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I love lined things, don’t you? Lining just makes the difference
between a nice project and a really LOVELY project! I love little lined
dresses, lined purses, lined totes and even lined Santa stockings like these.
But lining things can be challenging. For one thing, they don't always like to stay in place. Have you ever had trouble with your linings trying to crawl
out of whatever they were stitched into? If so, here are some tips for making your
linings lie down and behave.
First of all, if at all possible, don’t cut out the lining
until you have attached it to the top edge of your project - if your project has a top edge. For instance,
instead of cutting out the lining pieces to match my stocking pieces BEFORE I
joined them together, I placed the stocking on a block of lining fabric cut slightly
larger than the stocking piece. Like this:
The stocking is wrong side up on the right side of the
lining block. I then stitch across the stocking's top edge using whatever seam allowance I normally would, just ignoring the extra lining fabric. Then I cut off the
excess lining, trimming the seam allowance selvage a little, matching the lining
and the stocking pieces together. Next, I clip along the curve on the selvage
edge, up to but not through the stitching. Then I edge stitched the lining
down.
Edge stitching is probably the nicest thing you can do for
most linings. It really makes them behave and keeps them from crawling up over
the edge of the item they are backing. Edge stitching is not like top stitching
– it doesn’t show on the right side. You are sewing only on the lining side,
through all layers of the seam allowance selvage underneath. This means you
need to open out the project – push the lining and ALL seam allowance selvages
under it to the right and the project fabric to the left. Slip the project
under the machine foot and align the left edge of the foot with the seam as
shown above. With my Baby Lock Ellegante’s “J” foot I can put my needle in the
left position, align the foot with the seam to make a perfect line of stitches
just far enough away to keep everything underneath nice and neat.
The trick to doing this neatly is to put a little tension on
the fabric on both sides of the foot. Actually pull the fabric right and left a
little as you sew. Don’t hinder the movement of the foot or you’ll get crooked
stitches, but do make sure the lining is pulled taut away from the seam so no
wrinkles happen while you stitch.
Looks nice, doesn’t it!
Now it’s time to press. I give a good one, making the top
edge nice and neat. You’ll notice that the lining automatically wants to roll
under the top edge. Let it!
NOW it’s time to cut out the lining.
What’s the advantage of waiting till now to cut the lining?
You have very effectively removed any excess lining. If you’ve ever had a
lining that wanted to be bunchy and floppy inside a project – like a purse for
instance – you’ll know exactly what I mean by excess. A lining cut the same
size as the project tends to bunch up inside, especially if your project fabric
is a good deal thicker than the lining fabric like this quilted stocking. By
waiting till now to cut the lining you have made the lining smaller so it will
fit neat and snug inside your project!
The next good trick to making linings stay where they ought
to and mind their manners is to “stitch in the ditch” on a seam or two connecting the lining to the outside project fabric. It’s
not always possible to do this with your project, but it’s a good step to take
whenever you can.
To make the lining stay neatly in place for my stockings I
stitched right along the seam on the outside of the stocking through all
layers. It’s easiest to do this starting a couple of inches below the top edge
where all the bulk is and sewing toward the top, back-tacking at both ends of the short
line of stitching. You don’t need to sew far, 1 or 2 inches will do nicely or
even less for smaller places.
Try to stitch RIGHT on the seam – that’s the ditch – so that
your stitches will be hidden in there on the right side of your project.
If your lining fabric is a different color than the right
side fabric, match the bobbin thread to it. So much prettier! I know that’s being picky, but you know
sometimes the angel is in the details! :-)
These little tricks have helped me keep my linings in line
for years. Collars, cuffs, pockets, facings, you name it, whatever I’m lining. I hope
they’ll help you too!
Evy
