middle of the panel.
Trim the quilted panel to your required finished size, making sure the edges are straight and even. Use the bias tape to bind the panel – similar to how you would bind a quilt – using your preferred method, mitering the tape at each corner and joining the ends neatly to finish.
Position the finished panel on the back of your jacket and pin it securely into place. Stitch around the outer edges of the panel, working in the ditch of the bias tape seam to conceal the stitches. Pivot carefully around the corners, making sure the panel lies flat against the jacket.