Best lining fabric: cupro or acetate, garment by garment

Two fabrics cover almost every lining job: cupro, which absorbs moisture and hardly builds static, and acetate, shiny and cheaper. The garment decides the rest. We use cupro wherever the lining touches skin or tights, and keep acetate for a jacket that is worn over other clothes.

A lining has three jobs. It slides, so a sleeve goes on over a jumper without catching. It hides the seams. And it keeps scratchy wool off your skin. Just one condition: it must not be heavier than the fabric it lines, or it ends up deciding how the garment hangs.

Our linings side by side

The weights are those on our product pages, in grams per linear metre, converted to g/m² so that different widths can be compared.

Cupro and Bemberg: the same fibre

Cupro is a regenerated cellulose fibre. It starts as cotton linter, the very short fuzz left clinging to cotton seeds after ginning, which is dissolved in a solution of copper and ammonia and then spun into yarn. Bemberg is the brand name of the Japanese company Asahi Kasei, which describes itself as the world’s only cupro maker since 2009. In Europe the composition label has to say “cupro”, with the brand only added alongside; in the US, where labelling rules file the fibre under rayon, you will see it sold as “Bemberg rayon”.

In the hand, it is smooth and silky. On the body, cupro wins. It holds more moisture than acetate: in ordinary room air, about 11 to 13% of its weight, against 6 to 9% for acetate. That moisture lets static drain away, so a dress lined in cupro hardly clings to tights.

Two drawbacks, and a price. It slips and frays at the cutting table (it has a mind of its own under the scissors). It shrinks in hot water and under steam. And it costs a good deal more than acetate.

We stock it in two versions. The cupro pongee, at 57 g/m², is even a little lighter than our acetate. The shiny cupro, with a satin finish and made in Italy, goes up to 96 g/m². It is our coat lining.

Is acetate plastic?

It depends who you ask. To the regulations, acetate is an artificial fibre rather than a synthetic one, made from cellulose (from wood, among other sources) treated with acetic acid and acetic anhydride. Under the EU rules on single-use plastics, though, cellulose acetate counts as a “chemically modified” natural polymer, and therefore as a plastic, while regenerated cellulose (viscose, lyocell) does not. Cupro belongs to the second family.

In the hand, it is silky, with a lovely drape and the sheen it is known for. At the ironing board it needs care, because it is thermoplastic. Too hot, and it turns shiny, then melts.

On the body, it takes up less moisture than cupro, and it is more prone to static. It does not stand up well to rubbing. Its real enemy is acetone: a drop of nail varnish remover is enough to make a hole, and the alcohol in a perfume can mark it. It does not go in the washing machine: textile guides prefer dry cleaning, or failing that a hand wash in cold or lukewarm water, without wringing.

That leaves its two strengths. Acetate costs a good deal less, and it is the lining in which our range of colours is widest.

Which lining for which garment?

A coat or a jacket: it all happens in the sleeves

Line a sleeve with a fabric that catches, and you end up dragging the whole garment on over the jumper underneath.

So the sleeves need a lining that slides, whatever else you choose. For a coat, we prefer the shiny cupro: heavier and satin-finished, it slides well and adds a little weight and warmth. For a light jacket, acetate does the job very well, and it is the lining of many shop-bought jackets.

For a proper winter coat, an ordinary lining is not enough to keep you warm. That takes a flannel-backed satin or a quilted lining. A common trick is to line the body with that warm fabric and only the sleeves with a slippery lining.

Two construction details prevent pulling. The lining of a jacket or coat is never narrower than the garment. It gets an ease pleat of about 2.5 cm at the centre back, which gives room when you move your arms, and a small pleat above the hem, which gives it some length. Scratchy wool is far more comfortable lined, since the lining is then what touches your skin.

A dress or a skirt: the tights test

A skirt that rides up as you walk, a dress that clings to your legs: static is often to blame. Cupro keeps the problem in check, because it holds enough moisture to let the charge drain away. It also breathes, which matters for a garment worn close to the body all day.

At the hem, leave the lining about 2.5 cm shorter than the garment so that it never shows below.

Under chiffon: a silk just as light

Silk chiffon is sheer, and that is its whole charm. Even so, a chiffon dress is usually lined, at least through the bodice and the upper skirt, while the sleeves, a flounce or an overskirt can stay sheer. You can also make it up in two layers of chiffon, or wear it over a slip.

Our silk pongee weighs 32 g/ml in a 140 cm width, about the weight of our lightest silk chiffons (33 g/ml in 137 cm). Its colour shows through, so choose it with the chiffon laid over it: matched to the chiffon, or close to skin tone if you want to keep the sheer effect.

Cutting, sewing and pressing

A lining slides, that is its job, and it is also what makes it a nuisance to cut. Cut it flat, in a single layer, with a rotary cutter, holding it down with weights or clips rather than pins. A sheet of paper underneath stops it from creeping. At the machine, a fine needle (60 to 70) and a stitch length of 2 to 2.5 mm are all you need.

At the ironing board, each has its own rules. Acetate is pressed at one dot, with no steam, on the wrong side. Cupro takes a little more heat, up to two dots, but steam can shrink it or leave water marks: press it dry, on the wrong side. Last of all, choose a lining that is cared for the same way as the fabric it lines.

Nathalie’s tip: if the garment will be washed, wash the whole length of cupro before you cut it, exactly as you will wash the finished garment. It is the rule the University of Kentucky gives in its guide to linings: “Lining fabric should be preshrunk before using following the same procedure you plan to use for the finished garment.”

Two more questions

What about polyester lining?

It does not breathe and does not absorb perspiration, which you soon feel in a garment worn close to the body. At the time of writing, we do not sell it.

How much lining should you buy?

For a jacket or a coat, the pattern usually gives the amount. For a dress whose pattern says nothing, allow the same length as for the main fabric. If in doubt, our team will help you work it out.

One last step before you order. Lay a sample of cupro and one of acetate on your fabric in daylight and run your hand over them. Colour, sheen and weight are easier to judge under your fingers than on a screen, which is exactly what our samples are for.

Happy sewing,
Nathalie