Sewing Project - Pants Liners - Skirt Liner

Sewing Friends:

Do you love the luxury of a lining under your pants and skirts, but hate the extra work and expense it takes to line everything?

Would you love to have a lining under some of your ready-to-wear skirts and pants?

Why not create a separate lining or what I call a “portable liner?”

In fact, why not sew four liners?

            For your skirts:
                        Sew one dark colored one
                        Sew one light colored one

            For your pants:
                        Sew one dark colored one
                        Sew one light colored one

Now, whenever you want a lining, just put on one of your “portable liners” and go! That’s easy enough!

Sounds like a “slip” you say? Well, sort of, but it isn’t exactly like a slip. 

What is a liner?

A liner is a garment to wear under your pants and skirts that is cut from your basic skirt and pants patterns that fit your body.

What is the purpose of a liner?

A liner eliminates the need to wear a slip
A liner keeps a garment from seating out in the back
A liner helps keep a garment from wrinkling
A liner can be laundered frequently and save dry cleaning bills for your pants.
A liner is great for traveling.
A liner can serve multiple garments.
A liner makes your garments hang better.
A liner makes your garments move when you move.
A liner is smaller than the outer garment.
A liner eliminates bulk and creates a smoother line.
A liner helps prevent undergarment and seam “show-through”.
Use the same liner for all styles of pants.
A liner eliminates itchy wool against your skin.

What fabric do you use?

You want to use something lightweight, washable, non-static, tightly woven and breathable.

A silky type rayon twill is a strong lining fabric and is great if you can find it.
Another favorite rayon lining fabric is Ambiance Bemberg rayon.

Cotton batiste is also a good liner fabric

Silk as well as nylon and polyester can create static cling.  Some polyester is labeled not to have static cling, but may be not be breathable.

How to make a portable liner for Skirts and Pants

Make a copy of your master basic skirt and pant pattern that you know already fits you.

The master basic skirt pattern should be a straight skirt.
The master basic pant pattern should be a plain pant pattern.

Cutting

Cut the liner the same as the outside pants or skirt except for length.  Cut the length 2 inches shorter than your pants or skirt.

Stitching 

Clean finish all the raw edges by either serging or use a 3-step zigzag to keep the fabric from fraying.  Another suggestion is to bind the edges with Seams Great and zigzag. 

Stitch vertical seams the same as the garment except the side seams and inseams.  Stitch the side seams and inseams 3/4″ deep instead of 5/8″.  This makes the liner just slightly smaller than the pants or skirt to help prevent wrinkling under the garment and also helps to keep the garment from stretching.

Finish the Waistline 

You have 2 choices on how you want to finish the waistline.  If you want to stitch the darts, etc., then you must leave the left side open 8 inches so you can get into the liner. 

Press the seams open. Press the darts in the opposite direction of the pants darts or toward the side seams instead of toward the centers.

To finish the placket opening, press the seam allowance under 3/4″ the same as the seam.  Zigzag the cut edges to the garment.  Reinforce the opening at the bottom with a bar-tack.  You don’t need to put a zipper or any type of hooks or snaps in the opening.  It will be fine.

You can add a very narrow waistband or bind the waistline or finish the top edge with a 3/4″ strip of grosgrain ribbon. Sew on a hook and bar to close.

You may want to stabilize the waistline edge to keep it from stretching. 

Cut a strip of 1/2″ wide seam binding about 2″ longer than your waistline measurement.  Stitch the seam binding to the inside of the waistlline seam allowance at the bottom edge with the top edges meeting. That extra 2 ” allows for 1/2″ seam allowance on the overlap side and 1-1/2″ extension for the underlap.  You will need these “tails” to do the following.

To bind the waistline, cut a 2-1/4″ wide bias strip of the liner fabric about 2″ longer than your waistline measurement. 

Beginning with the 1/2″ extension on the overlap end and ending with the 1-1/2″ extension on the underlap side, sew the binding with a 5/8″ seam to the waistline just like you normally do your binding.  Turn in the ends, turn the binding over the seam and well-stitch it to complete the binding.

If you want a pull-on liner, don’t stitch the darts (make sure the waistline is wide enough to go over your hips prior to cutting) and close all the seams.

If the liner isn’t wide enough to pull-on, add width at the waistline by drawing a line straight up from your hip line both front and back.

Finish the top by serging or zigzagging narrow elastic to the waistline seam allowance.

Hem

Press up 1-1/2″ hem, turn under the edge and stitch by machine.

Optional:  For a luxurious look, make a lace edged liner.  To make a lace edged liner, subtract the width of the lace from the finished length of the liner and serge or zigzag the lace to the bottom of the liner. 

Or, line up the bottom of the lace with the hemline of the liner.  Zigzag the top of the lace to the pant leg and cut away the liner fabric under the lace.

You save money, time and fitting frustration by sewing your own portable liners.  Try it!

It just makes sense!

To Your Sewing Success,

Marian

Sewing Project - Pants Liners - Skirt Liner

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This entry was posted on Monday, August 27th, 2007 at 9:29 pm and is filed under Sewing Techniques, Sewing Projects. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.