After reading blogs, articles, reviews on quilting lining to fashion fabric, I jumped into the adventure. Why not, my first few tests were conclusive and my walking foot was so much willing to help.

Quilting per se is not difficult at all you start with a strait line, you stitch strait, use a waling foot with a guide and you go.

My dress is simple, I only had to quilt three pieces. Two for the back and one for the front.

One of the best reference, if you start such a project, is Birgitte's blog: Bubblegum4breakfat. Read all of her projects on the Chanel technique, you will not be deceived.

I also suggest the following readings:

Go Chanel or go home
The Sewing Divas
Deconstructing the Chanel Jacket
Orchids in May

Since I encountered situations for which those references did not have answers, here are my recommendations.

Before you start quilting

1. cut your fashion fabric 5 mm longer (top and bottom) and wider (both sides). Quilting might make your pieces smaller,
2. stitch all darts and make sure they are all very well pressed,
3. cut your lining pieces at least 1 cm longer (top and bottom) and wider (both sides) then the original pattern,
4. put lining and fashion on top of one other wrong sides together while doing so, carefully aligning the centre of the pieces (lining and fashion fabric),
5. pin the lining to the fashion fabric

Now you are ready to quilt each pieces. Of course the lining pieces exceed the size of the fashion fabric pieces it is attached to. This does not matter at all.

For the quilting operation

1. test with scraps of lining and fashion fabric see here. It might sometimes be easier to quilt with fashion fabric on top or underneath. In my case the fashion fabric was so bouclé that it got caught into the walking foot one every second stitch.
2. if your fabric does not have vertical line (like the one I used) draw in strait line in the centre of your pieces (front or back). It will be the first one you quilt.
   
3. use your guide at 2.5 cm wide to quilt the rest
4. leave at least 3 cm on side and top hedges not quilted. This is necessary for your seams with extra space for last minute alteration.
5. for the hem, if you hem width is of 5 cm stop at least 7 cm above hem line.
6. keep very long threads both at the beginning and end of you quilting lines. Those will be knotted only at the end.
7. you can quilt vertically only or make squares as you which. Here are examples of both techniques. Here as well. Choose the one for you.
8. When the quilting is all done, put the tissue pieces over the fashion fabric to verify that the size of piece is appropriate.
   
9. Mark all seam line with thread.
   
10. Assemble your garment.
11. Finish the lining seams by hand.
    

As you can see in the first picture, the dress is all assembled. I simply need to hand stitch the lining seams and attach it to the zipper. I should finish it this weekend.

For the outside (I am working so much on the inside that I forget that the dress as a right side ;-)), I am thinking about adding a braid.




























To trim or not to trim, what do you think?



N.B. The picture with the trim was taken in an earlier stage of construction.