How to Add a Lining to a Jacket

In this tutorial I will be showing how to fully line a wool jacket (or coat) with a combination of flat lining and bag lining. I’ll be showing how I lined two different jacket patterns – the Daphne Jacket by Vivian Shao Chen and the Ilford Jacket by Friday Pattern company.

The Daphne Jacket is the same pattern that I used for my quilted coat that I made from all my fabric scraps! I walk through the steps of how to draw out a facing so the main fabric shows on the outside of the collar, sew the lining together to the outer jacket and seamlessly sew in the lining at the sleeve cuffs and hem.

I’ve made the Ilford Jacket several times, but this was my first time lining it! Friday Pattern company does have a tutorial for how to line the Ilford Jacket, which I followed for the most part, but I did a couple of things differently which I share in this tutorial. I made mine in this amazing granny square wool coating from Blackbird Fabrics which is so thick and cozy! I think the way I lined this jacket really worked with the thickness of this fabric and made it easier to sew together.

I have a big love for granny squares so when I saw this fabric, I knew I wanted to use it! The Ilford Jacket has a boxy shape that I knew would work well with the granny square pattern and would be fairly easy to sew with. I added bias binding to the raw edges so that I wouldn’t have to worry about turning over and pressing the hems in this thick wool. For the lining I used a really nice washed crinkle cotton from Stylemaker Fabrics which has a subtle texture, cool feel, and was super easy to work with.

This was the first Daphne Jacket I made and used this gorgeous wool tweed but instead of lining it, the inside seams were bound with bias binding. I found I wasn’t wearing it that often because it’s not quite warm enough as just a single layer and I kept wishing for buttons to close it up. I was a little sad to cover up the pretty bias binding that I spent a while sewing, but at least I have pictures to remember. 🙂

The Daphne Jacket pattern actually comes with brief instructions for adding a lining, but not for adding a facing to the collar in the main fabric. The lining would instead show on the outside of the collar and I didn’t want that. I spent a long time trying to figure it all out in my head but finally just went for it!

I also used these same techniques when I lined my wool Thompson Coat by Daughter Judy (photo below) and if you scroll down close to the end of that article you’ll find my notes!

Since I’m showing how to line two different jackets, I’ve added a table of contents so you can skip to whatever jacket or specific steps that you’re interested in.

Lining the Daphne Jacket by Vivian Shao Chen

The whole process didn’t take as long as I thought, especially since I had the main jacket ready to go. By sharing the process, I hope that it makes lining a jacket, or a coat, less confusing and more doable – So lets get started!

Drafting the collar facing

The first thing I did was to draw out my facing for the collar at the width that I wanted and extended it down the down the center front. I decided on 4″ and made sure to include seam allowance.

This is where a french curve ruler would have come in handy! Instead I made dashed lines at 4″ away from the center front lines, following the curve line, and then connected the dashes.

Note: After sewing on the collar and lining I realized I could have used the whole width of the neck portion of the pattern piece (the part that extends out past the top of the jacket front piece is the neck portion).

You can see in the photos below the finished line that I drew (first photo below) and the red line marks where I would draw the line next time (second photo). I also made a note to include 1/4″ seam allowance when sewing the facing to the lining piece.

Once the facing line was drawn, I cut along that line to split the front pattern piece in two. The piece on the right will be cut out in the main fabric and the piece on the left cut out in the lining fabric.

Cut out the lining

Next up is to cut out the lining for the jacket and the collar/center front facing out of the main fabric. I almost had enought wool tweed leftover to cut out the facing and only needed to piece together some length at the bottom.

To cut out the lining, you use the same pieces as the main outer jacket, but in your chosen lining fabric. I’m using a woven poly crepe that ended up working great as a lining fabric. Don’t forget to add seam allowance to the front pieces edges and the facing edges that will be sewn together (check out my super professional way of doing this below 🙂 ).

Time to sew

Now the fun part, sewing it all together! The Daphne Jacket instructions have brief steps explaining how to sew the lining shell to the main shell so I mainly referenced those for the sewing steps. The only steps I did differently are the facings, which you’ll see next, and sewing the lining to the cuffs, which I’ll show at a later step.

Sew facings

The first step is sewing the facings to the front pieces right sides together which should end up the same size as the front pattern piece once sewn together. Press the seam away from the center front.

Add interfacing

This step is optional, but since I was adding buttons to my jacket, I added interfacing (about 2″ wide) along the entire center front, 1/2″ from the edge. This provides additional structure when sewing on buttons and buttonholes and also helps the center front maintain a straight shape.

Sew the neck and shoulder seams

Following the pattern instructions, I sewed the lining neck seam with right sides together.

Next, sew the lining shoulder seams right sides together, using plenty of pins to help sew around the curves.

Sew lining to the outer jacket

Sew the lining shell to the outer shell right sides together all along the center front and collar (I used the 1/2″ seam allowance stated in the pattern).

Press seam open and then bring the wrong sides of the collar and center front together. I chose to topstitch all along the front edge to keep the lining from rolling to the front.

Sleeve Cuff facing

I wanted to lengthen the jacket sleeves so to keep as much length as possible, I cut a facing for the cuffs about 3.5″ wide and used the pattern piece to measure the length (see photo below). I then sewed the short ends together into a tube and stitched right sides together to the ends of the sleeves of the outer jacket.

*You don’t need a cuff facing, but instead can sew the lining directly to the ends of the sleeves. The lining will need to be shorter so that when it’s turned out, the lining will pull the end of the sleeve towards the wrong side and create a clean finish.

Next up is to figure out how much to cut from the sleeve lining. If you’re following the directions from the pattern, then all you need to do is cut off 3/4″ to nest into the hem of the sleeve.

Since I’m adding a facing, this was the easiest way that my brain and I could figure out how much to cut (without using math 🙂 ):

I put on the jacket sleeve with the facing pushed into the sleeve towards the wrong side and the lining inside the facing. I then put a pin at the cuff through both the main and lining layers (photo below).

I then turned the sleeve wrong side out, found where I had placed the pin and marked where the cuff facing ended on the lining. I added 1/2″ seam allowance for when I sew the lining to the sleeve cuff facing (photos below).

I then measured a straight line and cut off the amount I didn’t need at the end of the sleeve lining. Repeat for the other sleeve.

Sew Sleeve Lining to Cuff

This is where I deviated from the instructions and tried a different method of attaching the lining to the sleeves. This how to do it when adding a lining with the “bagged out” method. Since I was wanting to add length to the sleeves, this seemed like the best way to do it. *I’ll try to explain in pictures but It may be more helpful to watch this video tutorial from Friday Pattern Company for the Heather Blazer on attaching the sleeve lining to the cuff (starting at 18:52).

A simpler method (which is explained in the instructions) is to nest the sleeve lining into the hem at the cuffs, which is the same way that the bottom hem is done (this is how I did it when lining my wool Ilford Jacket further down in this article).

With the jacket and both sleeves inside out, slide the lining over the main cuff right sides together and matching side seams. Make sure the sleeves aren’t twisted! Pin all around and then sew together.

Turn the sleeve right side out to make sure everything worked out ok! You can leave the sleeve as is, but I topstitched all around just to keep everything in place. I also liked how it looks like a faux folded hem.

Sew Bottom Hem

For the hem, I stuck with the instructions and used the method written. Cut off 3/4″ of the lining (I chose to cut more off so that the lining ended right in the fold of the hem). Fold and press the hem as the pattern states over the lining and pin in place.

Then edgestitch all around the hem. I also stitched the short section at the ends to keep it from coming unfolded.

Finishing touches

To keep the lining attached at the shoulder and help prevent bagginess in the lining, I stitched in the ditch right along the seam line. Thankfully this wool tweed hides everything so you can’t see my stitches from the right side (it’s also covered by the collar).

I then figured out and marked where I wanted my buttons to go, sewed the buttonholes using my automatic buttonhole setting and hand sewed the buttons on. I only had two left of the buttons I used, which works fine for now, but I may go back and add one more later.

Final Thoughts

Overall I am SO happy with my finished jacket and by adding a lining I know I’ll reach for it more! The lining makes it easier to slip on and off and it’s more comfortable than feeling the wool directly on my skin.

A couple of things I would change if I made another lined Daphne Jacket:

• Like I mentioned before I would adjust the facing so that the whole collar is the main fabric at the back of the neck.
• I would adjust the sleeves before attaching the facing so the they taper more at the hem.
• Experiment with a thicker wool to make an even warmer wintery coat.
• Maybe hack a pointed or notched collar for a totally different look?

I’m wearing my finished wool Daphne Jacket jacket with my handmade jeans (read my guide to sewing your own jeans here!) and my Holiday Slipover.

Lining the Ilford Jacket by Friday Pattern Company

Like I mentioned above, Friday Pattern company does have their own tutorial for lining the Ilford Jacket – specifically the sleeve placket version. I mostly followed that tutorial, but I shortened the sleeves and jacket hem to “nest” into the hems to avoid extra bulk there. I also added bias binding to the raw edges of the front facing, hem and sleeve cuffs to make it easier to sew with this thick wool.

Let’s get started!

Cut Out Pieces From Main Fabric

Start by cutting out your pieces from the main fabric and make any adjustments that you want. I shortened the sleeves 1″ at the lengthen/shorten line and to add more ease to the sleeves, I added 1/4″ (0.6 cm) along the sides of the sleeve piece for both the main and lining. I made the shortened version of the Ilford Jacket, so I folded back the pattern piece where it’s marked.

Adjust the Front Facing Piece

Start by folding back the center front of the front jacket piece, by matching the notches and folding. This is going to be used for the lining of the jacket since the extra fabric isn’t needed at the front.

Cut Out Lining Pieces

Cut out the rest of the lining pieces in your chosen lining fabric making sure to make the same changes (if any) that you made to the outer jacket pieces.

Sew Outer And Lining

Following the pattern instructions, sew the outer pieces together and lining pieces together separately, stopping after the side seam step (page 16). Theres no need to finish any of the raw seams since they will be hidden in the lining process!

Place the lining of the jacket inside the outer with wrong sides together making sure the sleeves aren’t twisted and seams are lined up.

Pin & Baste At Neckline

I went ahead and pinned and basted the neckline together at this point to keep the jacket and lining anchored together while I worked on the next steps. *You can either baste the neckline now, or do it all at once with the front facing.

Bottom Hem

Since I wanted my bottom hem sitting in the fold of the hem, I figured out the seam allowance at the hem – 1 1/4″ (3.2 cm) – and cut that off from the bottom of the lining.

Note: You can also make these adjustments to the paper pattern piece before cutting out from your fabric. Since I was figuring this out as I went, I kept the lining length the same as the outer, and made the adjustments as I went.

Front Pockets

Before I got too far with the lining steps, I added patch pockets to the outer jacket.

Front Facing

Then, line up the lining along the front, measuring to keep things straight. Pin, and then baste in place about 1/4″ (0.6 cm) away from the edge. These stitches will be removed later.

Next, I added bias binding to the front neckline to enclose the raw edges. This is optional and instead you can fold the facing under per the pattern instructions. Since my fabric was so thick and turning the edges under would have been difficult, this worked out really nicely!

I cut 2″ (5 cm) wide bias tape out of the same lining fabric and sewed it to the wrong side with a 3/8″ (1 cm) seam allowance, then folded it to the right side and edgestitched along the folded edge. I did the same thing to the bottom hem.

For more detailed instructions on how to make and sew bias binding check out my two tutorials: How to Make Bias Tape and How to Sew Bias Binding.

I added interfacing to the wrong side of the front facing for added support when sewing on buttonholes or snaps (haven’t decided yet!). I also pinned down the lining at the hem to prepare for the next steps.

Following the instructions, fold back the front facing at the notches, wrong sides together, and stitch together along the bottom using the lining as a guide.

I ignored the instructions to fold under the seam allowance and just turned everything right side out.

Next up is sewing the facing in place, so I pinned well along the edge of the bias tape. I also pinned a little of the hem to make sure it was neat and squared up.

Then I sewed along the edge of the bias tape from the neckline to the hem. I like how neat it looks on the inside using this method!

Bottom Hem

Next, I did the same thing to the hem measuring as I went to make sure the lining was straight. I found it was easier to get the hem straight by laying the jacket out as flat as I could and used plenty of pins.

I sewed the bottom hem in place along the edge of the bias binding like I did on the front facing.

Collar

The collar was pretty straightforward and I followed the pattern instructions as written to sew on the collar. I used lining fabric for the under collar to make it less bulky, and applied interfacing to the upper collar.

I sewed the collar on by hand since the wool make the collar pretty bulky and I was worried my machine wouldn’t be able to handle the thickness. I also topstitched along the edge of the collar to keep the lining from rolling to the right side.

Sleeve Hems

Lastly, I hemmed the sleeves! Like the bottom lining hem, I measured how much I wanted to turn the hem under and cut off that amount from the lining which was 1 1/2″ (3.8 cm). I applied bias binding to the raw edge of the outer jacket and turned the sleeve hems up 1 1/2″ (3.8 cm).

Finished! I absolutely love how this coat turned out and it’s so squishy and cozy. I’m glad I took my time with this project to get the lining just right.

I still haven’t decided if I want to add buttons or snaps! The buttonholes will probably need to be sewn by hand if I go that route and I’m not sure if the snaps I have can be used in this thick wool. We’ll see 🙂

I hope by sharing my process it will help you out if you’re on a mission to line a jacket! Thanks for reading and happy sewing!