Hey I'm Haley. I'm the pattern designer here at Seamwork. We're a community of
sewists that are all about designing and sewing our own wardrobe so check us out
at seamwork.com. Are you baffled by interfacing? Today I'm going to be covering when to use
fusible interfacing, how to choose the right type and weight, plus some tips and
tricks on how to use it. Interfacing is a really important but invisible part of
any project. It's used to add body and structure to things like cuffs and
collars, but also to reinforce high stress areas like waist bands or button
pockets. Interfacing comes in a whole bunch of different types and weights
it's an inner construction material meaning that it's gonna lay between
layers of fabric and so when your garment's done, you're not even gonna see it. Let's
talk about some different types of interfacing. There are three main types
of interfacing and the first one I'm going to talk about today is woven
interfacing. Woven interfacing is constructed just like woven fabric so
when you're working with it you'll need to pay attention to the grainline. I
really like using woven interfacing on projects that I use medium to heavy
weight fabrics with. Another kind is non woven interfacing. This type of
interfacing is constructed by bonding or felting fibers together, which means it
doesn't have a grainline. With this interfacing even cut your pieces in any
direction, however, it's not as durable as woven
interfacing. Since non-woven interfacing doesn't really stand up well to washing,
it's better used for crafty projects or something like a muslin. The next type of
interfacing I want to talk about is knit interfacing. Knit interfacing is
typically used to keep knit fabric from stretching out of shape. It has some stretch
crosswise but minimal stretch lengthwise. When using this interfacing you'll want to
consider which direction the pattern pieces need the most stretch. I like knit
interfacing for knit projects but also for really lightweight fabrics. I think
that the malleable hand and the lightweight nature of it makes it really
great for fabrics with some drape. Those are your main three types of fusible
interfacing. There's also a ton of sew in interfacing those are used for more
specialty type projects. If you're interested in learning about those let
me know in the comments below. Let's go on and talk about different weights of
interfacing. Much like fabric interfacing comes in different weights like
lightweight, mid weight, and heavy weight. A good rule of thumb when selecting
interfacing for your projects is to choose similar or lighter weight
interfacing than your fabric. Over here I have a Rachel made from a really
lightweight synthetic crepe, and we used a lightweight interfacing to reinforce
the stress areas like the cuffs and the button plackets. And then for this
chambray Rachel we used a mid-weight interfacing to give the cuffs and the
collar just a little bit more body. Now that you know all about the types and
the weights of fusible interfacing I'm gonna give you some tried-and-true tips
for fusible interfacing.
Wash your fabric before fusing interfacing to it. Sometimes the
treatment on the fabric is going to prevent the fusible interfacing from
adhering to the fabric itself. Fusable interfacing is backed with an adhesive
that melts when heated with an iron. You can tell which side has the glue by its
rough or shiny texture. Interfacing comes in a limited number of colors, usually
white or black. If your fabric is dark, go with black, if your fabric is light go
with white. Fusible interfacing is meant to be permanent so do some tests before
adhering it to your project. Pay attention to cutting layouts because
fusible interfacing has a right and wrong side the cutting layout will help
you know which way to orient the pattern piece. Wrinkled interfacing? Soak it in
water and then hang it dry. Keep the instructions. Every bolt of interfacing
comes with an instructional sheet. Read them over before diving in. Use a press
cloth. Protect your iron, ironing board, and your project, plus your sanity. Press
don't iron! The back-and-forth motion of ironing can distort the shape and cause
bubbles in your interfacing. Let your interfaced fabric cool and dry
completely before moving it around to prevent bubbles. So you might be
wondering is fusible interfacing really necessary and the answer is designers
and patternmakers put a bunch of thought into the construction and the silhouette
of a garment before packaging up and sending it your way. So if it's included
in the instructions, there's probably a really good reason, but that being said
it's your garment and you can totally make your own designer choices. If you
have any tips about fusible interfacing just pop them into the comments below.
Thanks for joining me and happy sewing!