To Line or Not to Line- part 2

I have been exploring, discussing and researching it a lot lately and I think the findings are worth posting about. If you remember, my dilemma was to line a dress or to wear a slip. Slips sounded promising, and most of all easy! Get a couple ( black and nude) and the need for lining your garments is abolished. Or so I thought. However, after raising the big question in my last post and on some sewing forums, I definitely had a change of heart about linings, and I undoubtedly learned a lot about my options when it came to linings too. Yey!

To start with, I have had a major issue with some linings not behaving well when being stitched up with my sewing machine- the seams looked almost ripped by the needle, and that really was very discouraging.

Maybe even that is why I developed a very unpleasant relationships with the idea of lining in the first place. I just did not work out as perfectly as I hoped!

And here is number one tip I have just learnt from a few professional dressmakers to avoid my seam disaster. They all advised that if dealing with any fabric that consists of a blend of fibers  to lay and cut the pattern pieces across the grainline!  This way the seams will never fall apart, they said! What a tip! Priceless!

I have also found some fabrics, I have never even heard of, that is commonly used as a lining material:

• Cupro - The European cousin of tencel , Cupro is also somewhat similar to rayon in that it is reprocessed cellulose. Cupro fabric breathes like cotton, drapes beautifully, and feels like silk on your skin. Its slinky, curve-hugging drape makes it great for elegant dresses and blouses.

• Silk Pongee ( Habutae) -A soft, thin, plain-weave fabric of light to medium weight with both crossribbing and small slubs, generally made from silk, but also from rayon or polyester. 

I did know the habutae from before, it is only when somebody swore by pongee silk as an amazing lining i went online and discovered that habotae is just another name for the same type of silk! What a relief! Habotae silk is so much easier to find than some thing called pongee. Especially in width and yardage suitable for dressmaking. Usually pongee available in form of scarfs (for hand painting).

And Cupro was highly recommended by the professionals, it feels like silk, but has all attributes of viscose, so it is great in wear: breathable, doesn't collect the dampness and drapes amasingly. I may just be ordering lots of it now.

100% viscose lining was highly recommended too. And any other 100% same fiber lining fabrics. And now we know what to do with blends too.

The bottom line- To Line, To Line, To LINE!!!! Fully or partially is entirely up to the style and personal preference. I will anyway, just the smart way.