28 March 2019

How to Bag out a Coat Lining - with Videos!

How to bag out a coat lining - Tilly and the Buttons


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.

How to bag out a coat lining - Tilly and the Buttons

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!

How to bag out a coat lining - Tilly and the Buttons

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 :)





Sewing a thread chain

After you've been totally amazing and bagged out a coat lining (high five!), you'll need to secure the coat and lining underarms together with a thread chain. A thread chain will connect the lining to the outer layer while giving you room to move. You might not have seen the thread chains in your coats or jackets as they are hidden, but if you've ever seen a skirt lining anchored to the main skirt with some thread to stop the lining from going walkabout, that's a thread chain.

How to sew a thread chain - Tilly and the Buttons

It might be tempting to skip sewing a thread chain after the effort of bagging out a lining, but it's worth it and really doesn't take long at all. I'm always amazed at how quick this process is and it's a handy little sewing trick to keep up your sleeve, pun intended.

We've made a short video which shows how to sew a thread chain for the Eden coat or jacket, but this can be used for any pattern that requires this skill.



We hope this helps you with your coat-making adventures! If you're sewing the Eden coat, do share with us what you're making @TillyButtons with the hashtag #SewingEden so we can admire your creation :)