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Wool Fleece Fabric & Coat Patterns

Wool Fleece Fabric & Coat Patterns

Warm, dense wool cloth with the coat and jacket patterns to go with it, so you can pick the fabric and the pattern in one visit. The fabrics run from 100% wool fleece and merino wool fleece through to boiled wool in a wide colour range, and the patterns cover coats, jackets, overshirts, vests and cosy sweaters. Order Sample if you want to feel the weight first.
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Winter sewing tends to stall at the same point: you find the cloth and then can't decide what to make with it, or you find the pattern and can't work out which fabric it wants. This collection puts both on one page, so the fabric and the pattern can be chosen together.

Two families of cloth sit here. Wool fleece is a napped, brushed wool with a soft, slightly furry face and real warmth for its weight, and it comes in 100% wool and merino versions. Boiled wool is knitted and then deliberately shrunk, which packs the fibres together into a dense, stable cloth that doesn't fray and needs very little finishing. Both are natural insulators, and wool's natural flame resistance is a genuine advantage over synthetic fleece for anything worn close to a fire or a stove.

What to make with it

  • Coats and long jackets. Both cloths have enough body to hold a collar and a lapel without heavy interfacing.
  • Overshirts and shackets. The lighter boiled wools work well for the layer that sits between a jumper and a coat.
  • Vests and gilets. Cut edges on boiled wool can often be left raw, which makes for a quick, clean finish.
  • Cosy sweaters and cardigans. The softer wool fleeces have the drape for a relaxed pullover.

The patterns on this page

The sewing patterns here are chosen because they suit this weight of cloth: moto jackets, unlined and lined coats, collarless overshirts, vests and pull-on sweaters, across a spread of size ranges and difficulty levels. Each pattern's own fabric suggestions are on its product page, and it's worth reading those before committing, because a pattern drafted for a drapey knit won't behave the same way in a dense boiled wool. For the full pattern selection, see our coat and jacket sewing patterns.

Sewing and care

Both cloths sew more easily than their weight suggests. Use a slightly longer stitch, a walking foot if you have one, and press with steam and a cloth rather than a dry iron on the face. Boiled wool doesn't fray, so seams can be left flat and topstitched or bound rather than overlocked, which keeps the bulk down. Wool fleece has a nap, so cut all pieces in the same direction or the shade will look different across a seam. Treat everything here as dry clean or hand wash cool unless the fabric care label states otherwise, and never tumble dry wool.

If you're after boiled wool specifically and don't need the patterns, our boiled wool fabric collection has the full colour range. The grid above is the definitive list of what's in stock today.

What is wool fleece fabric?

Wool fleece is a woven or knitted wool cloth that's been brushed to raise a soft nap on the surface. That nap traps air, which is what makes it warm, and it gives the fabric a soft, slightly furry handle. It isn't the same as synthetic polar fleece, which is made from polyester.

What's the difference between boiled wool and wool fleece?

Boiled wool is knitted and then shrunk deliberately, producing a dense, felted cloth with cut edges that don't fray. Wool fleece is brushed rather than felted, so it's softer and more open. Boiled wool is the more structured of the two; wool fleece is the cosier.

Does boiled wool fabric fray when you cut it?

No, and that's one of its main attractions. The felting process locks the fibres together, so raw edges stay put and seams can be left unfinished, topstitched or bound rather than overlocked.

Can you wash wool fleece and boiled wool at home?

Treat both as dry clean or gentle hand wash in cool water unless the fabric care label states otherwise. Heat and agitation will shrink and felt wool further, so never tumble dry it and don't wring it out. Dry flat, away from direct heat.

How much wool fabric do I need to make a coat?

Check the pattern envelope, as it varies a lot with the style and your size. As a rough guide, an unlined coat in 150cm wide cloth often needs around 2.5 to 3.5 metres. Wool fleece has a nap, so allow extra if all your pieces need to face the same way.

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