Hello there! I'm very excited to bring you another exciting pattern hack for the Pona Jacket - adding a lining! This transitional jacket pattern is unlined and features an extra-wide facing. It is relatively straight forward to line this pattern and it makes it even more versatile for fabrics like wool, which can irritate the skin.
In addition to the lining, I also lengthened the longer view of the jacket 5" and added a waist tie to this Pona using our waist tie pattern hack. I thought it would look particularly good in this plaid wool and I love the final look!
I made my lined Pona from medium-weight wool I sourced locally and a rayon Bemberg from Blackbird Fabrics. I have had this plaid wool in my collection for quite some time now and it is so great to finally make something with it. It is one of the prettiest wools I have seen, the orange lines running through the print are particularly gorgeous.
Drafting the Lining
First things first - let's make the lining jacket pieces. You will need some big sheets of paper to work on. Make sure you are happy with the length of the jacket before you get started with drafting the lining. Trace the front, back, and sleeve jacket pieces onto paper.
Trace the neck facing and front facing pieces onto the front and back.
Shorten the jacket lining and sleeve lining 1.5" (3.8 cm).
From the lines marked for the facing, measure out 1.25" (3.2 cm) away from the lining . This is two times the seam allowance for the pattern (5/8" or 1.6 cm). Cut away all excess paper eliminated by the facings. Label your lining pieces so you know what they are later.
A note about adding a back vent extension in the jacket lining. Many jacket linings include a back vent extension. Wiggle room in a lining is very important! You don't want the lining tugging at the jacket and creating unsightly bunching or uncomfortable restrictions. I did not add this to the Pona lining because the jacket is so loose and oversized already. I did not feel it was worth it and I did not notice a difference once it was completed. Check out this article from Seamwork - A lesson in Lining - for more info about adding the back vent extension to the lining and other drafting details you may wish to include in your Pona Lining!
Sewing the Jacket
Sew the Pona as per the instructions with a few exceptions:
Step 3: No need to finish the seam allowance since we are lining this jacket. If working with a fabric that frays really easily, you may still want to finish them.
Step 5: No need to finish the edge of the facings.
Step 6: No need to pre-press the 1/4" (0.6 cm). You can still pre-press at the notches.
Step 8: No need to finish the seam allowance here.
Step 9: Do not topstitch the sleeve hem yet.
Step 14: Stop sewing around 2" from the inner edge of this seam
Step 16-18: Skip these steps
Step 19-22: See below:
A note about pockets: I waited until the very end to sew on my pockets. This means I sewed them through the outer jacket and lining. I like that it secures the jacket and lining together, but it also means that I have some topstitching visible on the inside of my jacket. If you would prefer, you can sew your pockets (steps 19-22) earlier in the process and secure them to the outer jacket fabric only. I would recommend sewing them after step 2.
Sewing the Lining
Follow the jacket construction steps. Staystitch the neckline of the lining back. Sew the lining back and fronts together at shoulders. Sew the sleeves in flat. Sew the side seams and arm seams in one go BUT leave a 6" gap in the arm seam of one arm. This is the hole we are going to use to turn our lining inside out.
Sewing the jacket and lining together
Turn the jacket inside out if it isn't already. With right sides facing and sleeves tucked inside the jacket, pin the lining to the jacket all around the neck facing and front facing.
When you get close to the hem, you will notice that you have excess lining fabric here. Stop pinning 2" from the bottom of the facing and resume pinning along the hem. Pin at the side seam first and work your way back to the front facing and along the back. Do the same in the opposite front corner.
The goal is to leave this corner open for now, and we will hand sew it closed after the jacket is turned right side out. We want excess fabric here to give us a hem pleat, so our lining has some verticle wiggle room and does not pull on the bottom of our jacket and bunch it up.
Sew all the way around, leaving those front corners open. Start and stop sewing 1" away from the edge of the lining at the bottom of the front facing and the outer edges of the hem. This part is tricky to wrap your mind around, so just try your best and it will all come together in the end. It should look something like this:
Pull the sleeves wrong sides out and away from the jacket. Match the right sleeve with the right sleeve lining, ensuring that the sleeve is not twisted.
Fold up the bottom edge of the sleeve lining towards the wrong side about 4-6". Insert the sleeve lining into the sleeve, matching the underarm seam and checking again to ensure nothing is twisted around and you have two right sleeves (not the right jacket sleeve and the left lining sleeve - I've been there).
You should have right sides facing thanks to turning up the sleeve lining hem. Pin and sew all around using a 1/4" (0.6 cm) seam allowance. Yes, sewing this is very awkward, but at least it is a short seam!
Turning the jacket and lining right side out (bagging the lining)
Now comes the fun part! Turn your jacket right side out through the opening left in one of the sleeve arm seams. If you forgot to leave a hole, don't panic! You can create one with your seam ripper. At this stage, it feels impossible that the jacket will turn right side out and the sleeves will not get all twisted up inside, but they don't! Trust me. Slowly pull it all through that hole and you will be amazed!
Once right side out, check that the sleeves are functioning as expected. If you have twists or mismatched sleeves, you need to turn it inside out and unpick where the lining meets the sleeve at the sleeve hem. Try again to sew the sleeves and sleeve linings together.
At the bottom of the front facing, you will see your little gap in the lining and the extra fabric here. We are going to press the hem of the jacket before pressing our hem pleat and handsewing this little gap closed.
Finishing the jacket
Press around the front facing, neck facing, and collar. Topstitch 1/4" (0.6 cm) from the edge of the lapel from the collar to the jacket hem.
Continue to press the hem of the jacket up 1 3/4" (4.5 cm), continuing the fold where the jacket front naturally turns under to meet the facing. Push the lining out of the way to press only the jacket fabric.
Topstitch along the jacket hem, about 1/4" (0.6 cm) from where the jacket and lining meet. Sew from one edge of the facing to the other.
Fold the raw edges of the lining in towards the inside of the jacket and smooth the lining down so that it pleats over the hem of the jacket. Press the pleat flat. Try on the jacket to see if the hem is lying nice and flat and straight. There should be no bunching at the hem. Hand sew the gap at the bottom of the front facing closed.
Repeat this process for the sleeve hems. Fold up the sleeve hem 1.75" (4.5 cm). Topstitch around the hem, pushing the lining out of the way. Put on the jacket and let the sleeve lining naturally pleat down over the topstitching. No need to press this, but you can if you like!
The last step is some final touches to secure the lining to the jacket in key points. You can sew a thread chain under the arm to connect the lining and jacket here. This helps to ensure the lining and jacket do not shift around too much while taking the jacket on and off.
You will hand sew the gap in the sleeve seam closed once you are done hand sewing inside the jacket.
I added belt loops and a waist tie to my jacket after the fact, so you can see my stitching on the inside of the jacket. This also helps to secure the lining and jacket together here. We have a tutorial all about this waist tie here.
I opted to sew my patch pockets after the jacket was complete, so I sewed them on through both the jacket and the lining. This means the stitching shows a bit on the lining, but I do like how it secures the lining even further and makes these pockets really stable. If you would like to have pockets sewn onto only the jacket fabric, sew them on after step #2 in the jacket instructions.
Whew! That is how you add a lining to the Pona Jacket! Please let me know if you do try this and if you have further questions. I love that this lining addition makes this jacket feel even more versatile and I LOVE how this wool version turned out. I know I will enjoy wearing this autumnal jacket for years to come. Happy sewing!
Here are some additional resources for sewing a jacket lining:
Seamwork - A lesson in Lining
Grainline Studio - Sewing Tutorial | How to Bag a Jacket Lining
Tilly and the Buttons - How to bag a coat lining (video)
Sewing Report - How to Draft a Lining for a Jacket (video)
