How to Bag out a Coat Lining - with Videos!

If you're sewing a lined coat or jacket, such as the Manon jacket, Sonny jacket or Eden coat, 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. Plus it limits the amount of hand-sewing you need to do - hooray!

Once the process is complete and the coat is turned right sides out, the opening is then edgestitched closed in a discreet place - usually the sleeve lining undearm seam.

To support the pattern instructions, we've made a video of bagging out the Eden raincoat so you can see what it looks like in moving pictures. Make sure you also refer to the instructions for the pattern you are making, as some of the details, such as seams to join, can differ.

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.

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.