Cutting the jacket lining

I am sort of working backwards a bit to catch up with the posts on the jacket construction but thought this was a particularly interesting way to make a jacket lining. It requires accuracy and practice though. I ended up with a lining that was slightly too large and had to be tweaked down a bit. However, the theory is interesting and I would definitely have another try at making it work better. The photos are not of the actual lining. I came home and laid the pieces out in a mock up for photos so I could put them into my tailoring course notes.

The idea is to create one piece linings for each front and for the back so the lining has no seams. The tutor had us cut our linings directly on the fabric. I think next time I will draft it onto tissue and then I can compare it more easily with the pattern. I did make a tissue pattern from my linings this time though. I want to speed up the next version of the jacket a little.

The photo above shows the pieces required to make the facing (its sat on a bit of lining but in fact would be cut from the jacket fabric). The pattern pieces are the front piece, the belt and the peplum piece. The peplum piece has been folded back so that it forms a smooth line on the facing/lining attachment seam. The pieces are lined up (mine have no seam allowances on the tissue so it is reasonably easy to see what is going on) then pinned into position. Seam allowances are chalked on the fabric around the piece and then the piece is cut out. This one would be cut double as its the facing. The lining pieces are cut on single layer.

Now the back lining piece, which is cut in a similar manner.

Here you can see the back and side back, which are lined up with the top of the princess seam touching. The belt piece is laid down below the two, then the peplum, which in this photo is lying level with the side seam. The gap between the princess seams is a dart of course. However, there is another dart hidden in the peplum. To make a one piece back lining that dart has to be discovered and marked in.

Note the way the pattern pieces are slightly slanted on the fold (the fold is to the top of the photo). The fold will be left in and the seam line will run down the edge of the pattern pieces at center back. The seam is sewn there as a proper seam for about two inches from neckline, then tacked until a few inches above the hem, where the seam is then sewn properly again. This forms the back pleat.

The seam line is chalked on with the pieces laid out in this way, all the way down the front of the pieces, and around until you get to the belt.

Here is where it gets clever, and a bit confusing. This is the pieces with the peplum lined up at the other side, level with the centre back. This orientation allows you to chalk the rest of the line down to the hem at the centre back. That pesky little dart end is still hiding in the peplum though.

A line is pencilled on the peplum, following down from the line of the princess seam in the top section. The peplum is folded on that line, and this gives you a line to chalk along the edge of. This is one side of your hidden dart. This can be seen more clearly here. See how the peplum forms a the bottom half of a double ended dart following down from the princess seam? This line is marked in. A pin is put in the point of the dart and then the peplum flipped over, and lined up with the pin, and the centre back seam. This allows the other side of the dart to be drawn in with chalk. Cut the fabric out with seam allowances, and you have a single piece back lining, with two darts. The darts are not sewn all the way to the point though, as this makes a weak point in the lining. Instead you sew to about an inch away from the point and leave a pleated bit. This means it doesn't suffer from stress and rip out.

The front pieces, minus the facing, are done in a similar way. You end up with two facings, two front pieces and one back lining, plus two sleeves. The sleeves are cut from the original sleeve pattern. The lining pieces are cut one inch shorter than the jacket itself. When the lining is ready to go in and be bagged out, a further inch is taken off the lining hem at center back, but this is tapered to nothing at the facing attachment seams. This means the lining will not droop below the hem of the jacket.