Lined pants are more comfortable to wear as well as more wrinkle resistant, especially if you travel or sit at a desk all day. Pants in light colors must be lined to prevent "show through." The number one fabric choice for pant lining is Bemberg Rayon "Ambiance," because it breathes and is therefore cooler to wear. The second best fabric choice is china silk, which breathes but is more prone to wrinkling. My third fabric choice is acetate, but this fabric stains easily - stains that don't want to come out. Polyester is suitable for pants worn in cold weather but unsuitable for warm weather, because polyester traps heat.
- Start by cutting fashion-fabric pants and pant lining exactly the same size, except the lining is shorter by the hem allowance. Simply fold up the hem at the bottom of the pant pattern before cutting the lining. Fashion-fabric pants and pant lining are hemmed separately. Pant lining must be cut shorter to ensure that it's never visible.
- Finish raw edge of pant with a serger or Hong Kong finishing strip. Rippling in pant hems can be avoided by interfacing the lower 2-1/2" of the pants. Allow for 1-1/2" to 2" pant hems. Press up pant hem allowance. Trim seam allowance to 1/4" in hem portion.
- With pinking shears, cut a strip of lightweight fusible interfacing 2-1/2" wide. Position fusible strip on pants with one long edge at the hem crease, so that interfacing is fused on the pants, not on the hem allowance. Interfacing will not only give the hem body, but will also cushion the pants from hem imprint.
- Sew inner-leg seam with a 3/8" seam allowance that tapers to 5/8" by the hem crease. This will prevent the pant hem from being smaller caused by merely finishing the raw edge of the pant with a serger or Hong Kong finish. See illustrated attachment for reference.
- Because lining fabric does not "give," sew the lining with slightly smaller seam allowances so that the lining will not pull away from the zipper. Sew all seams in the lining at 1/2". Seams in the fashion-fabric pant are sewn at 5/8". Do not sew pleats and darts full width in lining; sew them 2/3 their width. Run two ease lines around the pant lining at the waist to ease in excess fullness.
- Fashion-fabric pants and pant lining are sewn separately. After completion, slip pant lining inside fashion fabric pant with wrong sides together. If pant lining is slightly larger than fashion-fabric pant at the waist, ease lining to fabric pant by sewing fabric pant and lining together at waistline with the presser foot against the fashion-fabric pant. The feed dogs will help ease the pant lining to the pant.
- Attach waistband. Hem fashion-fabric pant and pant lining separately. Pant-lining hem can be sewn by machine with a double turn of 1/2" enclosing the raw edges. Fashion-fabric pant hem should be hand-stitched, attaching stitches to the interfacing. Knot hem stitch every four stitches.
- To prevent pant lining from peeking out when you sit down, tack pant lining and fabric pant together at inner and outer leg seams with a hang tack.
Guest Rita Farro shows how to fuse trico interfacing to the fabric. The trico gives a little it is not so confining or constricting.
Resources Life Is Not A Dress Size
by Rita Farro (ISBN: 080198758X)
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Krause Publications
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Guests Rita Farro
Author, Krause Publishing
c/o Krause Publishing
700 E. State St.
Iola, WI 54990
Phone: 715-445-2214
Toll Free Phone: 800-258-0929
Fax: 715-445-4087
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