Many of my favorite sewing and tailoring techniques are inspired by vintage garments. I found a plaid wool jacket on a recent shopping trip, which had a fascinating collar and lining treatment. The jacket back and sleeves were lined, but the front lining extended only about halfway across the chest and to a few inches below the armholes, in a bolero-like shape. This partial or half lining made the jacket easy to get on and off and comfortable to wear, and left the fronts unfaced, so the fashion fabric’s wrong side was visible on the turned-back lapels.

I realized this method would work beautifully for any jacket in which you wanted single-layer fronts with a lined back. It enables you to show off the reverse side of a double-faced fabric without the bulk of front facings. I opted to bind all the jacket edges with self-fabric. The jacket shown has a funnel collar cut in one with the jacket front, but a similar lining could be made for many jacket or coat styles. 

 

 

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Kenneth D. King’s Smart Fitting Solutions: Foolproof Techniques to Fit Any Figure was released this year by The Taunton Press.