Fabric Linings

Can I purchase fabric linings at Spotlight?

Spotlight offers a great choice of fabric linings for all your home sewing projects including curtains and blinds. Our fabrics and linings are all available by the metre, to allow you to get exactly the right amount of fabric or lining for your needs. Here, you can choose from different types of fabric lining including linings with thermal properties, and sun out or block out lining, as well as fabric lining in a number of different colours.

Why should I use fabric lining?

Fabric lining offers several benefits. If the back of a curtain or other sewn object is visible, lining will enable you to hide the seams and stitches from view, which will give the item a neater appearance. It can also add to the appearance of items because it adds weight, a lined coat, skirt or curtain will often drape better than an unlined one. For curtains and blinds, lining offers protection from the sun which will reduce fading and will give your curtains or blinds a longer lifespan too. Lastly and most importantly, lining will add insulation to your curtains and blinds, both in relation to light, and to heat or cold.

What types of lining do you recommend?

That depends on your particular project. If you are lining curtains, decide what is most needed from your lining. If you are not planning to leave these curtains up for years and years, an uncoated lining may well be sufficient. If, however, you are lining curtains for a bedroom, and your fabric is quite thin, a sun out or block out lining will help you to make the room darker, which may be beneficial for getting little ones off to sleep in summer, or for instance for night workers who have to sleep in the day. Thermal linings will also perform that task to some extent but are more geared towards keeping cold and heat out, which means your rooms will be cooler in summer and warmer in winter if you keep the curtains or blinds closed.

How do I care for fabric lining?

Curtains that have been made with uncoated cotton/polyester lining can usually be machine washed and dried. A common problem is that curtains and linings, when made from different materials, can shrink at different rates, so to avoid this problem make sure your curtains are a few inches longer than the lining, or go all out and wash both materials before starting your project.

Because sun out, block out and thermal linings are often treated to get their particular properties, it is recommended to only hand wash those fabrics.

Place the curtains into the soapy water and gently wash by hand. You may squeeze the fabric lightly and gently scrub the fabric side to remove stains, but avoid bunching, wringing or twisting the curtains. This can damage the thermal backing. Drain the sink and run clean water over the curtains to rinse the soapy water out of the fabric. Gently squeeze the curtains to remove excess water. Hang the curtains to dry using the curtain hooks. Do not use clothespins to hang curtains, and do not fold the curtain over the line to dry. Make sure the coated sides of the curtains are not touching each other as they dry.