Intro to Drafting a Facing and Lining Combo!

Drafting a facing and lining combination is not as difficult as it may seem- and the results are gorgeous.

The reason I love having both a facing and lining in my heartier garments is that I love the professional look and feel: the two pieces together feel more luxurious and intentional.

There are plenty of garments that include either only the facing- or only the lining, and while there’s no wrong answer, if there’s an option to do both without much trouble, I like to proceed in that route.

Places where drafting a lining and facing might be appropriate include, (but are not limited to)…

• Coats
• Capes
• Blazers and jackets
• Summer dresses that want to be winter-ized
• Skirts

Of course, there are always multiple factors to consider when deciding if drafting a facing and lining is right for you or for your project.

Questions you may want to consider before proceeding with this include:

• Is the garment simple enough for this not to be a problem?
• Will this add extra bulk?
• Is the shell fabric too thin/see through to need that extra layer for opacity?
• How many sharp curves will I need to manage on the interior layer?
• Is the facing/lining close enough in size/dimension to the shell garment? (If it’s not)- how difficult is it going to be to proportionally add a lining that corresponds to the shell? (see video tutorial!)

If the above answers to the questions above sound reasonable, definitely give it a shot on a muslin.

Before beginning…

Review my following tutorial videos:

• How to Trace a Sewing Pattern
• How to Use a French Curve
• How to Redraft a Facing

The above tutorials get you prepped and ready for the beginning of this particular tutorial video.

Of course, every situation and every pattern differ, but if you’re unfamiliar with the above techniques, I highly recommend taking a look!

Step One: Eval the type of pattern you’re working with.

Because each pattern can differ so much, approaching the pattern with a well-thought out, methodical approach is key!

If your pattern came with just the facing-

• Tape up any darts or corresponding shell pieces that may affect the area where the facing will be attached.
• Overlap the facing to the shell piece, to verify if the facing is an exact copy of the shell.
• If the facing is the same as the shell, perfect, you’re good to go!
• If the facing is NOT the same size as the shell, note the difference. Ask the following questions:
  • Is the difference between the two a design element?
  • Does the facing serve an additional purpose than just being a facing?
  • How “off” are the two?

If the facing is substantially different than the shell, you may not be able to draft a lining to it. As I noted above, each pattern can vary widely. But please note, most of the time you can draft a corresponding lining, but you may need to figure out an individual solution for your particular pattern. Please be sure to watch the remainder of the video tutorial to see if it will make sense for your design.

• Verify that the lining matches the shell
• If the lining is NOT the same size as the shell, note the difference. Ask the following questions:
  • Is the difference between the two a design element?
  • How “off” are the two?

If the lining is substantially different than the shell, double check that you’ve taped up any darts or tucks that may be in the lining, but not present in the shell. There are occasions when the lining may have additional pleats/tucks/darts, and your facing should (generally) correspond more closely to the shell than to a lining with these sorts of details.

• Trace an additional copy of the shell as your working piece. That’s it ?

Step Two: Trace your pattern pieces onto a “working” piece of paper

If your pattern came with just the facing-

• Trace the shell onto a clean sheet of paper
• Overlap the facing onto the shell tracing and copy the facing onto it
• Make sure to transfer all pattern markings

If your pattern came with just the lining-

• Trace out a brand new copy of the lining
• Make sure to transfer all the pattern markings

If your pattern came without either a facing or lining-

• Trace the shell
• Make sure to transfer all pattern markings

Step Three: Draw in your stitch line

If your pattern came with just the facing-

• Measure UP from the bottom edge of the facing the amount of your seam allowance

If your pattern came with just the lining OR If your pattern came without either a facing or lining-

• If you haven’t already viewed the How to Redraft a Facing video tutorial, now is the time!
• Measure DOWN from the top edge of the shell the amount of the new facing you would like to add

Step Four: Add your seam allowances

• Trace a line above your stitch line, the amount of your seam allowance
• You should have a total of three lines drawn, parallel to one another

If your pattern came with just the lining OR If your pattern came without either a facing or lining-

• Trace a line both above AND bellow the stitch line, the amount of your seam allowance
• You should have a total of three lines drawn, parallel to one another

Step Five: Trace the two new pattern pieces from your working paper

From here, you are home free!

View the diagram in the photo above, or in the tutorial video for more info as to which seam allowance goes where. Essentially, your three parallel lines correspond in opposite directions:

1. Lining Seam Allowance 
2. Stitch Line
3. Facing Seam Allowance

Please note that in my video, I discuss the curvature of the stitch line and how that may be difficult to sew. Evaluate the curve in your stitch line in Step Three, before adding your seam allowances.

All the Places, All the Stuff!