THE Q & A SERIES
How to line a wrap skirt
Hi Emily,
Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions and for your contribution to furthering the art of sewing! 😊
I have some light-weight Japanese printed linen which I think would suit the wrap skirt pattern very well, however I would like a bit more coverage and have some navy voile in my stash which would go well for lining.
I would prefer it if the lining was not visible, so thought I could have a facing of the linen fabric on the wrap, so that the lining didn’t show. Your patterns are always finished neatly - any tips for attaching the lining, particularly at the hem?
Thank you,
Donna
Hi Donna,
This sounds like a great idea!
Of all skirt projects to line, the Peppermint wrap skirt is probably the simplest as you don't need to think about a zip closure.
When it comes to lining a skirt, normally you don’t attach the lining at the hem. What this means is that the outer layer (main fabric) will be able to hang properly and won't be impacted by a lining holding it back. More about that when I show you how to construct the skirt with lining below.
Cutting the wrap skirt pattern pieces
Cut all pattern pieces from the main fabric as instructed in the pattern.
For the lining you will only need to cut the main skirt pieces. You don't need the waistband.
Cut the lining pieces about 2.5cm (1in) shorter than the outer pieces. This will prevent the lining dropping and being visible when the skirt is worn.
On the front lining pieces, trim off the seam allowance at the opening by cutting along the STITCH LINE (grey line on the pattern). The raw edge of the lining will be held in place by the folded edge of the outer layer so we don't need this extra fabric on the lining.
sew the darts
Start by sewing the front and back darts on the outer pieces (steps 1 and 2 of the instructions). Press the darts as instructed.
Repeat for the lining pieces. This time press the darts in the opposite direction. This means that when you join the lining to the skirt you won't end up with too much bulk as the dart bulk won't be sitting on top of each other.
Skip step 3 of the instructions (finishing the wrap edges). We'll do this after the lining and outer skirt are joined at the top so that the lining becomes enclosed inside the edge finish.
Sew the side seams
Join the front and back pieces together at the side seam.
The Peppermint Wrap skirt instructions guide you to sew this seam with a French seam, but when adding a lining you need to consider how seam finishes are going to impact the overall bulk.
It sounds like your fabric is fairly lightweight, so it's probably fine to sew both your outer and lining fabrics with French seams. If using a bulky fabric (such as a winter weight wrap skirt), I'd suggest sewing the seams with regular seams, overlocking and pressing open.
Lined garments often have unfinished seams, but finishing the seams will encourage longevity in the garment, so we like to finish seams as usual, when possible.
Join the lining pieces at the side seams in the same way. If sewing with French seams, press the lining seams in the opposite direction to the outer skirt (again, this is to minimise bulk in the seams).
Hem the skirt lining using your chosen method. To hem in the same way as the outer skirt, look to Step 16 and 17 of the instructions.
With the outer skirt and lining wrong sides together, pin the two layers together along the waist edge. Stay-stitch the lining to the outer layer with a 6mm (1/4in) seam allowance.
Flip the skirt so that the lining is facing up. Fold back the front opening raw edges as instructed in Step 3, making sure the raw edge of the lining is enclosed inside the fold on both sides.
At this point you can now continue following the instructions as usual to create and attach the waistband - Step 7 onward.
When you enclose the raw edge of the waistband on the inside (Step 13) the raw edges of lining will be tucked inside for a clean finish.
I hope this tutorial gives you the confidence to give lining the Wrap skirt a go!
Happy sewing,
Emily
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