Interfacing and Linings Interfacing is a type of textile that is used on the ‘wrong’ side of a fabric to make an area of a garment more rigid. It can be used to stiffen a fabric, such a shirt collar. It can be used to strengthen a fabric, such as around an area where a buttonhole would be sewn. Or it can be used to stop a fabric stretching out of shape, for example on a knitted fabric.

Interfacing can be bought in various ‘weights’ and stiffness’ depending on the fabric it is being used with. A sewing pattern will specify if interfacing is needed – it is quite commonly used in most garments. Some garments will use the same fabric as the garment is made from to interface an area, such as a waistband on a skirt. Most modern interfacing will have an adhesive or fusible side, similar to Bondaweb. This allows you to iron it on to your fabric and will hold it in place. Non-adhesive interfacing would have to be sewn into place.

Linings There are many reasons why you may sew a lining into a garment. It may be itchy fabric, see-through fabric, have unsightly seams or to add structure to a garment. There are a couple of different methods to attaching linings. The main one is known as ‘underlining’ this involves cutting all of your pattern pieces out twice, once in the main fabric and once in the lining fabric. You would then baste the fabric and the lining together when sewing together each piece of the garment. The other method of lining a garment is to cut and sew a mirror image of the garment in the lining fabric (sometimes cut from separate pattern pieces as you may want your lining slightly smaller than the actual garment). This would then be attached into the garment only at certain points, such as the neck of waistband, and would hang free inside the garment.

Your lining should usually be slightly smaller than the actual garment pattern pieces – you can do this by giving yourself a smaller seam allowance (sewing nearer the edges) and also shortening the hems of the lining by about 2cm so that it cannot be seen. If your garment has a fastening, such as a zip or buttons, you would need to attach the lining before sewing in the fastener, so that you can hide any unfinished edges of the lining.