Pinning the lining into the coat: fold over the top edge one half inch. Line up the center seams. Pin along the neck. Match and pin the center seam all the way down the coat to the top of the rear vent. Match and pin the side seam from the armscye all the way down the side vent. Now that the body of the lining is stabilized and matched to the body seams, I smooth the lining out to the edges. Somehow I usually have a little extra lining to fold over and match to the outer edge. Fold and match the outer edge and pin, pin, pin. I use a whipstitch on the upper part of the lining above the skirts. When I get to the hooks and eyes I sew the lining over the hooks and eyes, leaving just the hook and just the eye prortruding. I do a few extra stitches at each hook and eye - they take a lot of strain.