|
A lining is applied to the inside of a garment to finish it and to hide the garment’s inner construction. No matter what type of garment its used in – dress, coat, jacket, pants – a lining is a luxurious as well as functional finishing touch. Most often made from a slippery fabric, a lining can match or contrast with the colour of the garment. It can even be made of a printed fabric, so long as it will not show through to the outside.
Linings will add some degree of warmth to a garment as well as making it easier to put the garment on and take it off. Though lining fabrics are made from many different fibres, any specific choice should be limited to fabrics that are compatible with the care requirements of the rest of the garment. Also, a lining should be sufficiently opaque to conceal the garment’s inner construction.
The qualities of a lining should be appropriate to the type of garment it is being applied to. For example, a winter coat lining should add considerable warmth to the garment.
A lining fabric should also be strong enough to stand upto the kind of strain and abrasion it will be subjected to. Jacket or coat linings must withstand much more strain and abrasion than the lining of a loose fitting dress, because they will be worn over other garments that might be abrasive in effect, and jackets and coats tend to be worn for more strenuous activities.
Purposes / functions of Lining
The distinctive characteristics of lining fabrics are that they are pleasant to the touch and that their appearance is decorative. Linings are essential:
- To add to the aesthetic appeal of the costumes.
- To provide greater comfort.
- To add body and weight to limp fabrics.
- To prevent wrinkling
- To prevent stretching
- To enhance the appearance of sheers
- To substitute as an interfacing to build an unusual silhouette.
Method of application
Application methods differ, the technique depending upon the type of garment the lining is being applied to. The lining method shown is for a
- Machine application of lining to jacket or coat
- Join all lining sections to form a complete lining unit. Sew the sleeves into the armholes, using a double stitched seam. If lining calls for a pleat down the centre back, from the pleat and machine-tack across pleat top and bottom.
|
|
- Right sides together, match, pin and tack lining to facing edge. Facing side up, stitch in place. On each half, stitch from centre back to a point twice the width of the hem from bottom edge. Trim, grade, clip seam; press toward lining.
|
|
- Turn garment right side out; hem garment. Pin lining to garment in front of both side seams. Lift lining up and tack each of its back side seam allowances to corresponding garment seam allowances to 15 cm above hem. Hem the lining.
|
|
- Lining a garment to its edge
- Construct garment and lining separately, leaving side seams open or both waistcoat and dress; back seam also on dress. Right sides facing, sew lining to garment; waistcoat, all edges except side seams; dress at neck and armholes. Grade and clip or notch seams.
- Press seams, then turn the garment to the right side. To turn a waistcoat, pull each front through each shoulder, and then pull both fronts out through one back side seam. To turn a dress, pull each back through each shoulder, then flip the front to the back.
- Next, stitch the seams as follows. For the waistcoat, stitch the side seams of the garment only; leave side seams of the lining open. For the dress, stitch the side seams of both the garment and lining. Press seams flat, then open. Seam finish if necessary.
- To finish waistcoat, slipstitch side seams of lining closed. To finish dress, stitch garment back seam and insert zipper; stitch lining back seam up to bottom of placket and slip stitch remainder to the zipper tapes; hem garment and lining separately.
- Applying a free-hanging lining to a dress, skirts or pants that will be finished at the top edge by another garment piece, such as a facing or waistband.
Since garments of this type receive a good deal of strain during wear, choose a lining fabric that is relatively durable. Make sure that the care requirements of the lining and garment fabrics are compatible and that the lining fabric is of a colour that will not show through to the outside.
Use the garment’s pattern pieces to cut out lining; if you are making a half-lining, cut it to extend just below the seat area. Before attaching the lining, the garment should be finished up to the stitching of the seams, darts, zipper and sleeves.
Sleeves may or may not be lined. If they are not being lined, apply a bias bound seam finish to the lining armholes. When it is sleeveless garment, the top and the armholes will be finished after the lining has been attached. The garment may or may not be hemmed.
- Keeping the placket area open, join all lining sections to form a unit. Press seams open. (If the lining ends at armholes, seam finish edges with bias binding).
|
|
- Form garment unit. Pin and match the lining unit to the garment unit, wrong sides together. Turn under and pin lining to zipper tapes. Tack lining to garment along top seam line (also armholes, if they are being faced).
|
|
- For skirt half-lining, cut the lining sections to just below the seat area and then form a unit. Finish lower edge with a turned and stitched hem.
|
|
- Slip-hem lining to zipper tapes; remove pins. Apply facing or waistband. Hem lining and garment separately, hemming lining so that it is 2 cm shorter than garment.
|
|
Selection of lining fabrics
The aesthetic appeal of the lining is obviously a pertinent issue in jackets and coats in which it is visible to the public. The fact that a dress or skirt lining will be visible only to the wearer and further the wearer will get pleasure and gain confidence from knowing that a costume is beautiful on the inside as well as the outside.
Lining is provided to various garments like dresses, skirts, pants and shorts, blouse, jackets, topper etc. During 1960’s linings were considered essential in all types of couturier costumes and to a certain extent that is still true. However the polyester and nylon knits do not require lining for functional purpose, since the lining affects the desirable elasticity dimensions and ease of care, because lining material is usually a woven cloth and not knitted.
Evaluation of lining methods
|
Participants