All About Interfacing

Video Transcript

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 andsending 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!