If not, we’ve got more work to do.
One of the hardest lessons of life to learn is the acceptance of failure. I KNOW that those of you out there who are too afraid to start a project, probably also got all A’s in school. You’re probably very critical of yourself. You dress well, speak clearly, and keep the public parts of your house very well kept. But when you screw up, you are your worst enemy.
That’s just because you’ve never successfully learned to fail! And no, don’t go blame this on Mommy and Daddy or your first grade teacher (that poor homely woman has enough problems to deal with without your cosmic hatred). This is your chance to take responsibility, and learn to FAIL LIKE A PRO!!!
This is tough, but once you figure out how to royally screw up a project and survive, sewing, and on a more existential plane, life, will become SO much easier.
When I first started sewing, my biggest irrational fear was interfacing. I didn’t know what it was, how to use it, what purpose it served, and I was much happier just staying away from it.
This was also several years ago when I had JUST started working for the fabric store I currently work for. This was also around the time I told a customer that there was no such thing as “charmeuse” and she had probably made it up. After several embarrassing situations like the charmeuse incident and my stuttering responses to questions about interfacing, I decided to face the beast, and make something with this crazy crap.
Since then, I have learned a bit about it, but not as much as I would like to. Even the almighty internet doesn’t have a great understanding of it’s specifics. One of the problems of info on sewing, I think, is that all the hardcore gurus that can tell you
anything you want on sewing, are all older and not too computer savvy. Just my theory. I know there are someGrandmas who can rock a mouse like nobody’s business. Nothing personal. The ones I’ve found that are internet friendly are not too keen on my generation.There videos and webpages are filled with comforting images of teddy bears and doilies, and their words are spoken in a soothing motherly tone. After watching these vlogs, I am not inspired to sew, but rather to find this lady's house so she can bake me cookies and crochet cozy afghans for me while I watch reruns of Ducktales cartoons from the comfort of her overstuffed couch. This is unacceptable. I need bright colors and electronic music! and I need all my information in 140 character bites! Where are the blasé twenty-somethings with peppy buzz words? Threadbanger, you have spoiled me!
I go off on too many tangents. Here’s what you want to know.
There are two main categories of interfacing: Fusible and Non- Fusible (sew-in)
Fusible just means that one or both sides are coated with a heat-activated adhesive. When you iron a fabric to the adhesive side, it bonds with it and adds extra body to said fabric.
Non- Fusible does not have this adhesive, and needs to be sewn to the fabric. This is usually best to use on very delicate fabrics, or fabrics that can’t be ironed/ take a lot of heat, such as most silks and acetate taffeta.
I’ve found that fusible works best on fabrics that are woven and made primarily of natural fibers. It’s hard to get the adhesive to stick to polyester. Sometimes I add an extra layer of just the fusing (I.e. wonder under, heat n’ bond, stitch witchery, etc) to get it to stick.
When applying fusible interfacing, the instructions say to set your iron’s heat to the highest that the fabric can handle. Say, if your using it on linen, turn the heat all the way up. If you’re using it on wool, keep it a little cooler. If your fabric is a blend, go with the weaker fabric. Like for a cotton-poly blend, set the iron to polyester heat.
Also set your iron to steam, if the fabric can handle it. (Always pre-wash your fabrics anyway!) My crappy little iron doesn’t have a steam option, so I keep a spray bottle of water close by. The extra amount of water helps to super-reinforce areas that don’t fuse as readily as I’d like them too. And it keeps the cat away.
When it comes to the weight, you generally want the interfacing to behave the same way as the fabric. (There are a few exceptions to that rule.) If your fabric is light, like charmeuse or peachskin, use a lightweight interfacing. If your fabric is heavy, like a denim or canvas, use a heavyweight interfacing. Most of the time you can use the standard non-woven stuff, but if you want the end result to have more flexibility, maybe try a woven or a knit interfacing. Because of the increased flexibility though, the fusing may come off over time.
Exceptions to the rule are based on common sense. Say you find a cute cotton fabric you want to make into a tote-bag. Of course you would want to use a heavy-weight interfacing to make it stand up. One of my friends says she uses décor-bond for her bags, but when I tried it I thought it felt like it had posterboard inside it. My personal favorite to use is Pellon’s shirt tailor, but sometimes that’s hard to find.
Or if you’re making a t-shirt quilt, you would probably want to back the t-shirt pieces with some lightweight fusible interfacing, instead of the knit interfacing. The t-shirt fabrics are all different, and some will stretch more than others. using the lightweight fusible interfacing keeps them from stretching, so the quilt wont get all wonky.
Even with all these generalizations, trial and error is still necessary. Don’t be afraid to try out a variety of interfacings in your projects, or maybe get a sample of each and try them all out on a scrap. Or maybe, if you feel so bold, ASK the salesperson about interfacing! *GASP!*
So my little chicklets, don’t be afraid to mess up something. You will not die, the fabric will not explode, and the bully from fourth grade will not suddenly enter your house to point and laugh at you. He’s already in jail for doing that to someone else. Seriously, what was his problem? That kid needed more hugs...
The worst that will happen from failing is that you might need to buy more fabric (but who doesn’t like doing that?) and that you might learn something. Remember, even Ralph Lauren didn’t know how to sew on a button at some point.
So, Sew a zipper in the bottom of your skirt? Old news. Drop your iron on your mother’s brand-new rug and burn a hole in it? Nothing new. Sew through your finger? Done it (It makes a great battle scar!)
And just to make things more interesting, maybe post in the comments or email me a story of your favorite fail moment. Sewing has been around since about 30,000 B.C. So don’t worry, whatever you did has probably been done before. By a caveman nonetheless.
See? Even he has a cape!
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