Weekend Review: The Easy Guide to Sewing Linings

 

The Easy Guide to Sewing Linings / Connie Long
Newton, CT: Taunton, c1998.
153 p.

I'm starting off this year of book reviews with this older title that I've had on my shelf for a while. I've been reading through it a lot over the last couple of weeks -- it saved my bacon when I realized I'd lost page 2 of the instructions to New Look 6159, a jacket that I was making for the #DesignInDecember challenge -- of course, that was the part with the instructions for the lining. 

Not to worry, this book came to the rescue. It's one of a series of "Easy Guides" published by Taunton; each that I've read so far is really practical and useful. I was very happy that this particular one was on my shelf though.

It has 10 chapters: an intro, and then sections specifically on lining jackets, coats, vests, skirts, pants, dresses, sheer/lace, sweaters, and vents. Each section is clearly laid out, with precise and to the point instructions for the technique under discussion. There are lots of photos to illustrate as well, which I found helpful. Of course, the section I was turning to most was the jacket lining bits, but even there, the book doesn't show just one way to do things. Rather, there are 3 different methods shared. By hand, by machine, and a hybrid. The hybrid method is the one I am familiar with via Burda, so it seemed most obvious and easiest for me to figure out with my project. It's when you sew the lining to the facing but then finish the sleeve and bottom hems with hand stitching. I appreciated that all methods were described though. 

I've used this book before when trying to get my head around lining a skirt vent, and that was a great addition to the Burda instructions I was following. Once again, different methods are explained and illustrated, depending on the kind of vent you're making. I like that this book doesn't try to tell you that there is one right way to do anything; instead it offers different levels of solutions for many different lining situations. 

Also, the basic info at the beginning is quite helpful. There is a discussion of types of lining materials and why and when you might want to choose a particular one. There's info on lining a patch pocket, and finishing hems in a few different ways. Each chapter also includes instruction on creating a lining for a pattern that doesn't have one. Basically all the foundational facts on lining are included in this small book - it's kind of amazing that it's so full of detail. After I read the jacket chapter I couldn't help but browse through the rest of the book again. There's so much to learn here. 

Recommended for anyone wanting to get a lining popped in to a project, especially if you've lost your pattern instructions ;)  Unfortunately it's out of print, but as always, check your local library and second hand dealers if you'd like to get a copy of this yourself.