Blackout lining is a fabric with an opaque coating, and the coating dictates everything.
Do not pin through the body of it. Every hole lets light through and stays visible against a bright window. Pin inside the seam allowance only, or use clips.
Use a microtex or universal 90/14 and lengthen the stitch to 3 to 3.5 mm. Short stitches make a perforated line that both leaks light and eventually splits.
Deal with the sticking. The coated face drags under a standard presser foot. A walking, roller or non-stick foot fixes it; failing that, sew with the coated side down, or lay tissue paper between the coating and the foot.
Never iron the coated side. It melts onto the soleplate. Press from the fabric face with a warm iron, or from the coated side through a cloth on a low setting after testing on a scrap.
Which way does the coating face? Towards the window, so the coating takes the heat and light and the room sees the fabric. Check before assembling — it is a tiring thing to discover at the end.
It is heavy. Support the weight while sewing and use a stronger hanging system than you would for an unlined curtain.
Light still escapes at the edges. Blackout lining blocks light through the fabric, not around it. Overlap the track generously and use a deep return at the sides if genuine darkness is the point.
Questions people actually ask
Can I use blackout lining as a normal lining?
Yes, and it is stiffer and heavier than standard lining. The curtain will hang more rigidly, which some headings suit and others do not.
My blackout lining shows pin holes.
They do not close. Use clips, and pin only where the hole will end up inside a seam allowance.
Last reviewed 2026-08-11