Butterick 5824: lining completed!

This autumn has been filled with distractions, so sewing has been kind of slow. Nevertheless, today I managed to complete the lining of Butterick 5824 – the coat I first reported on in the beginning of last month. The coat’s construction is pretty straightforward. Cutting out all those huge pattern pieces on a single layer of fabric, on the other hand, was a real hassle, especially because most of them did not completely fit on our kitchen table, so I had to keep shifting the fabric around. Unfortunately, I am still not done cutting, as will be explained soon.

The completed lining showing the upper collar and the skirt facing.

My lining fabric is a relatively heavy polyester satin that I found amongst the discounted party fabrics at Ohlssons tyger in Malmö. Initially I had had planned to use the acetate lining that I ordered at the same time as the fashion fabric, but the acetate turned out to be too light and flimsy. Usually I try to stay away from polyester, but as the outer fabric is so loosely-woven I figured this opaque fabric would counter the translucency of the wool/viscose blend, add some much-needed volume to the coat and hopefully help retain warmth. At 30 sek per metre it was also very affordable.

The dull side of the fabric. A drawback of the polyester is that it is impossible to press and tends to shift, so not all seams match up perfectly.

The fabric has a slippery shiny side and a more dull side. As the first felt horribly slimy to my hands – even giving me goose bumps a couple of times when my hands were very dry – I chose to use the duller side as the one that will be exposed once the coat is finished. I also like to think that backing the outer fabric with the shiny side adds some luster to the coat.

The pattern calls for 3.5m lining fabric, but I bought 4 metres, as I needed something extra. To prevent the interfacing from showing through the outer fabric I covered the skirt facing with lining. On the upper collar, I sandwiched a piece of lining between the outer fabric and interfacing. All in all, I would say that constructing the lining was more time-consuming than making the outer shell.

When the coat is closed, part of the white interfacing is visible beneath the collar. I fear that I won’t be able to avoid adding some kind of interlining to the bodice to stop the interfacing from shining through the outer fabric…

Unfortunately, I still have one step to take before attaching the outer shell to the lining: only when I tried on the lining for the first time I realized that the white interfacing is partly visible when the coat is worn closed. While this might not be noticeable to the casual observer, I could see some white shimmering through when I put on the outer shell on top of it. Even though I had sworn not to buy any more supplies for this coat I don’t think I will be able to proceed without adding an extra layer of fabric to the bodice. This third layer will probably take the shape of an interlining and will also cover up the stiff seams of the lining, as well as help reinforce the sleeve hems. Yes, I am now convinced that this extra investment of time and money will pay off in the end.

The back-pleat is basted closed and won’t be ripped open before the coat is completed.

The lining should hang for a couple of days before hemming. In the meantime I will try to locate some suitable interlining fabric in the right colour. Hopefully, I will be able to completely finish the coat next weekend. The weather is still mild for the time of the year, so I may be able to wear it outside a couple of times before it is time to bring out the real winter coats. On the other hand, if I just keep adding layers, this coat will serve me all winter.