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Lined A-line Jumper or Pinafore - Tutorial
Lined Jumper (Pinafore) Tutorial This tutorial will show how to make a simple A-line jumper (pinafore) dress, with full lining. Patterns for this style dress are easy to find, or you can make your own. My pattern is an adaptation of a vintage pattern. Here are the four pieces you need to begin with:
My outside fabric is a sparkly light pink narrow wale corduroy, and I am using a pink and white striped cotton for the lining. Cut each piece on the fold. If you are making your own pattern, please note that the shoulder straps of the back piece need to be longer than those of the front piece, so that you can overlap them. Also, the neckline should be higher at the back than at the front.
This style of dress is simple and plain and allows you to embellish as your heart desires. If you are going to add an appliqué, pockets, trimmings or embroidery, now is the time to do so. I appliquéd a little squirrel onto the front. By doing any
of this type of work now, you will make sure that all the wrong-side stitching,
like this, is on the inside and covered by the lining.
Now, you are going to sew the jumper together. Begin by placing the outside fabrics right sides together, and sew up one side seam. It does not matter which one. Next, take the lining fabrics, place them right sides together, and sew up the opposite side seam. Press the seams open. Here is a picture, fronts facing up. You can see that I have sewn the right hand seam on the outer pieces and the left hand seam on the lining pieces. On the lining, fuse a piece of interfacing to each of the shoulder sections. This will add strength and stability for your buttons and buttonholes or snaps.
If you want to add any embellishment, such as rickrack that will go all around the jumper, this is the time to do it. I added a row of chocolate brown rickrack.
Now take your two seamed pieces and place them right sides together. Carefully match and pin the seams at the underarm and bottom edge. Pin all around, if desired, to make sure the pieces do not slip when you are sewing. With fabrics such as corduroy and velveteen, pinning really does help to keep everything even. Now sew all along the bottom edge of the jumper, backstitching at beginning and end.
Then sew the top edge, along the neckline and underarm edges and right around the shoulder straps.
Clip corners on the shoulder straps. Trim the seams all the way around.
Turn right side out, pushing out corners of shoulder straps (I use a dull pencil point.) Press all edges. This is how
it will look once it is right-side-out and pressed. The side seam on the right
is still not sewn up.
Carefully match the seams at underarm and at bottom edge. Pin together. You will have the two outside fabric pieces together, and the two lining pieces together. Continue to pin all along the seam of the outside fabric. Be sure right sides are together. On the
lining side, mark a 4 inch (10 cm) section near the middle of the seam. This
section will NOT be stitched. You will begin stitching at the bottom mark on
the lining, stitch through the bottom of the jumper and up along the seam on the
outside fabric. Stitch all the way through where the underarm section is
joined, to the top mark on the lining fabric. You will have made a sort of bag,
with the opening in the lining.
Reach your
hand into the opening of the “bag” and pull all the fabric to the right side.
Hold by the
shoulder straps and give it a shake or two to make everything settle into
place. If you did a good job of pressing, it will be nice and smooth. Press
the last side seam as much as possible. Hand-stitch the opening closed. Top-stitch all around, if desired, and add buttons or snaps to the shoulder straps. Voila! You are finished.  Here are a couple of other jumpers I made using the same pattern and system. These were made from vintage tablecloths!   |
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