About Fabric Linings

Dressmaking Advice

This video explains different fabrics to be used for linings, and which are best to use for lining dresses, skirts and suiting.

Melissa from d’Italia explains the best fabrics and best technique in linings with the use of silk linings and self-lining.

There’s a common misconception about linings. You’ll find lots of cheap linings around in other stores, but here in d’Italia, we like to use silk. Silk is great, for that fact that one, it’s not going to cling like most cheaper silks will. Cheaper silks are actually made out of a polyester or an acetate blend. Because of its synthetic fibres made out of plastic, they tend to give you that static feel. For the best achieved lining, you should always self-line. When making a dress, I have my top layer of silk and then underneath it I’ve got another layer. To self-line, you have it doubled over, so you’re using the same material. It will feel great on the inside as well as on the outside. The reason it gives you a better drape is that won’t cling – and usually, that static cling is why a lot of people are turned off by satins. When you’ve got a silk satin and it’s lined with itself, it’ll hang and drape beautifully. It’ll just slide over those lumps and bumps, so you’ll never have to worry about it again. Another good thing about silk lining is that it’s pure silk, so that means that it’s a fabric that breathes. You’re not going to sweat and it’s not going to get hot and sticky unlike Bemsilks. Bemsilks are made out of acetate, which is made out of plastic -making the fabric very hot. These type of fabrics make you sweat and you’ll feel very sticky and icky.

The best way to achieve a great lining is by using silk and self-lining. You can also use silk lining inside of wools, since wool is a natural fibre itself too. Silk being pure silk and natural, will breathe throughout summer and throughout winter, and it will still keep you warm and cool.

When it comes to lining stretches, you would still need a stretch again and self-line. You’ll need to use the same fabric and double it to get the movement of the stretch. It defeats the purpose if you are going to use another cheaper lining or a silk lining under the stretch if it doesn’t have that stretchiness in it.

So there you go, try it for yourself, self-lining – it’s the best way to line a fabric.

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