Songbird Blog Hop – My Quilted Jacket & Matching Bags

When Jennifer Thomas of Curlicue Creations invited me to join her Songbird Blog Hop featuring the beautiful Songbird collection by Jerry Khiev for Island Batik, I was thrilled to participate. She kindly sent me a bundle of 9″ strips from the collection along with a yard of the soft light pink fabric — perfect for accents and finishing touches.

Preparing the Fabric

I was inspired by a quilted jacket created by Creat.ed.Studio, where she transformed a sweatshirt into a quilted garment. I loved the idea and decided to create my own version using the Songbird fabrics.

I began by cutting each 9″ strip into 22″ lengths. From each fabric, I sub‑cut one piece into 4″ and 5″ strips, and the matching piece into 3″ and 6″ strips. This gave me a wonderfully scrappy mix to work with.

I grouped the strips into sets — one of each size — to keep the layout scrappy and visually balanced. Then I sub‑cut everything again into 2″ and 2½” strips, creating even more variety for piecing.

Building the Jacket

I mixed and matched the strips, stitching them directly onto the sweatshirt base. Watching the colors and prints come together was such a joy.

For the binding, I used the light pink Island Batik fabric. On my Juki D4000, I finished the binding with a decorative stitch that added just the right touch of detail.

The end result was a quilted jacket full of color, texture, and personality — all from the Island Batik Songbird collection.

Bonus Project: Matching Bags

After finishing the jacket, I realized I still had plenty of leftover fabric. Naturally, that meant one thing: matching bags!

I pieced together two panels measuring about 15″ x 40″ each, using the remaining strips.

To quilt the panels, I added a lining of matching pink Island Batik fabric and loaded everything onto my Juki longarm. I used the Summer Flowers pantograph from Quilting Pantographs — a sweet, flowing design that paired beautifully with the Songbird prints.

I made long straps (about 40″) so the bags would comfortably fit over my shoulder.

After folding each panel in half, I used French seams throughout and added boxed corners for structure. These became my first two bags.

With more leftover strips, I made two additional bags — this time with the strips running vertically. For these, I quilted them using the Spinning Hearts pantograph.

They turned out slightly shorter but just as charming.

In the end, I had four coordinating bags to go with my quilted jacket.

Ready for Quilt Festival

Every November, I head to the Houston Quilt Festival, and I absolutely cannot wait to wear this jacket and carry these bags. They’ll be perfect for classes, shopping, and showing off the beautiful Songbird collection.

Even though it’s over 100 degrees here in Texas right now, I’m already dreaming of January “winter” so I can wear this jacket.

If you enjoyed my project using the Island Batik Songbird collection, be sure to check out the other makers in the Songbird Blog Hop — there’s so much creativity to explore.

Curlicue Creations – 08/10/2026
Freemotion by the River – 08/11/2026
Lisa’s Quilting Passion – 08/12/2026
Songbird Designs – 08/13/2026
Sew Cute And Quirky -08/14/2026

Textile Time Travels – 08/15/2026
The Darling Dogwood – 08/16/2026
Quilted Delights – 08/17/2026
Ihearditthroughthequilt-vine – 08/18/2026
Pamela Quilts – 08/19/2026

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