How to Bag Out a Coat or Jacket Lining

If you're sewing a lined coat or jacket, you may come across the phrase “bag out the lining” in your pattern instructions. It sounds rather technical, but don't worry – we’re about to break it down for you.  

Basically, bagging out is a clever way of joining your lining to the outer garment so that the seams are enclosed inside, giving the finished garment a clean, polished finish. 

In this tutorial, we'll explain what bagging out means, and how to bag out a garment step by step. We've also made a handy video tutorial so you can see the process in action.  

You can use this techniques for many lined jackets and coats, including our Manon jacket, Sonny jacket and Eden coat sewing patterns. 

What does “bagging out” a lining mean? 

Bagging out simply means sewing the lining to the outer garment with right (nice) sides together, leaving an opening that allows you to turn the garment right side out. Once you've turned it through, the seams are hidden neatly inside the garment. 

It’s a particularly useful technique for jackets and coats because it gives you a beautifully finished interior without needing to manually bind or cover all the seam allowances. It also keeps visible to topstitching and time-consuming hand sewing to a minimum – all you see are tidy seam lines from the right side, with no stitching on view (unless you look very hard!). 

How to bag out a jacket or coat lining 

While the basic principles for bagging out a lining are the same, the seams to join together and any finishing stitches can vary between pattern, so always check the instructions for the garment you’re making alongside this tutorial. 

The process usually starts once you’ve constructed the outer garment, constructed the lining, and usually attached a facing to the lining for stability. 

You'll need to leave an opening somewhere in the lining so you can turn the whole garment right side out. We recommend leaving this opening in the centre of the underarm seam on one of the sleeve linings. The opening will need to be edgestitched closed later, so this is the most inconspicuous place for the visible stitches – they won’t be seen once you turn the jacket right sides out. 

1. Sew the lining (and facing) to the outer bodice 

Lay the lining (with facing attached if it has one) over the outer jacket or coat, with the right (nice) sides together. Any collars, hoods, and/or hanging loops should be sandwiched between the layers. 

Pin and stitch them together around the edges specified in your pattern instructions – usually the neckline, front openings, and hemlines. 

Trim the seam allowances, clip the corners, and clip into any curves to reduce bulk and help everything sit neatly once the garment is turned right side out. 

Your pattern may recommend joining each seam in stages, and understitching the facing or lining to the seam allowances to help keep it on the inside of the garment – so do refer to the instructions. 

2. Attach the sleeves to the sleeve linings 

Now to attach the sleeves to the sleeve linings. You may be wondering how to pin them right sides together at this point – there’s a clever technique for that! 

Pull them both wrong sides out. Fold the ends of the outer jacket sleeves under to the wrong side by around 4-5cm (2in) – it doesn’t have to be exact. 

Bring each sleeve around to meet its matching lining, checking they’re not twisted. Insert the end of one sleeve (with the hem still folded under) into the end of its corresponding lining. The hems should now be right sides together. Pin them together around the raw edges, aligning the underarm seams and any notches. 

Stitch them together. Then follow the same process to attach the other sleeve and lining. Trim the seam allowances. 

The lining and outer fabric are now joined, but the garment will still look very much inside out. 

3. Turn the garment right side out 

Once the relevant seams are sewn, find the opening you left in the lining, and carefully pull the outer garment through so it’s right side out. 

Take your time here – you don’t want to rip any seams in the process! I like to start by pulling any particularly bulky parts through, such as a collar or hood, before taking the rest in stages. 

Ta da! Your coat or jacket should now be right side out, with all the seam allowances hidden on the inside. Now you can neaten up the corners from the inside using a point turner or similar. 

4. Connect the underarms with a thread chain 

A thread chain is a small chain of hand-sewn stitches that will connect the lining and outer garment together at each armpit. Rather than stitching them close together, joining them with a short chain gives the lining flexibility to move.  

It might be tempting to skip this step once you've finished the more involved process of bagging out your lining, but taking a couple of minutes to sew them will prevent a lot of future frustration with the lining pulling inside out when you take the garment on and off. 

Here’s how to sew them: How to Sew a Thread Chain (+ Video Tutorial!)

5. Close the opening 

Find the opening you left in the sleeve lining, press the seam allowances to the inside, and edgestitch it closed. 

Depending on your pattern, you may need to do a little hand sewing now to close up any other gaps in the lining. A good technique for this is slip stitching. 

Here’s how: How to sew slip stitch

Once all the gaps are sealed, you can give your garment a good press to neaten it up. 

Here’s the process we use to bag out the Eden raincoat and duffle coat pattern lining (remember, it may differ slightly if you’re using a different pattern): 

A little practice goes a long way 

Bagging out a lining can look complicated when you first see all the pieces inside out and seemingly going in every direction. But once you understand the basic idea – sew the lining and outer together, leave an opening, turn it right side out and close the opening – it starts to make much more sense. 

If you're making Manon and would like to sew along with Tilly, our Learn to Sew a Lined Jacket workshop takes you through the process step by step, from cutting your fabrics through to attaching the lining and finishing your jacket. 

Happy sewing!