How to Bag out a Coat Lining - with Videos!

If you're sewing a lined coat or jacket, such as the Eden pattern or Sonny jacket, the instructions will often call for you to "bag out the lining", and then secure the lining and coat together with a "thread chain". If you're new to coat making this may seem a bit perplexing but I promise, it's not as mystical as it sounds.

To make these aspects of coat making even easier, we've made not one, but two videos to walk you through the process of bagging out a coat or jacket lining and explain how to sew a thread chain.

Bagging out a lining

So what does it mean to "bag out a lining" I hear you ask. It simply means to sew the coat or jacket lining to the shell (nice fabric) right sides together, leaving a small opening to turn the coat through so it's right sides out. This process hides all seams and gives an outerwear garment a lovely, professional finish.

Once the process is complete and the coat is turned right sides out, the opening is then closed. There are a few different methods for bagging out a lining, but the one we have chosen for the Eden coat or jacket is sewn totally on the machine and involves no hand sewing. Yay!

We've outlined this method in full, with detailed step-by-step photos in the instructions for our Eden coat and jacket pattern. To make it even easier to sew, we've made a video so you can see what it looks like in moving pictures. You can use this video to help you bag out many coat or jacket patterns, but if you are sewing Eden make sure you also refer to the instructions so you have all the info you need :)

The Aquaria Coat

In case you hadn't noticed, we've firmly caught the lilac lovers bug here at Tilly Towers. Not only did we pick this colour for the cover sample of our new Eden sewing pattern, I also made myself a winter duffle coat in lilac wool using the same pattern. I've been wearing this coat loads these past few months and absolutely lurrrrrve it!




I bought the wool/poly blend fabric from Doughty's, and used a silky mint for the lining. The inspiration for the colour combo came from a beautiful creation worn by Aquaria in season ten of Ru Paul’s Drag Race. I’d never thought to put lilac and mint together before until I saw her drop-dead gorgeous outfit. This one albeit more understated - but it still makes me smile, particularly as I slip the hood over my head on a frosty London morning.

Toggles Inspiration for Your Handmade Duffle Coat

Busy planning your new Eden coat or jacket and considering choosing toggles as your fastenings of choice? It's Nikki here with another dose of seriously lovely inspo to help you plan and make your coat of dreams.

The Eden coat or jacket has the option of either snaps or toggles fastenings to keep it closed and shelter you from the elements. Toggles look gorgeous on both a nautical style raincoat and a winter wool duffle coat and are great for adding a bit of interest to outerwear garments.

I hadn't really thought much about toggles before. I mean, toggles are toggles, right? Well, that's not strictly true. There are so many fun and interesting ways you can jazz up your toggle fastenings to make your Eden coat or jacket totally unique to you. Here at Tilly Towers, we spend a lot of time planning and scheming about those little details that make our me-mades extra personal, special and fun. If you're wondering how to raise your toggle game on your Eden, then read on.

Ten Tips for Sewing Rainwear Fabrics

Want to get stuck into sewing a raincoat? There are more and more amazing water repellent fabrics coming onto the market for home sewists to get the hands on. And our Eden coat sewing pattern is the perfect accompaniment, taking you through the steps to making a gorgeous raincoat or jacket.

If you’ve never sewn with waterproof or water repellent fabrics before, here are some tips on what to look out for, how to handle the materials, and stitching tips to get a great result.



1) Choosing your fabric

There are lots of different types of rainwear fabrics on the market, and more and more of them are becoming available to home sewists to buy. Which is great! However, be aware that they can vary wildly in weight, content, feel and how they behave when you cut and sew them.

How they perform in the rain will be one of the main factors to consider when choosing what to buy. If you want to sew something that will keep you dry in a full-on downpour, take a look at waterproof fabrics such as PUL and Goretex. They are proper performance fabrics that won’t let rain through the fibres… but on the downside they can feel very synthetic and aren’t breathable – so you may get a little sticky!

If you’re not planning on wearing your handmade raincoat on a mountaineering expedition and just want something cute that will wear well on a short rainy walk, try a fabric that is “water resistant” or “water repellent” rather than “waterproof”. The waxed cotton in our Eden sewing kits is one such fabric – it may not withstand a tropical storm but will keep the rain off you on your commute to work or a gentle country walk.

Knowing what all the different rainwear fabric names mean can certainly feel a little confusing. If you’re buying online and aren’t sure what to get, see if you can order a couple of sample swatches to get a feel for what you like before buying.

Fitting the Eden Coat or Jacket

Making the Eden coat or jacket and need a helping hand on fitting and choosing a size? It's Nikki here with some hints and tips on what you will need to know.

The good news is Eden's casual, boxy and easy-fitting style means it doesn't require much, well, fitting. Hooray! Having said that, you're probably going to be investing in some lovely fabric, not to mention the time it takes to make it, so it's worth planning a few fitting adjustments if you need them.

When you're choosing your size and fitting the Eden coat or jacket, bear in mind that it's an outerwear garment and is designed to be roomy. Don't over-fit it as you'll most likely be wearing layers underneath, which makes fitting Eden a lot easier (yay!).

We're going to cover:

• Choosing your size
• Combining pattern sizes
• Lengthening the bodice, sleeve or hood
• Shortening the bodice, sleeve or hood
• Making a toile

Fabric shopping for Eden

Want to make our brand new sewing pattern, the Eden coat or jacket, and need a helping hand deciding on fabrics? It's Nikki here, and I'm bringing you a dose of drool-worthy coat and jacket fabric inspiration from some of our favourite online shops.

What we love most about the Eden coat or jacket is that it's so versatile. Make it in a wool coating for a snuggly winter duffle coat, or in a cotton drill or raincoat fabric for a lighter jacket. When deciding on what fabric you want to buy, have a think about what activities you want to do whilst wearing your Eden, or the climate you live in - or are visiting on holiday, you lucky thing - as this will guide your fabric choices.

Please bear in mind that we haven't handled these gorgeous fabrics ourselves (booooo), so we recommend ordering a swatch to check how they feel and handle in real life.

Inspo for making your Eden coat or jacket

Have you heard the news? Team Buttons launched our first ever coat pattern - Eden! She's not only gorgeous, she's incredibly versatile too. This will be a me-made garment that you will wear again and again and treasure for many years to come.

It’s Louise here, and I am going to give you a little inspo for making your dream coat. Eden is a chameleon and can look so different depending on what fabric, style, fastenings, and lining you opt for. I have spent many hours lusting over the possibilities on Pinterest, so thought I'd share some ideas for what you can do with this perfectly practical coat.

Clockwise L-R: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Meet the Eden raincoat and coat pattern!

After months of prepping behind the scenes we are unbelievably excited to share our newest favourite sewing pattern with you – meet Eden!

The Eden raincoat or coat is particularly special for us as it’s our first outerwear pattern. Our lovely customers have been asking for us to release a jacket or coat pattern for a loooong time and we think this raincoat and duffle is the perfect addition to the Tilly and the Buttons family.

We wanted to create a pattern that you'll get a lot of wear out of in different seasons. Make it in a lighter weight fabric to see you through the milder months, or in a cosy coating for chilly weather. Oh, and did we mention it's fully lined? The beauty of the Eden coat is that it’s so versatile and looks totally different depending on the fabric choice and optional features you go for. Raincoats are on trend right now and, let’s face it, these classic designs never go out of style. Whatever the season, you’re going to look (and feel) fab!

Want to find out more? Let’s dive straight in.