Sew knee lining into trousers #ADD01

1. This is required:

Pattern pieces made from shell fabric:

• Front pieces (VH)- 1 pair; the area for the pocket opening is still cut on wing pockets

Pattern pieces from interlining:

• Strips for piped pockets (ETU VH)

Paper pattern pieces:

• Front (VH)
• the template for the front piped pocket (P-TZ VH), if applicable

Tools and aids:

• lightweight lining fabric
• pinking shears if the lining fabric is stretchy
• Long ruler
• Hand shears
• Chalk or marker pen
• Pins
• Basting thread and sewing needle
• Edge tape, e.g. T20 from Vlieseline, for seam pockets

2. Trim the front edge

First, I trim the front edge of one of the front trouser panels. Which part I do this with depends on which side I want to reach into the fly later to open the fastener.

Classic women’s pants often have the opening on the left side. The men’s pants.

I’ll show you the classic women’s slit version here. To do this, the right front piece is trimmed at the center front. If you want to have the slit on the other side, you only have to work in mirror image.

I place the pattern piece on the right front trousers.

I use tailor’s chalk to mark the course parallel to the front edge up to the top edge.

I cut away the narrow strip of fabric at this mark.

3. Prepare the pocket opening

Depending on which version of the front pockets you have chosen, the later pocket openings will now be reinforced. You can skip this point later when you come to the step for the pocket processing.

With a classic slit pocket, also known as a wing pocket, this step is not carried out until later. In that case, you can continue here.

For a seam pocket, I mark the length of the pocket opening on the wrong side of the fabric. I iron the edge tape on there and let it extend approx. 1 cm beyond the markings.

For the version with a piped pocket, a template is included in the pattern sheet, which I place flush at the top and on the outer edge.

Here, too, I transfer the markings for the later pocket opening to the wrong side of the fabric.

I place the interlining strip centered over this marking and iron it in place.

4. Option crease

If you want your trousers to have a crease, I will now show you how to mark the position on the outer fabric. If you don’t want a crease, you can continue right here.

The crease is marked from the right side on the outer fabric pieces. I therefore first lay the two pattern pieces on top of each other with the wrong sides together and then place the paper pattern on top.

The marked grain corresponds to the crease. I pin the pattern piece through this line through both layers of fabric. I repeat this in three to four places along the entire length of the front trousers.

I then turn the two layers of fabric together. Turn the pattern piece over so that the side previously lying on the table is facing upwards.

I place the long ruler exactly on the pins and transfer the crease to the front trousers.

To transfer the marking of the pins to the other pattern piece, I fold the pattern pieces backwards.

I use tailor’s chalk to mark the places where the pins are inserted.

Then I can remove the pattern piece again and connect the markings on the second trouser part with the long ruler.

5. Prepare the knee lining

The lining fabric should also be washed before processing to prevent it from shrinking later. Alternatively, you can iron it with plenty of steam.

I double the lining fabric in front of me. With a non-stretch lining fabric, I use the selvedge, shown here on the left, as the bottom edge of the knee lining. This means that nothing pushes through to the outside.

If your lining is stretchy, lay it out in front of you in the same double layer and cut off the bottom edge with pinking shears. This prevents fraying and, just like when using the selvedge, you won’t have any thick areas that could show on the outside.

Now I place the trouser parts on the lining fabric so that it overlaps all the way around.

I transfer the snips to the outer fabric at knee height.

I then align the lining so that it ends approx. 15 cm below the mark; how far below is a matter of taste.

Starting at the top edge, I cut back the excess lining fabric so that it is approx. 2 cm larger than the outer fabric.

This is exactly how I proceed on the inside and outside of the legs.

6. Baste the knee lining under the outer fabric

Now place one outer fabric piece and one lining piece on top of each other, wrong sides facing and join with basting stitches.

I work on a soft surface, so I place a cutting mat under the lining fabric when basting.

As I am working a crease, I now pin the lining exactly along the line. If you are working without a crease, it is sufficient to baste approximately in the middle or fix with a few pins.

I start basting the lining under the outer fabric at the upper end of the grain line.

I push the fabric down very slightly with each stitch so that the lining is never worked in too short. Here I can work with large basting stitches.

For the crease, I run the basting thread to the hem edge, as it will also serve as a guide when ironing later.

Next, I baste the lining to the outer edge and start at the center front. I keep a distance of approx. 8 mm from the edge to avoid catching the thread when neatening the cut edges.

And last but not least, I baste the top edge of the front trousers.

I cut the lining fabric back diagonally at the corners.

On the left front piece, where the front edge was not trimmed, I cut the lining exactly up to the marking at the slit end.

The lining is then cut flush with the outer fabric in the lower area. On the right front trousers, where I trimmed the front edge, it is sufficient to cut back the corner on the inside leg seam diagonally, as on the top edge.

This is what it looks like when the outer and lining fabrics are ready to be joined together.

I remove the chalk mark in the middle with a clothes brush and repeat the steps with the second parts of the outer and lining fabric.

7. Join knee lining and outer fabric

To join the knee lining to the outer fabric, I overlock the edges of the front trousers. For the left front piece, I start at the hem of the inside of the leg.

At the end of the inside of the leg, I set off briefly to finish the crotch seam.

I fold the excess seam at the front edge to the side so that I can sew the short crotch seam to the end. I let the thread caterpillar survive.

I start again at the fly and sew up to the corner.

Since I cut away the lining fabric diagonally beforehand, I can now continue overlocking directly on the top edge.

I proceed in the same way on the next corner and then finish the outside of the leg up to the hem.

I use a darning or catch needle to pull any excess thread into the seam.

Then I remove the basting threads from the inside and outside of the legs, crotch seam, fly and top edge. I leave the basting thread in the center in the fabric until the trousers are finished.

I also repeat these steps for the second part of the front trousers.

8. Note the following steps for wing pockets

If you are sewing trousers with a wing pocket, there are the following points to bear in mind. The fitting step explains how to cut the pocket opening on the front trousers after the fitting. Before you do this, topstitch the outer fabric to the lining approx. 6 mm behind the marking and only then cut it back.

The step for the front pocket opening explains how to iron on the tape to secure the pocket opening on the front piece. In this case, instead of ironing it onto the front trousers, iron it onto the wrong side of the front pocket facing (or onto the front pocket bag if you are working without a facing).

Here you will find the links to the next steps:

• Preparing to try on trousers with split waistband #F03
• Incorporating pleats into trousers #BF01
• Incorporating creases into trousers #ADD02

If you’re not quite ready yet and perhaps want to start at the beginning, you’ll find some links here:

• Preparing the pattern for cutting
• Cutting fabrics and materials