If you’ve been eyeing puffer jackets but don’t know how to make your own, the search is over! After researching the manufacturing of commercial puffer jackets, I decoded the process and simplified it for the home sewist. I started with Mood Fabric’s burgundy ripstop nylon. This turns out to be a really great choice as the lines in the ripstop fabric are a perfect guide for following while quilting the puffer jacket. Mood Fabrics has so many different colors of ripstop nylon fabric, you can make a puffer jacket in any color!
For the lining, I wanted a soft, fun fabric, so I chose this Maroon/Gray Tartan Plaid flannel. (Don’t you think retail puffer jackets would be cold against the skin when initially put on because they use nylon as both the main and the lining fabrics?)
While researching, I discovered the outer and inner nylon fabrics get quilted together before they are stuffed. It requires a very large, factory size machine to blow air and goose down into the pre-quilted sections. Needless to say, this type of machine is not a viable option for the home sewist! Taking apart a down pillow or comforter and stuffing the jacket by hand might be an option, but discovering how most commercial down is raised and harvested, ruled out down as an option for me. (This type of research is NOT a path you want to travel if you are squeamish or an animal lover!!! Because I’m such a pioneer woman, living in the country and lovingly raising my own animals, someday I may have enough down collected to make a puffer jacket filled with down.) But for today’s puffer jacket, I chose to use traditional quilt batting.
With burgundy ripstop nylon for the outside, flannel for the lining, and quilt batting for the inside, I set about constructing my puffer jacket. I used my favorite outerwear pattern; the Halifax Hoodie by Hey June Patterns because I already knew it fit me well. (Fitting adjustments are a very real consideration for me as I’m 6’ tall!) With a few modifications, the Halifax Hoodie pattern was a great block to start with.
I cut out each pattern piece from nylon, lining, and batting. After playing around with the batting, I decided to use 2 layers of batting inside each pattern piece for extra loft and warmth. The only thing I didn’t consider when making this choice was how the extra batting would make the arms smaller and tighter. The finished result is not unwearable, but I certainly can’t layer a sweater underneath the jacket!
Next, I set aside the lining and layered up the batting and ripstop nylon using wonder clips or clothes pins to hold together the layers while quilting. All sorts of quilting designs are possible, only limited by imagination! For my puffer jacket, I used 2” spacing on the sleeves, neckpiece and side hood pieces. For the center hood piece, I used 1/2” spacing, which you can see in the photo below.
On the front and back pieces, I started at the waist with 1/2” spacing, and radiated out to 2” spacing above and below to create a slimming appearance at the waist. Elastic across the back also helps add shaping, as you can see above.
While quilting, I used nylon thread because the outer fabric is nylon. It’s a little finicky to work with, and doesn’t seem to be as stable as other thread. But it is waterproof, like the rest of the outside of the puffer jacket. For all other seams, I used polyester thread.
I found it is very helpful to use a walking foot on my sewing machine while quilting the pieces together, and later, for sewing the seams. The nylon fabric is a bit slippery, and all the layers can get thick and hard to keep aligned without a walking foot.
Even by sewing carefully, using wonder clips and a walking foot, I still needed to tidy up when finished quilting by trimming the batting from around the edges of each piece. In the photo above, you can see a side hood piece after it had been quilted, but before trimming. I just used a scissors or rotary cutter to trim away the excess batting sticking out beyond the nylon fabric.
After sewing each seam I also graded the seam allowances by trimming extra batting away as illustrated above. This helps the finished jacket lay nicely around the body and not be too thick or stiff at each seam.
In the photo above, you can see the quilted lines match up from the back to the front. To match the lines of quilting around the body of the puffer jacket, pin the pieces together at quilt lines where you will be stitching. For example, I was using a 1/2” seam allowance, so put a pin through the front piece and back piece at each line of quilting, 1/2″ from the raw edges.
Matching the lines of quilting across the front zipper can be tricky. It is helpful to sew on one side of the zipper, and then use chalk to mark the location of each line of quilting on the zipper as shown above. Next, pin the marked side of the zipper to the other side of the jacket, making sure to match up the lines of quilting across the zipper.
Next time, there are some changes I would make from the lessons I learned while sewing this, but right now I’m so very excited to have an ethically produced, custom-fitting puffer jacket! If you make a puffer jacket, please share it with me. For more of my sewing adventures, you can find my blog at Skirt Fixation, and follow me on Instagram too.
26 comments
WOW! That is Beautiful and Very Well Made! Thank you for sharing the process as well!
I have for the past several months have been searching info on how-to on puffer coats. From what materials to choose, filling or stuffing, linings and you have given me hope with your article. I would enjoy reviewing the process of a metallic puffer jacket from you, since this is big for fall and winter 2018 according to what I have read on different fashion websites. Will refer back to your article once I have all the supplies needed for my puffer coat. Thanks for sharing info. Thanks Mood.
Thanks for this! I’ve been toying w making a really lightweight packable synthetic puffy for summer use when backpacking. I may go the lazy route and just knot it instead of quilting it. Thanks so much for your post!
Wow – I so admire your jacket and your reasons for making it yourself. I am an animal lover also. I appreciate your diligent work and bless your heart for sharing with us! Keep up your good work.
Great Job! will try this for the LO
This is great!! I could really use a puffer jacket for when I start my section hiking of the Appalachian Trail. And with my current size no one makes them quite large enough around or in the sleeves. So this has made me want to try my hand at making one. Thank you!!
Try using Thinsulate rather than batting. It is already stitched to a backing and easy to use. I have been using this for fleece reversible vests. It is super light weight, washable and very warm. At -26, my brother was comfortable being outdoors for 4 hours. I have also used it for baby snow suits.
Primaloft Gold is supposed to be super warm, too 🙂
Did you know, you can use cat tail catkins or milkweed down as alternatives to down feathers. Cattails work better. Harvest the catkins by cutting the tops only, keep the catkin intact. (do this in late fall/early winter, wear boots!). Keep them confined in a bag. 1 tiny catkin will fill a 6×6 square of fabric. It might take some doing, but you could layer your lining and outer fabric, then put the catkin inside the two layers of fabric. Draw the stem out of the fabric and leave the fluff behind. Shake it up a bit, holding the hole closed. Once distributed evenly, quilt the fabric. Don’t worry about seeds or dirt. Once you finish the jacket, wash it. It will come out flat as a pancake! Now dry it, a lot. Poof! Another advantage, the cattail cotton floats as well as insulates. My mother was paid 10 cents per lb. of catkins harvested during WWII. They were used to make warm jackets and life preservers. Look up Kapok filling, it’s about the same thing.
Amazing jacket! One question (as I am about on embarking on a similar journey) – how did you finish sleeves and hem? Thank you!
Kate – they are just folded inside and stitch together! Easy as it can get!
Thank you for this tutorial. Now I’m ready to make my own puffer dress!
I wonder if anyone is old enough to remember Frostline Kits??? When I was in high school, they had complete down jacket kits. No need for a big machine in order to fill the channels you create, just shove in the stuff. I actually want to make a puffier puffer jacket, but I would NOT want to use down… I need to find a good down alternative for that. Your coat is super nice, though – thank you for the tutorial!!!
Where can I get the materials?
I’m so, so glad I found this post. It’s really hard to find info on making puffer coats. Someone told me to watch out about the layers because it could make things tight, and this post have me an a-ha moment which was to try to quilt before I cut. Not sure exactly how that will work as far as getting it to be the correct size but maybe I can do some tests cutting a bigger size.
I ultimately found this after searching for what fabric to buy, which I actually want to get at Mood, so this was so helpful in multiple ways. I also didn’t even realize I could use any coat pattern. I have a lot to learn! Thank you so much!
@ Skirt Fixation: Beautiful job and appreciate the tips/tutorial. (i.e.: In respect to sizing, compensate for the filling amount, quilting guide lines etc.)
@ Alysia: I too wish to use down ‘n feathers as have more than enough recycled ones from bedding pillows that I can use. In my case wish to make a sleeveless vest just to wear as a liner under my lighter weight winter dress coats, without adding too much extra bulk. (Just have to figure out a way to distribute them evenly.)
-Brenda-
That is one excellent idea for up cycling the use of a sleeping bag, and add many more years to the usage.
I’m in a recycling program and it happens that we have older sleeping bags with the odd stain or other imperfection. Turn a used sleeping bag into a coat for the homeless? Recycling never ends if you want to help out. I’m into fashion charities…used items made new again, that a great charity. You can sell or give away what you make and make money through sales and/or donations. Sewing charities are non profit through used items, generally new fashions or well preserved fashions are for a reasonable profit…it’s a fashion cycle.
Thank you for sharing! Your jacket is amazing 🙂
I have a puffer jacket and after some washes, I have noticed, the collar area where the batting used it be in, has shifted to the other side of the collar, which now makes one end of the collar, empty. I would like your advice of how I can pull the poly batting over to the other end? Any advice is appreciated.
P/s: I choose not to get another puffer jacket, because this one still have many more years to it. Thank you.
Hi Sharon! You may be able to slip a loop turner through the stitching and hook it onto the batting. Once the batting is back in its place, you can add some top-stitching to keep it secure. 🙂
Hey the jacket looks amazing! I’m about to embark a similar challenge to help with a charity. How much more cm/inches would you advise to give room for jumpers underneath the jacket as you said the padding makes the fabric smaller?
Awesome tutorial! Just wondering how did you do the pockets?
Amazing tutorial! Very informative and useful. Thanks for sharing.
Hi
Great tutorial I have seen one or two other tutorials. These tutorials are great however when it comes to the layering the wadding some say two layers some say 3-4 layers but it never say which weight of wadding is being used ie 1oz, 2oz, 3oz and do fourth so if you used 2 layers what weight did you use please.
just wanted to pop in and thank you for this! I’m at a point in my life where I’m finally able to take up sewing and tailoring for myself and your puffer jacket blog post has helped me to begin a project I thought would be beyond a single sewist 🙂