More about interfacing: Woven vs. Non-Woven
More about interfacing: Sew-in Interfacing
What is fusible interfacing? Fusible interfacing has glue on one (or sometimes both) sides that is activated with a hot iron and allows to adhere directly to the fabric. The glue side is either shiny or bumpy. It will usually come with instructions about how hot the iron should be, how long you should press and whether or not you should use steam. Always read the directions the first time, but I’m also going to tell you that it’s OK to ignore them once you learn what technique works best for you!
How do I fuse it? Fusing technique is something you should practice. When fusing the SF101 I press right on the back of the interfacing (glue down, obviously) so that I can line it up and then press right down on top of the interfacing. I’ve been doing this forever and I promise it’s OK to do but ONLY with the SF101. If I’m using a non-woven, I line everything up and then either cover with a press cloth or flip it over and press on the right side of the fabric (use caution if you flip it… it’s probably a bad technique!) I press down and then lift it up and press down in a different spot. Once it is all gently fused, I steam it like crazy, especially from the front (right) side (again, this may not be the best idea but it works for me!). Do not move the iron from side to side while pressing down hard like you iron clothes or you will get wrinkles in the interfacing. Either use very light pressure or be sure to PICK UP the iron and move it over. You can buy a fancy press cloth but I just use an piece of ugly fabric, about fat quarter size. Using a press cloth helps make sure you don’t get the glue on your iron, but it also makes it harder to see your fabric. Do whatever makes you happy, there are no rules. :)
Why use fusible interfacing? Fusible interfacing adds stiffness and thickness to your fabric. It also makes it easier to sew. Fused fabric glides under the presser foot more evenly and doesn’t stretch as much. It helps stabilize the fabric so that stitches don’t pull through, especially on stress points like pockets. It is important to make sure that your bags and wallets have the proper structure, especially when using quilting cotton as your main fabric. Interfacing is what helps your bag will stand up on it’s own. It allows you to take popular cotton prints and make something you could otherwise only make out of canvas or a heavier material.
I use fusible interfacing on almost every project, usually inside and out. My favorites are Pellon SF101 (a fusible woven) and Fusible Midweight and Fusible Sheerweight (two fusible non-wovens).
If I need more thickness than just two layers of fusible (outside and lining) I will typically add batting, fleece or sew-in interfacing.
Which interfacing should I choose? This is a tough question. My friend April has recently started sewing (and she is doing a great job!) and she has had to tackle the confusing world of interfacing. I gathered up some samples from my stash for her, which made me kind of look back at all of the interfacing I’ve accumulated. The best way to get familiar with interfacing is to use it, so I highly recommend everyone take a handful of coupons to the Big Big Craft Store and buy a half yard of everything, just be sure to label it so you remember which is which when deciding what you like and don’t like. Having a big stash means you can just pick one and try it! Sometimes patterns will specifically ask for certain types of interfacing, but I’m telling you now that once you start using it you will learn what your own personal preferences are and it is OK to ignore those directions if you don’t agree with them :) It’s your project, do whatever you want!
Common Types of Fusible interfacing
Pellon 906F Fusible Sheerweight – Very thin and good for stabilizing when you don’t want to add bulk. I use this sometimes on pockets or linings (especially the linings of pockets). My typical use for this would be SF101 on the outside fabric, batting in the middle and the 906F on the lining of the pocket. It’s also great to use on the main fabric panels of a bag before quilting, so that the fabric doesn’t stretch out. I usually keep a couple yards of this around since it’s relatively inexpensive.
Pellon 911FF Fusible Featherweight – I have never had anything but disastrous results with this one. Wrinkles galore. Yuck.
Pellon 931TD Fusible Midweight – OK first, why TD? No idea. Anyway, this one is certainly “medium”. It’s an adequate non-woven substitute for SF101. This is a good option for pockets or anything flat. It is certainly stash worthy.
Pellon SF101 – Finally we get to my favorite! The SF stands for Shape Flex. SF101 is woven, which means it will drape and move in a similar way to the fabric. SF101 does have a grain and cross-grain, so the same rules that apply to fabric apply to this interfacing (unless you are using scraps on tiny pieces and pockets, then it’s fine to go against the grain – just make sure you cut along the grain for straps and main panels.) I use this on the outside fabric for almost every project. It about doubles the thickness of the fabric, so you have to be careful not to use it on too many layers. What I normally do is cut it a bit smaller than the fabric, so that it reduces the bulk in the seams. It fuses nicely and in my experience, does not wrinkle. You do, however, have to pre-shrink it. Here are the instructions as seen on the mini bolt package. I usually cut two yards, fold it and soak it in warm water in the sink for a few minutes, then hang it over the shower curtain rod and let it drip dry. I buy SF101 by the bolt or mini bolt.
Fusible Tricot – This is a fusible for knits. It’s very popular for T-Shirt quilts. I don’t have experience with it, but I recently bought some and I’ll try it soon.
Pellon 809 Decor Bond – Decor bond is really stiff. I try not to use it because it wrinkles really easily. It fuses flat, but as soon as you turn the bag is wrinkles like crazy and unless you can re-press your project flat all the time, it will drive you crazy. Well, maybe not you. It will drive ME crazy. This product is very popular with designers because it really does allow bags to stand up on their own while empty, especially if combined with batting, but there are other ways to do it (use sew-in Pellon 30, 40 or 50 instead, paired with SF101). I also think it’s an unnatural stiffness. If you need your fabric to look like cardboard, use Pellon Peltex. Anyway, because of the wrinkle factor and the odd stiffness, I would only consider using decor bond on the LINING and only if I was making something like a fabric box or basket. Sorry Decor Bond, I’m just not a fan.
Pellon 987F Fusible Fleece – Another super popular product. I’m not a fan and I realize I may be the only one who hates FF. FF is poly fleece, but it’s nothing like polar fleece so don’t try to substitute that. 987F is very commonly recommended in bag patterns. I say it’s not worth the convenience of the fusible. I’ve tried it alone and fused behind a layer of SF101 and both had the same result of dimples and wrinkles of the fabric. I would suggest either substituting Pellon 988 which is the sister sew-in product, plus SF101. You could also substitute cotton batting. Typically, just adding pockets on the outside is enough to “quilt” the batting, which usually only needs to be quilted 10 inches apart. If you *really* want that puffy, quilted bag look but don’t want to do any quilting, I would suggest using 987F on the lining side.
Here is a bag I made a while back and used a dozen or so times. Check out those wrinkles! This is AFTER trying to re-press it, too. Note how the pockets have fewer wrinkles? There’s no FF on the outside fabric because it’s fused to the back side of the pocket linings.
Seriously, click and magnify this pic:
Sewable Fusible Web (Heat & Bond Lite, Steam a Seam Lite) – These are applique products. They are basically *just the glue* part of fusible interfacing. You draw your design on the paper and cut out a piece larger than your design, press it onto the fabric to apply the glue, cut out the shape, peel back the paper and then press your shape onto the main fabric. The glue adheres to both fabrics and seals the edges and then you go back and sew around the outside with a zig-zag, satin or blanket stitch to secure it. Applique is tons of fun, so definitely try it! Just be sure to get the SEWABLE versions of these products. They also make no-sew versions that would not be very nice to your machine or needle should you try to sew through them.
Peltex has two fusible versions (71F single sided fusible and 72F double sided fusible.) I prefer sew-in Peltex and I’ll get to that in the next post. Did I get everything else? I know there is Craft Fuse but my experience with it was similar to Decor Bond. Anything else??
That’s it for now! Next time I’ll talk about sew-in products.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this up! It is so helpful!! I make felted purses with linings. A client recently asked me to reinforce the pockets with interfacing. I was totally lost. This post, and the one about sew-in interfacing, helped me to find my way. I’m so grateful!!
I want to thank you (!!!!) for these articles on interfacing! I have wasted SO much time researching and trying to figure out what to use, and I don’t have a lot of money to spend on trying them all. I took some notes and I feel much more confident about interfacing now. I make purses & bags and had just been using one pre-packaged interfacing — I was afraid to try any others. Thanks again & I love your purses!
Thank you! I’m glad you found them useful. I just didn’t want anyone to go through what I went through with wrinkly, ruined projects! :)
When I was eight, I made my Mom a shirt out of pink broadcloth with an aupliqped heart on it. I never knew why she didn’t wear it all the time until I was an adult and she gave it to me. Seriously, broadcloth?/ absolutely sheer, and the heart was totally crooked and the whole thing was just a square with spaces left open for the neck and arms.
I was wondering would you use this for curtains? I bought a cute print that is quilting material, but I want to use it for curtains and wasn’t sure if interfacing would be a good option to make it a little heavier? I am new and would love any advice. Thank you!
Oh good question! I can’t speak from experience on that. You would want to use a stiff sew in interfacing at the top for sure, if you were using grommets or anything like that. But I think curtains would be better of being lined than interfaced. I worry that over time the sun would make fusible warp, and sew in wouldn’t look very good on the back side. I would recommend lining with either a home dec drapery liner or just a plain muslin – just make sure you pre-wash the fabrics if you ever want to wash the curtains. Hope that helps!
It did, thank you so much!
i am going to attempt to recover some cushions on a chair I have… Do you think I should use interfacing on the linen fabric I want to use for this project? Great info, thanks!
Thanks so much for this awesome article! I found it super helpful!
Thanks so much for this information, but I am wondering if I can ask your opinion. I am wanting to make my own custom fabric blinds for our new home, and wanted to use a “firm” one-sided fusible backing–basically I just want to be able to iron on the fabric of my choice and have it be stiff enough like a store bought shade (I could buy shade fabric, then glue on the fabric, but this is more time consuming and slightly more expensive). Do you think the Pellon craft weight single sided would be too heavy? Your comment about the wrinkles also concerns me…however, this is going to be on a roll, and either rolled up or hanging in my window. Ideas? Suggestions? Concerns? Thanks for your input!
I would worry about wrinkles and bubbles, especially with a shade hanging in the sun. The only way to know is to buy scraps and test, though. I’ve never made shades though, so I’m not remotely qualified to answer. Sorry. :(
I am struggling to figure out exactly what to do with my SF-101 once I dip it in warm water for a few minutes and hang to dry. Since it is cotton, it does not dry “flat” but has wrinkles in it. I find it frustrating to pin it to my fabric.
As a result, I still get wrinkles even thought I have pre-washed because it is hard for me to get it to lay completely flat.
I use a damp pressing cloth and I steam iron the right side once I have finished setting it with the pressing cloth. I can’t get the wrinkles out at that point – it is not that I get them when I wash the finished product.
What am I doing wrong? I must be missing a very simple step.
Thank you!
PS I use it primarily for tote bags and other bags that I know might get washed every once in a while. I don’t make clothing with it.
I’m sorry! I don’t every really pin fusible interfacing to my fabric. I spread it out on my cutting mat and cover it with my pattern piece and either trace around it or if I’m feeling daring, just cut around it right like that. It wrinkles a bit but not so much that I get creases. Once I smooth it out on the fabric, it’s just fine.
I don’t use a pressing cloth at all. (I know, bad) I actually flip the fabric to the wrong side and iron directly onto the SF101. It’s the only interfacing you can do that with (don’t try it with the papery ones). Otherwise I’d never know if there were wrinkles until it was set, and I’m not OK with that. Then I flip to the right side of the fabric and steam the heck out of it.
How are you drying it? I cut 2 yards at a time. I squish out (as opposed to ring it out) as much of the water as possible from the folded piece, then unfold it and hang it in a single layer over my curtain rod to drip dry.
I’ve heard people say you can shoot it with steam before ironing it on, but I haven’t had much success with that.
On the other hand, I’m curious how many people even read the directions and do this, so you might be able to get away with not and it might be fine. :)
I love the SF101! I’ve never preshrunk it as until the last couple weeks, I didn’t know you were supposed to?!?!
I prewash and tumble dry all my fabric (isn’t the dryer what causes shrinkage?) it would seem just wetting fabric (or interfacing) doesn’t cause much in shrink? I’ve only made 3 purses (two zip hipsters!) and though I’m not using them myself, they look fine right now…as purses aren’t generally washing items, I guess I’m chancing it?
I guess I don’t see how drip drying causes shrinkage?
That’s my take.
With warm water for 15 minutes + drop drying I get about 3/4″ to 1″ shrinkage across the 20″ width. Not sure how, but it happens!
I really like to use the 101 on my tee shirt quilts. I usually use 12 inch blocks. That leaves ALOT of wasted interfacing since it is usually 20 inchs wide. How do you join the interfacing together? Do you just iron it flush? My concern is that you will see a line after washing the quilt. Since these are ususallt gifts I don’t see the results after washing.
I tend to use the pieces of interfacing on inside pockets and linings and things like that. I don’t join it together, but fuse it side by side. Straps that will be folded and topstitched are perfect for this. Perhaps you just need to branch out and try some other projects. :)