It's wintertime here...seriously cold, seriously snowing...seriously winter! I spent a lot of the last holiday weekend sewing with wools. When I sew with a wool I alwaysadd a lining. For several reasons ~ to prolong the life of the garment, to make sure the wool doesn't irritate or scratch and sometimes to add warmth and weight to a garment.
Because of that I've been digging deep into my linings stash...well also I need to refresh my bemberg lining stash...it's that time of the year again. However, that need is allowing me to be a little adventurous with linings that I'm kinda loving. You know you don't need to add only a rayon bemberg or solid silk colored lining to a garment...sometimes adding a print or a stripe to the inside of your garment really makes it fun & interesting!
For the several of the recently completed garments I've used polyester charmeuses that have been stashed f-o-r-e-v-e-r from Fabric Mart...
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...don't they just give the inside of the garments a funky and fresh kinda feel?!
Then after rambling through the lining drawers, I found a silk batiste that I'd been hoarding to use with one of the Liberty of London prints that I bought from fabric.com several years ago. At first I put it back thinking, need to save this, but then I thought I can always order more, right? So it went into the maize colored wool crepe dress.
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Warmth is another concern...especially this winter...so I've taken some of my satin linings and added them to my pants. Not only does this mean that the underlining in the pants are silkier and easier to slide on and off but the heavier satin adds warmth to the pants. I can take a lighter weight wool that I love and add a slightly heavier lining to it and get a great wearing warmer pair of pants than normal.
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So when you're thinking about lining a garment, think outside the box. Don't just grab a solid colored rayon bemberg or silk, try something different to add some spice to your garment. However, can I also add a warning to this...please make sure that the fabric you choose to line/underline with will withstand your day to day wearing and won't pull or wear out. Personally I don't use china silk in my pants for this reason - it's shelf life is just too short for the amount of time I put into sewing my garments. I also shy away from georgettes or other flimsy fabrics because I prefer a fabric with a shiny hand to assist with making the garment easier to slide on and off your body.
If you're unsure about what fabrics to use to line a garment, Claire Shaeffer's, Fabric Sewing Guide - 2nd Edition, has an entire section on lining techniques, as well as, a very detailed and well explained listing of lining fabrics. Personally I believe this book should be in every sewist's bookcase because it's a wonderful resource.
However, if you've never added any funkiness to the inside of your garment, I highly recommend that you give it a try!
Finally, when I was rooting around in my lining drawers, I found loads of 3/4 yard and 1 yard scraps that I haven't been able to let go of...does anyone else have these? I've been wondering what I should do with them? They are too big to throw away so I packed them back up but I'm thinking I should come up with a use for them. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
...as always, more later!
Because of that I've been digging deep into my linings stash...well also I need to refresh my bemberg lining stash...it's that time of the year again. However, that need is allowing me to be a little adventurous with linings that I'm kinda loving. You know you don't need to add only a rayon bemberg or solid silk colored lining to a garment...sometimes adding a print or a stripe to the inside of your garment really makes it fun & interesting!
For the several of the recently completed garments I've used polyester charmeuses that have been stashed f-o-r-e-v-e-r from Fabric Mart...
...don't they just give the inside of the garments a funky and fresh kinda feel?!
Then after rambling through the lining drawers, I found a silk batiste that I'd been hoarding to use with one of the Liberty of London prints that I bought from fabric.com several years ago. At first I put it back thinking, need to save this, but then I thought I can always order more, right? So it went into the maize colored wool crepe dress.
Warmth is another concern...especially this winter...so I've taken some of my satin linings and added them to my pants. Not only does this mean that the underlining in the pants are silkier and easier to slide on and off but the heavier satin adds warmth to the pants. I can take a lighter weight wool that I love and add a slightly heavier lining to it and get a great wearing warmer pair of pants than normal.
(used in the gray pinstriped pants)
(heavy satin lining used in the faded plaid pants)
So when you're thinking about lining a garment, think outside the box. Don't just grab a solid colored rayon bemberg or silk, try something different to add some spice to your garment. However, can I also add a warning to this...please make sure that the fabric you choose to line/underline with will withstand your day to day wearing and won't pull or wear out. Personally I don't use china silk in my pants for this reason - it's shelf life is just too short for the amount of time I put into sewing my garments. I also shy away from georgettes or other flimsy fabrics because I prefer a fabric with a shiny hand to assist with making the garment easier to slide on and off your body.
If you're unsure about what fabrics to use to line a garment, Claire Shaeffer's, Fabric Sewing Guide - 2nd Edition, has an entire section on lining techniques, as well as, a very detailed and well explained listing of lining fabrics. Personally I believe this book should be in every sewist's bookcase because it's a wonderful resource.
However, if you've never added any funkiness to the inside of your garment, I highly recommend that you give it a try!
Finally, when I was rooting around in my lining drawers, I found loads of 3/4 yard and 1 yard scraps that I haven't been able to let go of...does anyone else have these? I've been wondering what I should do with them? They are too big to throw away so I packed them back up but I'm thinking I should come up with a use for them. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
...as always, more later!