How to Sew with Coating Fabric

Sewing your own coat or jacket may be time-consuming, but it’s well worth the effort for the amount of wear you will get out of the finished garment. Plus you get to feel extra smug when someone asks you where your coat is from!

While working with thick and textured wool coating or vegan-friendly alternatives may seem intimidating if you’ve never done it before, I’m here to reassure you that it’s totally do-able. As long as you have a sturdy sewing machine that can handle thicker fabrics, you’ll be able to make yourself a beautiful coat or jacket.

In this guide, I'll walk you through how to prepare, cut, mark, stabilise, sew, and press coating fabric, with a few of my favourite tips for making those bulky layers much easier to handle.

What is coating fabric?

“Coating” is really an umbrella term for fabrics used to make outerwear. You might find wool, wool blended with viscose or polyester, vegan alternatives and textured fabrics such as tweed. Coating fabrics can vary a lot in thickness and surface texture, so it’s worth ordering a few swatches before committing to enough fabric for your project.

You may want to avoid thicker coating for coats jackets with multiple layers, as sewing through them could be tricky. For our Manon jacket sewing pattern, for example, we recommend fabrics that aren’t too thick so attaching the collar isn’t too tricky.

Some materials such as “boiled wool” can also be a bit stretchy. While this would be fine for making a simple duster-style piece, it could be challenging for sewing patterns with a collar or other details without stretching them out.

To avoid frustration, it’s worth checking whether your machine can handle sewing through several layers of the fabric you’re interested in before you buy too much of it.

Recommended sewing patterns for coating fabric

You can use coating fabric to make many jackets or coats – check the fabric suggestions for the pattern you're making.

Our Manon jacket can be sewn in coating fabric to turn it into a cropped pea coat-style jacket. It’s also easy to lengthen the pattern if you’d prefer a cosier hip-length version. When sewing it in coating, I’d recommend getting the bundle that includes the lining add-on pattern.

The Eden sewing pattern can be made as a duffle coat when sewn in coating fabrics. It’s fully lined, with a hood, zip and toggles for ultimate cute-n-cosy style.

How to pre-shrink wool coating

We're told time and again to pre-wash our garment fabric to get any shrinkage out of the way before we cut out the pattern. But what about coating fabric?

Some wool-free coatings are machine washable, so you can put them in the washing machine on a low heat and gentle cycle.

For most coating fabrics, however, it’s not advisable to put them in the washing machine, as they can take on a matte or felted texture. Instead, you can ask a professional dry cleaner to steam-shrink your uncut fabric. Alternatively, you can steam-shrink it yourself. Here’s how...

1. Cover a table with two layers of large towels, then lay your uncut coating fabric on top with the wrong side facing upwards.

2. Fill a steam iron or clothes steamer with water – make sure it’s de-ionised water if you live in a hard water area to prevent limescale and reduce the risk of the iron spitting brown water onto your lovely fabric (been there, done that!).

3. Set it to a high steam setting, and hover close to the fabric without touching it. You may need to press the steam button to get a jet of steam out. Test on a small area first, as too much heat can scorch the fabric or create unwanted sheen. Work across the fabric in sections until you have steamed all of it.

4. Once you've finished steaming, let the fabric dry completely before cutting. It can stretch while it's damp and malleable, so don't be tempted to rush this bit.

Tips for cutting coating fabric

Some coating fabrics have a nap, meaning they look or feel different depending on which direction the surface is running. If your fabric has a nap, choose which direction you want it to run and make sure all your pattern pieces are cut in the same direction.

Coating can also move around when it's folded in two, so smooth both layers carefully before cutting. If your fabric is particularly shifty, consider cutting it on a single layer instead – in which case, you’ll need to trace off any pieces marked “place on fold” into a double-sized piece.

You can use sharp dressmaking scissors or a rotary cutter to cut coating fabrics. Coating can dull blades, so you may need to sharpen or replace rotary cutter blades afterwards. A lint roller is also handy for picking up little fibres once you've finished cutting.

How to mark coating fabric

Your usual fabric marking tool may not show up particularly well on textured coating.

Try a chalk wheel, wax-based tailor's chalk or even a sliver of dried, unscented soap. Whichever you choose, test it on a scrap first to check it will come off easily.

If none of these tools work, you can transfer sewing pattern markings using tailor’s tacks and thread tracing.

Use tailor's tacks for small markings

Tailor's tacks are useful for small, precise markings such as button positions.

Use a contrast colour thread so you can see it easily. Cotton thread is less likely to slip out, but ordinary polyester sewing thread is fine if that's what you have to hand.

1. Thread a hand sewing needle with two strands of thread and don't knot the ends.

2. Take two stitches through the pattern and fabric at the marking, leaving a loose loop around 5–7cm (2–3in) long.

3. Snip the threads, including the top of each loop.

4. When you're ready to remove the paper pattern, peel it away carefully so the threads stay in the fabric as your markings.

Remove the temporary threads once you've finished using the markings.

Try thread tracing for longer lines

For longer lines, such as a pocket stitching line, thread tracing can be faster and more accurate than lots of individual tailor's tacks.

1. Thread a hand sewing needle with two strands of thread and don't knot the ends.

2. Sew a running stitch along the marked line, with stitches around 1–2cm (1/2-3/4in) apart. Leave larger loops on the upper side of the fabric, but pull the thread flush against the fabric on the underside. 

3. Clip between each loop.

4. Carefully peel the pattern away to reveal your marked line.

Tailor’s tacks and thread tracing take a little more work than tools such as a chalk pencil, but I find it particularly useful when working with a dark or textured coating where ordinary markings simply disappear.

Interfacing for coating fabrics

Coats and jackets often require a fair bit of interfacing to add stability and structure to areas such as the front openings and any collars. For most coating fabrics, a woven, fusible (iron-on) interfacing will do the job perfectly well. Make sure it’s a suitable weight for your fabric, and test it out on a scrap to check it fuses adequately.

Interfacing may not adhere very well to textured coating fabrics. Don't worry - it doesn't necessarily need to form a super-strong bond – it just needs to stay in place until the fabric pieces are sewn together.

If it’s really not sticking to your fabric, you can use sew-in interfacing instead. Tack (baste) it to the fabric close to the edges of each piece, keeping the stitches within the seam allowance so they won't be visible in the finished garment.

Pins vs. fabric clips

Pinning through thick coating fabrics can be a struggle. You may find that the pins bend out of shape, especially when it comes to joining multiple layers such as attaching a collar or hood to a neckline.

I’d recommend investing in a pack of fabric clips. They can hold layers together surprisingly accurately, plus they eliminate the danger of stabbing yourself whilst trying to force a pin through multiple layers. A win-win!

Stitch settings for sewing thick coating fabric

When you're sewing wool coating and similar thick coating fabrics, your machine needs to work a bit harder than usual.

• Needle – try a 90/14 or 100/16, depending on the thickness of your fabric.
• Stitch length – lengthen this a little to sew thick fabrics. 2.8–3 is a good starting point, but always test on a scrap first.
• Thread tension – lower this slightly for thick fabrics, multiple layers, or to make a feature of topstitching.
• Presser foot pressure – if your machine allows you to adjust this, turn it to a low setting to help the fabric pass under the foot without being squashed.

How to sew over bulky seams

To give your presser foot a bit of leeway when sewing over thick coating fabrics, start by lowering the presser foot pressure if your machine allows you to (check your manual).

When starting to sew a seam in thick layers, or when you reach a bulky area such as a pocket, you may need to give the back of your sewing machine’s presser foot a leg up so it sits level, without tilting up at the front.

One way to do this is by using a stitch starter. Place a small folded piece of fabric under the back of the presser foot to level it out as you start sewing.

Alternatively, if your presser foot has a black button on the right-hand side, hold this in to keep the foot sitting level while lowering the presser foot in place.

Trimming your coat seams

One of the biggest challenges when sewing a coat is managing the thickness where several layers have been sewn together.

Before pressing, trim your seam allowances where appropriate and go one step further by grading the seam allowances. This means trimming each layer to different widths so the raw edges don't all stack directly on top of each other.

This is particularly useful around bulky areas such as collars, facings, pockets and other points where several layers of fabric and interfacing come together.

How to press coating fabric

Pressing wool and other textured coating material requires a little extra care. The heat from an iron can create sheen on some coating fabrics, so minimise pressing on the right (nice) side of the garment. For example, you could use just the tip of the iron to neaten a seam, rather than holding the entire plate against the fabric.

You might also want to use a pressing cloth to create a barrier between the iron plate and your precious material. It doesn’t have to be anything special – try a piece of lightweight cotton, or even a tea towel.

A wooden clapper is a useful tool for pressing coating fabric. Steam the seam with your iron, without actually touching the iron to the fabric, then press down firmly with the clapper for around 10 seconds, until the fabric has cooled. This method uses heat, moisture, and pressure to flatten the seam without leaving the hot iron sitting directly on the fabric.

Sometimes the edge of a thick seam allowance can leave an impression on the right side of the fabric. To help prevent this, slip a strip of card between the seam allowance and the main fabric before pressing.

Finally, if you live in an area with hard water, using de-ionised water in your iron can help prevent limescale and reduce the risk of the iron spitting brown water onto your lovely fabric. (London gal here!)

Read more tips for pressing your sewing projects

Take your time with coating fabric

Making a coat or jacket is a bigger sewing project than you may be used to, and the added complication of thick fabric can make it feel intimidating. But don’t be put off – you may be pleasantly surprised at how easily you can manage it once you know these tips on how to work with coating fabric.

As with any sewing project, I'd recommend practising your stitch settings and iron settings on a scrap of your project fabric before you embark on your project so you can make any adjustments.

Be patient with your project, and keep your eye on the prize – a beautiful, custom-made coat or jacket you can wear all season long and feel proud to say you made yourself!

Ready to put these tips into practice? Choose your next outerwear sewing project from the Tilly and the Buttons pattern collection.