| A Fast Way to Line a Suit Jacket |
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By Sandra Betzina
Scripps Howard News Service This new jacket lining method comes from Fred Bloebaum, a creator of La Fred patterns. It is fast and frustration-free. Use the sleeve and jacket body pattern pieces to cut the lining by simply folding up the hem allowances. That is, cut the body and sleeves of the lining the finished length of the garment. In the lining back, cut center back on a seam, not just a fold even if your jacket back is cut on a fold, and allow for a one-inch pleat at the center back. Add a 1-5/8 extension to the center back fold of the jacket pattern to serve as seam allowance and pleat. Construct lining completely, including sleeves, and leave a 6-inch opening in the middle of center back seam. Press well. Construct jacket completely, including facings, shoulder pad insertion and hemming at jacket bottom and sleeves. Hand hem 1/2 inch from hem edge to allow enough room to machine sew lining and garment together. Both lining and jacket should be well pressed before process begins. With right sides together, pin lining and jacket along front and neck facings. Sew one continuous seam from the bottom of one front facing, up one side, around neck and back down the other side. Turn garment right side out. Insert sleeve lining into garment sleeve. Try on jacket. Match garment sleeve and lining sleeve hems at seams. Pin together at seam placement. The step eliminates twisting the sleeve lining when attaching sleeve hems. Reach in from open bottom edge between garment and lining and pull a sleeve wrong side out. Garment sleeve will pull jacket with it since they are pinned at the bottom edge at seam joints. Pinning right sides together, align seams (think of two elephants, trunk-to-trunk). Now sew sleeve lining to sleeve at bottom edge, using a 3/8 inch seam. Join the second sleeve and lining in the same way. Now pull sleeves right side out. Lining is attached to jacket except for bottom edge. Align jacket and lining at underarm seams and pin in place. From the outside of the jacket, sew in the well of the seam for one inch just below armhole on the jacket body. Tack lining to shoulder pads in a few spots. Spread the jacket on the table with the lining side against the table and the outside of the jacket facing you. Fold sleeves into the middle, crossing the back of the jacket. Bring the hem of the fashion fabric up to the shoulders. Continue rolling the jacket up inside as you bring the fashion fabric hem to match up with the bottom of the lining. Also, match up the side seam allowances in the fashion fabric jacket and the lining. Sew the jacket hem to the bottom edge of the lining with a continuous 3/8-inch seam allowance. Start at one side of a facing and stitch across the hem to the opposite facing, sewing only the jacket hem. Start and stop your stitching 1 inch before the ends of the lining. Turn the jacket right side out through the 6-inch hole you left in the center back of the jacket lining. Using a 5/8 seam allowance, close the opening by hand or machine and press the pleat to hide the stitching. Adjust fold at the bottom corners of lining, where lining meets the facing so it lies flat. Sew in place by hand. Press. ( Sandra Betzina is host of Home & Garden Television's Sew Perfect, www.hgtv.com.) (Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.shns.com.)
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