posted
I have plans to make a kameez that needs lining. If you don't know what a kameez is, think dress with slits on either side seam going up to the hips (pants are worn underneath).
The kameez (top - the dress with slits) needs to be lined. I know that the lining will be the same pieces as for the kameez - that is, a front, a back, and two sleeves.
One way I could do this:
I'm planning on sewing the front and back of the kameez together at the shoulders, and the front and back of the lining together at the shoulders, then sew the kameez front/back to the lining front/back at the neck to give a nice finished neckline.
I think I sew the sleeve and sleeve lining together at the hem.
At that point, I could attach the sleeve with lining to the front/back with lining at the arm hole, sewing all four layers of fabric together. I could then stitch all four layers together sewing the front/back sleeve together and continuing down the length of the garment, sewing front and back together at the sides, sewing all four layers of fabric together.
At the slit and on down to the hem, is there any benefit to sewing the lining to the fabric or to not?
The second way I could do this:
Sew the kameez itself, and the lining itself, together - front, back, and sleeves. Then attach at the neck, then attach at the sleeve hem.
Then I still have the option of attaching - or not - at the side slits and bottom hem.
Any comments? If you've done this before, what have your experiences been? What do you recommend and why?
As a side note, all fabric has been washed / preshrunk.
posted
Hmm...I've made vests with lining before, and once a very long time ago I made a men's suit jacket (in my college costume shop for a show's costume). I'm trying to remember how we handled the sleeves on that, but it was about six years ago.
What type of fabric is it? Is the lining needed because it's a sheer chiffon-like or light cotton-type fabric, where having the layers disattached from each other on the skirt part would make a nice flowy effect,but you just don't want it to be see-through? Or is the lining more for structure?
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posted
The lining is there for two reasons. a. The fabric is polyester. (I hate polyester - it feels really gross on my skin.) b. Sheer factor. It's too see-through for me to be completely comfortable.
It's a polyester chiffon fabric. Does that help?
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posted
I think it does - I was trying to figure out if it'd look nicer with both layers fully attached to each other the whole way down or now. Is the lining the same fabric as the outer part?
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posted
No. The lining is cotton voile (I have to have cotton against my skin - that, or some other natural fibre - otherwise I would *never* wear this).
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
I don't sew, but I do know clothes. I wouldn't attach the side slits or bottom hem, no matter how you do the bodice. I think it would be extremely difficult to get it to fall right and might not wash well.
Do you have to sew them together at all? Could you just basically make a kind of under-kameez? Is the fabric sheer enough to see the color of the lining/under-kameez? If so, you could make a couple of under-kameezes in different colors.
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posted
Oh, Mrs. M has a good point. Attatch the lining at the top and closed side seams only-- that's so standard I forgot it. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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quote:Could you just basically make a kind of under-kameez? Is the fabric sheer enough to see the color of the lining/under-kameez? If so, you could make a couple of under-kameezes in different colors.
I've thought about that, too, Mrs.M... This particular fabric really only looks good with the one color underneath - we tried a few - so it makes sense to me to make it lined.
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
If you want the lining to be pretty much unnoticeable, then I would agree with kq and go with the first part of option one. (I haven't fully thought through the rest of it yet.)
When I was making a basic vest with lining (as part of my teach-freshmen-how-to-sew duties the other year), we did basically the same thing. We started with the shoulder seams of the lining and the shell separately, and then attached the lining to the shell, basically making a big pillowcase out of it and leaving one side seam open so we could turn it right-side-out.
With the sleeves...depending on how tightly they're supposed to fit, I would potentially not sew the cuffs before the shoulders. When I was making the suitcoat, I had to leave the lining unattached from the sleeve at the cuffs until the sleeves were on the coat at the shoulders, then put the whole thing on a form/body so I could see how the sleeves would hang. If I'd sewn the lining down at the cuffs before that point, they probably would have ended up looking a bit warped.
But if your sleeves are going to be loose, it might not matter as much. Actually, it might look nice if you just don't have the lining attached at the cuffs at all, especially if you end up leaving the skirt panels separate. You could just do a simple shirttail hem on the cuffs and skirt panels, and have the two pieces attached together at the neck, side seams, and maybe at the arm holes.
Edit: I hadn't seen MrsM's posts yet when I posted this, but it sounds like she and I are sort of thinking along the same lines.
quote:What's the neckline like? I'm imagining it's kind of like a semi-Mandarin collar.
You say you're not a fashionista - if kameezes aren't couture, I don't know what is!
I don't know about the neckline yet - haven't got that far. This garment is not the one I'm presently sewing but is next in line. I'm currently sewing an aqua cotton shalwaar (the pants are already done) with white embroidery on it.
Maybe I should take a photo of the fabric... Hmm. I think I will.
And Mrs.M, I'm not a fashionista. I wear shalwaars because they're a part of the local culture, Fahim's mom loves when I wear them, they look good (relatively speaking - being fat, looking good is only relative), and they're comfortable. Comfortable is important.
Anyway, off to photograph fabric. BRB.
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
This is the fabric for the kameez that needs lining. Fabric (burgundy with red/orange/green pattern with sequins - polyester chiffon) on the right side is for the kameez. Fabric on the lower left (red, cotton voile) is for the lining for that kameez.
Fabric on the upper left is intended for the pants & shawl. It's one piece of fabric for both with the diagonal stripe in cream/burgundy intended for the pants, and the burgundy sequined pattern with cream/burgundy diagonal stripe in the middle for the shawl. If that makes sense.
And here's another question. I'm not that interested in having the cream/burgunday fabric for pants - too much for me, I'm thinking. I do, however, have burgundy pants from another outfit that coincidentally match perfectly, so I'm toying with the idea of making the cream/burgundy diagonal print into another kameez.
If I did, I'm thinking of using some of the leftover burgundy patterned fabric around the neckline and the bottom of the kameez as well as a strip at the bottom of the sleeves so the diagonal stripes don't overpower. Since the shawl portion has both the diagonal striping and the burgundy pattern in it, that, I think, means it can easily tie in well. What do you think?
As a further side note, this is the fabric for the cotton aqua kameez I'm currently sewing (I'll have it finished this afternoon.) And this is the sari material Fahim and I got for his mom. She picked them out, we paid. Everyone's happy.
All this is because Festival - Eid il-Fitr - is next week Monday or Tuesday. That's the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting, and tradition dictates that it's a feasting day plus everyone *must* wear a new outfit. Since it's a Muslim festival with lots of Muslims around the house that day, I *must* wear a shalwaar kameez that day. Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
That is some beautiful fabric. All of it. I'm jealous.
As for how to sew the lining, I'm with KQ. Attaching the lining to each piece will make it easier to sew the pieces together without unsightly bumps and the like.
As a side note: My best friend's dad is Muslim, so I used to go to Eid with her and her family. Her dad brought back some awesome outfits from India and let me keep one. I still use the scarf in all sorts of creative ways. Unfortunately I've outgrown the rest of the outfit.
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After I make all the shalwaar kameezes from the fabric I already have, I'll be well over the dozen mark. I'm at, um, 8 or 9 already...
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
I'm seriously in favor of holidays that dictate new outfits every year.
I'm still looking for a shalwaar kameez I like every time I make it to the garment district (which, alas, is not often, because it either involves dragging Jeff with me or ditching him with Emma to do errands on a Saturday while I take the baby downtown on the train. I took the bus downtown with both kids ONCE and do not plan to do it again until they are significantly older, and maybe not then.) Maybe now that it's fall and winter is fast approaching, I'll find something I like better.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
Oh, I thought of something else: instead of doing traditional lining of the garment, you could "flatline" it. That involves (since you don't have a serger) zig-zagging OR straight stitching twice OR zig-zagging and then straight stitching the lining piece to the fabric piece of each part of the garment. It's a little more trouble; obviously more time and thread, and each piece must be cut to exactly the same size as the lining (you can actually lay them out together after they have been pressed VERY flat and cut them together, as one piece.) But it results in a much less bulky looking, more durable garment, since when you sew it each fabric/lining combination is then treated as only one piece. And you can hem the lining at the same time as you hem the fabric, since it's now one piece, so no worry about the drape of the cloth. This technique is what we used when I worked with a lady who made ballet costumes, because she wanted durability and a clean line. Since I learned it, I have been a big fan of it for things that need to drape nicely but NEED to be lined!
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
Dang it. Nell, I typed up a response to your post, but it must have been swallowed by that, um, wandering Bermuda Triangle thingy. Or something.
I'm planning on having short sleeves - 7" from shoulder to hem.
I have a similar kameez - similar fabric - that's attached at neckline, shoulder/sleeves, sleeve hem, and sides, but left unattached at the side slit and bottom hem (lining is about 2" shorter at the hem than the outer fabric). It hangs fine - zero complaints.
Can't show you a pic cuz my gallery software is now having hissy fits and I have to wait for Fahim's help to fix it, and that'll be after he's off work.
kq, using the method you're describing, can I still use the lining to finish off the neckline without the need for facing, and then sew the rest? I think what you're describing - assuming I understand you correctly - is pretty much what I had in mind. Sort of.
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
quid, the garment you describe is lines in a pretty standard manner. Using the flatlining, you would want to probably make a tape of the lining fabric and use it to finish the neckline (again, more work, but a very sturdy and professional result.)
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If you don't know what a kameez is, think dress with slits on either side seam going up to the hips (pants are worn underneath). 
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