sewcreatelive: Lined Skirt with Facing

This blog post will show how to sew a lining to a skirt with a waist facing. It will also show how to hand sew swing tacks at the hemline.

Before cutting out, check body measurements for various sizes also comparing the finished garment measurements for the added ease. This will ensure that you pick the size that best fits you. Adjust waist and hip width accordingly, and check skirt length.

The facings will be cut out of the skirt fabric. The lining will be the rest of the skirt below the facing pieces. Here is how to draft the patterns for the lining pieces.

First, measure the width of the facing pieces.

On the skirt patterns, measure down from the waist cut edge this same measurement and mark.

Connect the lines of these marks.

Now measure 1/2" above this line and make another line. This top line is where the top of the lining will be cut, (This will allow a 1/4" seam allowance between the bottom of the facing fabric and the top of the lining fabric.)

Follow layout instructions on pattern. This pattern has the front skirt pattern and the front facing pattern on the fold. Pin all pieces on the lengthwise grain.

Cut skirts and facings out of fashion fabric.

Here are the cut pieces,

Transfer the dart markings to wrong side of fabric with tracing paper.

Lay out the skirts once again over the lining fabric. The skirt front will be placed on the fold. Pin in place.

Lay tracing paper under the top of the skirt patterns. Trace the top pencil line to transfer the markings to the lining fabric.

Here is the transferred line. This chalk line is the cutting line.

Here is the skirt lining cut out on the top pencil line.

Transfer the dart markings to the linings.

Dart markings are transferred to wrong side of lining. Only the dart end markings are necessary.

Cut out facings in fusible interfacing. Then trim 1/2" off sides and top of facing pieces.

Fuse interfacing to wrong sides of facings.

Pin darts right sides together, matching markings. Notice I put the bottom pin perpendicular to the fabric fold, indicating the bottom of the darts.

Sew darts from the widest to the point. Do not backstitch. Instead, 1/2" from point, shorten stitch length to 1.5 and stitch last two stitches exactly on the fold. Then leave 3" thread tails and tie in a double knot. Clip threads to 1/4".

Press darts flat to embed stitches into the fabric. Do not press below dart point.

With a pressing ham, press darts towards center front (CF) and center back (CB). Do not press beyond dart point.

SEWING THE INVISIBLE ZIPPER

I am using an invisible zipper for the center back closure. The invisible zipper is designed with the zipper coil on the wrong side of the zipper to conceal it. The zipper in the top of the picture is right side up and the zipper in the bottom of the picture is wrong side up to illustrate.

To prepare the zipper, turn the iron on to a cool setting. Open up the zipper and turn the tape to the wrong side. Uncurl the coil with your finger to see how it moves. This is how you will press the zipper to relax and open up the curled coil.

On the wrong side of the zipper tape, press open the zipper coil.

There are many different kinds of invisible zipper feet. Try to find one that will fit your sewing machine. I have a Bernina machine and they make a very nice invisible zipper foot. The invisible zipper foot I have is a generic snap-on invisible zipper foot (see picture at left). I use it with my Bernina adapter shank. The presser foot in the right picture is the Bernina snap-on zipper foot. You will need to use both an invisible zipper foot and the regular zipper foot for this application If you do not have an invisible zipper foot, you can still use the regular zipper foot for the application. It is just more challenging to sew close to the zipper coil accurately.

Before sewing the zipper in, do a seam finish on the center back skirt raw edges. I have serged the raw edges. Do not trim any fabric off so that the seam allowance remains 5/8" Place the left skirt back right side up. Measure down 1" and place a pin to mark it.

The zipper tape is 1/2" wide and the skirt seam allowances are 5/8". Because of this, place the zipper tape 1/8" in from the edge of the serged edge. The zipper top stop is placed 1" down from the top raw edge, just where the pin mark is. Pin in place with the pins pointed towards the top.

Starting at the zipper top stop, backstitch and then stitch down to the zipper slider and backstitch again. Adjust your needle position so that you are stitching close to the zipper coil. It is important to make sure that the zipper coil is standing straight up, not curled down. The special invisible zipper foot has grooves on the bottom that will help guide the zipper coil. Close the zipper and check that you stitched close enough to the coil to conceal the zipper tape.

With the zipper closed and the skirt right side up, place the back right skirt piece right side down, with the top waist raw edges matching. Begin to pin the right side of the zipper tape to the right side of the skirt back. This will ensure that the two back skirt pieces are lined up with each other.

Open the zipper and finish pinning the zipper tape to the skirt center back.

Notice that now the skirt fabric is to the right of the presser foot and that the zipper coil is in the right groove of the presser foot. Once again, start at the top stop and backstitch. Then stitch forward to the zipper slider and backstitch. Close the zipper once again and check to see if the zipper is concealed. If there is still zipper tape showing, stitch again a little closer to the zipper teeth.

With the skirt backs together, pin the rest of the center backs together.

Put the regular zipper foot on the sewing machine and adjust the needle position to the far right. With the zipper behind the presser foot, line up the right edge of the presser foot as close as you can get to the stitching. I like to hold the seam allowance down with a seam ripper so that it stays out of the way. Backstitch, and then stitch forward to the bottom of the skirt, keeping the seam parallel to the edge.

This is how close the finished stitching should be to the zipper stitching.

Now anchor the zipper tails to the seam allowances by stitching about 1" length. This should not show on the right side of the skirt.

Stitched properly, you should not be able to tell where the zipper ends and the regular seam begins.

Now it is time to fit the side seams to your body. Put the skirt front and back wrong sides together and pin the side seams 5/8" from the edge. Keep the pins parallel to the cut edge.

Try it on and check the fit at the side seams. Adjust pins as needed. If you did adjust the pins, make a chalk mark where the new seam will be.

Also check to make sure that the side seams are perpendicular to the floor and not swinging towards the front or back.

Now pin right sides together at the side seams. Sew 5/8" seam allowances or where the chalk marks are. Sew seam finish on each raw edge.

Press seams flat and then press seams open.

PREPARING THE SKIRT LINING

It is recommended to use a size 70/10 needle when sewing the lining.

Fold the darts towards the side and pin.

Baste the tucks. Darts are not sewn in the lining. This eliminates bulk and allows for more ease in the lining.

Place skirt front and back right sides together and pin. If alterations were made to the skirt sides, do the same for the lining.

Sew the side seams and then sew a seam finish through both layers together. Press the seams flat and then towards the back.

Sew the back facings to the front facings at the side seams, with right sides together.

Press seams flat and then open.

Pin the bottom convex edge of the facing to the top edge of the lining, with right sides together. Clip if necessary. Sew 1/4" seam allowance.

Serge or zigzag both raw edges together.

Press seam towards the lining over a pressing ham.

Press facing on the right side.

At CB cut edges, mark a line 1" longer than zipper and 1/4" from the raw edge.

Trim away the 1/4" only to the bottom of your mark (usually 10"). If using a serger, serge on the marked line, and then continue to serge to the bottom of CB only cutting off loose threads.

SEWING THE LINING TO THE SKIRT

With zipper open, pin the lining center back to the skirt center back, right sides together. The zipper will be sandwiched in the middle. Put a perpendicular pin where the bottom stop of the zipper is.

Using the zipper presser foot, sew 1/4" from the serged edge, from the top to the bottom zipper stop. To get around the zipper slider, sew part way down, stop with needle down, and raise presser foot. Then close zipper. Continue sewing and stop at the bottom zipper stop and backstitch.

Now continue the same steps for the opposite center back. This time the skirt fabric will be on the top. Once again, sew to the zipper bottom stop.

Below zipper, pin lining center backs right sides together. Put a pin perpendicular to mark where the bottom of the zipper tape is.

Sew the center back lining seam at 5/8", backstitching at both ends.

Press lining seam open.

Check to make sure that both sides above the zipper are even. Trim off if necessary.

Place skirt right side up, with zipper tape towards the outside skirt and away from the facing and lining.

Fold the outside skirt around the zipper coil and pin in place.

Do the same thing to the opposite side. Have fabrics right side up, with zipper coil towards the outside skirt and away from the facing and lining.

Fold outside skirt fabric around the zipper coil and pin in place.

Pin skirt to facing/lining, matching darts and seam.

Match side seams.

Sew 5/8" seam. (See below for optional support to waist seam.)

Because the waist is slightly on bias grain, there is a chance of the fabric stretching. To stabilize this seam, add 1/8"-1/4" wide twill tape when sewing the 5/8" seam.

Before trimming and grading seam, turn skirt right side out to make sure that the two zipper corners are even.

Trim and grade seam allowance and center back corners. (Widest to the World.) Clip curves if necessary.

Understitch facing, close to the seam. This will keep the lining on the underside.

Press facing over a pressing ham.

Hang skirt 1-3 days before hemming.

Try the skirt on and measure hem from the floor all around the skirt. This will ensure that the hem will be parallel from the floor. I determine the hem allowance I want and then place the pins on the hem cut edge.

Mark where the pins are.

Connect all the chalk lines, keeping it smooth.

Serge on chalk line.

Fold up hem allowance (1 1/4") and pin in place.

Press on hem fold, removing pins as you go.

Do hem of your choice. I am doing the machine blind stitch.

The skirt lining should be 1/2" shorter than the skirt. Try the skirt on and mark the lining where the skirt hem ends. Mark with chalk. Cut on this line.