Cheater Cloth or a Pieced Quilt: Which Should You Use for a Quilted Coat?
Cheater cloth is pre-printed fabric that mimics the look of a pieced quilt top, letting you skip piecing entirely, while a pieced or repurposed quilt gives you a genuinely one-of-a-kind, often more meaningful, starting point. Cheater cloth is the faster, more predictable choice for a first quilted coat project. A pieced or repurposed quilt takes longer and asks a bit more of you, but it can turn a coat into something nobody else on earth is wearing, friend, and that's worth factoring in before you buy a single yard.
Quilted coats and jackets are having a real moment right now, and if you're thinking about making one, the first decision isn't the pattern. It's what you're going to make it out of. That choice basically comes down to two paths: cheater cloth or an actual pieced quilt.
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What cheater cloth actually is
Cheater cloth, sometimes called cheater quilt fabric or convenience cloth, is fabric printed to look like a pieced quilt top, blocks, seams, and all, without a single stitch of piecing involved. You buy it by the yard, layer it with batting and a lining, and quilt it exactly like you would a real pieced top. From a few feet away, and often even up close, it reads as handmade patchwork.
The appeal here is speed and predictability. There's no cutting dozens of small pieces, no matching seams, no risk of your points not lining up. What you see on the bolt is what you get on the coat.
What a pieced or repurposed quilt brings to the table
The other path is starting from an actual quilt, either one you piece yourself specifically for this project, or one that already exists. That second option is where things get interesting, because plenty of quilted clothing makers work from what's known in the quilting world as a cutter quilt: an old quilt that's too worn, damaged, or incomplete to function as a bed quilt anymore, but still has plenty of usable fabric and history left in it.
A cutter quilt might have threadbare patches, a section that's already been cut apart, or simply enough structural damage that keeping it intact isn't realistic anymore. Rather than letting it sit in a closet or a bin, sewists repurpose it into something that gets used and seen again, a coat, a bag, a set of pillow covers, whatever suits the fabric that's left.
How to tell if an old quilt is a good candidate
Not every quilt needs to be cut into, and there's no single rule that applies to every quilt. Here's a rough way to think through it.
Visible wear, like fraying edges, worn-through patches, or fabric failing in multiple spots, tends to make repurposing feel like a lower-stakes decision, since that damage is already changing what the quilt can be used for. The same goes for a quilt that's already been cut apart or is missing sections, since the structural integrity is already gone either way. And plenty of people find themselves drawn to repurposing a quilt that's sentimental but sitting unused, folded away because nobody wants to risk further damage by actually putting it on a bed.
A quilt that's still structurally sound, even if it's old or has some minor wear, opens up more options. Repair and continued use as a quilt is one path. Repurposing is another. Both keep the piece part of daily life, just in different forms, and which one feels right often comes down to the story behind the quilt and what its owner actually wants from it.
Making the call for your own project
If you want a quilted coat with minimal risk and a shorter timeline, cheater cloth is the easier starting point. It's especially good for a first attempt, since you're only learning the coat construction, not piecing and construction at the same time.
If you have a quilt that already qualifies as a cutter quilt, whether that's a family piece with damage that makes cutting it feel less fraught, or something you picked up secondhand specifically for this purpose, that's a project with a story built in before you've sewn a single seam. It takes more planning, since you're working with the fabric you have rather than yardage you can reorder, but the result is something genuinely irreplaceable.
There's no wrong answer here. Just a different kind of project depending on what you're going for.
Ready to make your own? Our Quilt Coat Online Class replay walks you through cutting, constructing, and finishing a coat step by step, and the Elemental Coat Sewing Pattern is a great next pattern if you want to build your skills further:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is cheater cloth?
Cheater cloth, also called cheater quilt fabric or convenience cloth, is fabric printed to look like a pieced patchwork quilt top, allowing you to skip the piecing process entirely while still getting a quilted, patchwork appearance.
What is a cutter quilt?
A cutter quilt is an old quilt that's too damaged, worn, or incomplete to function as a usable bed quilt, but still has enough good fabric left to be repurposed into something new, like clothing, bags, or home decor.
Is it okay to cut up an old quilt?
It really comes down to the quilt's condition and what its owner wants for it. A quilt that's already damaged, worn through, or partially disassembled is commonly repurposed, while a quilt that's still structurally sound gives you more paths to choose from, repair and continued use as a quilt, or repurposing into something new.
Do I need piecing experience to make a quilted coat with cheater cloth?
No. Since cheater cloth already has the pieced look printed on it, you can go straight to layering, quilting, and construction without any piecing experience at all.
Paula McKinley walks through her own quilted coats on 3 Things Live, including one built from repurposed antique quilts dating back to the 1870s, showing exactly what separates a coat made from cheater cloth versus one built from real, pieced fabric. Watch that segment here: