THOSE TROUBLESOME LININGS

Evening Star, Issue 21724, 19 May 1934, Page 24

THOSE TROUBLESOME LININGS

The first point to consider is the material for thb lining. Silk is always the best choice, for with a silk lining the coat is much casicr’to slip on and off. And it pays always to choose a good-quality silk, for the lining, no less than tho coat itself, comes in for really hard wear; and though almost inevitably it will show signs of wear long before tho garment itself, should at least see one season out. Replacing a worn and frayed lining is a dreary task, and rather a more difficult one than the making of tho original lining. Tho lining is, of course, cut from the same pattern as the coat itself, and it must be cut with just as much care. You can save a little material on the fronts, for those need not be cut quite so wide as the pattern, since the material for facing the coat fronts will extend inwards for two or three inches. Usually the silk lining is stitched right up to the neck at the collar, and then graduates a little nearer to the front of the coat as you work downwards. The first thing to do is to seam the lining together, leaving tho shoulder seams free. Then press thoroughly, pressing in a tiny pleat at the centre back,, and a tuck in the front, running down from tho shoulder seam, to give plenty of fullness to the lining. Now lay the lining inside the coat, the_ raw seams inside, of course, and tack it in place, scam to seam. Care must be taken not to have lining stretched tighter than the coat, or so much looser that it will hang down below the hern. When it lias been tacked in place down the side seams and around tho arm holes, turn the edges in, and, working downwards from the neck edge, turn the edges under neatly, and tack in place on to tho facing the full length of the front, and continue on round the bottom hem, turning it under about half *an inch from the coat edge. Finish off the other side in the same way and hem neatly all round. Now turn to the shoulder seams. These have been left open, so that with the lining tacked in place at the arm holes, all you have to do is to turn the silk in neatly and hem over tho shoulder seams. The sleeves linings are pulled inside the coat sleeves, and the seams are fastened together at tho cuffs, then the sleeves are turned inside out, and the seams are tacked together with tiny stitches on tho right side. The raw edge at the cuffs is turned under and hemmed, but here, again, special care must be taken to leave sufficient play in the lining. Often the lining of a ready-made coat or suit will show signs of wear long before the garment itself is worn out. In this case the old worn lining can be used as a pattern for the new one, but is is a good plan to allow half an inch extra on each scam in case the silk has shrunk. Carefully note just how the original was stitched in place when you are unpicking it, and take care, too, to press any darts or pleats in place before stitching the new lining in. If you want to add to the warmth and cosiness of the coat, it is a simple matter to make an interlining of some thin woollen material; this is simply out out with the lining, and tacked to the coat seams before the lining is stitched over it.