Friday, August 5, 2011

This is how I fuse interfacing and fleece to fabric

To fuse interfacing/fleece to fabric, I use the following method. It works for me.


I cut the interfacing/fleece slightly smaller than the fabric.


I use a dry iron. I "create" steam using a pressing cloth. Any white cotton will do. The cotton must not be too thick as you want to see an impression of what you are pressing. I sew a piece of fabric on the RIGHT SIDE of the pressing cloth.

Note: I notice that for some interfacing where the glue is not the grainy kind; it's more sleek and shiny - these kind of interfacing adheres better without a pressing cloth. In fact, I even use steam iron.

To Fuse Interfacing To Fabric
1. Iron the wrong side of fabric you want interfaced. Remove loose thread.


2. Ensure no loose thread on interfacing. Place coarse side of interfacing on the wrong side of fabric.


3. Wet the pressing cloth and wring it dry. Place pressing cloth with right side up over the interfacing/fabric. Smoothen as much as possible.


4. Using a hot iron, place it over the pressing cloth where the interfacing is. Use your body weight to press on the iron. Count from 1 to 15. Lift (not glide) the iron and move it to the next part of the interfacing. Continue until you finish.

REPEAT pressing the interfacing from start to end except this time, count from 1 to 5.

Take note of the following when pressing:
--------------------------------------------------
Work systematically from one end of interfacing to another. Overlap to ensure every part of interfacing is covered.

If your interfacing area is large, press in rows. Eg. Do the top from right to left. Do the middle from right to left. Do the last row from right to left.


5. Remove pressing cloth and turn interfaced fabric to right side. Iron quickly to remove any creases. Allow fabric to cool before you handle it again.

***********************************
To Fuse Fleece To Fabric
Note: Depending on the kind of fleece you use, you may be able to fuse it directly to fabric without damaging it. If you have tested and the fabric/fleece isn't damaged, then you will fuse fleece to fabric the same way you fuse fusible interfacing to fabric.

1. For this particular fleece, I can't fuse to fabric directly as the fabric as well as the fleece gets all wrinkled and fused together.  To fuse this fleece to fabric, first I fuse interfacing to the fabric.


2. After the interfaced fabric has cooled, place the coarse side of fleece on the interfaced side of fabric.


3. Wet the pressing cloth and wring it dry. Place pressing cloth over the fleece/fabric. Smoothen as much as possible.

Using a hot iron, place it over the pressing cloth where the fleece is. Use your body weight to press on the iron. Count from 1 to 15. Lift (not glide) the iron and move it to the next part of the fleece. Continue until you finish.

REPEAT pressing the fleece from start to end except this time, count from 1 to 5.

Take note of the following when pressing:
--------------------------------------------------
Work systematically from one end of fleece to another. Overlap to ensure every part of fleece is covered.

If your fleece area is large, press in rows. Eg. Do the top from right to left. Do the middle from right to left. Do the last row from right to left.

4. Remove pressing cloth and turn fabric to right side. Iron quickly to remove any creases. Allow fabric to cool before you handle it again.

*****

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9 comments:

Chris H said...

I like your pretty iron! lol
Have a great weekend Chick.

punkychewster said...

wah didn't know it was so much work! thanks for sharing though. i will try fusible interfacing one day.

antmee said...

I almost have the same iron as you! Mines a pink Phillips GC1830!

Great tips on interfacing!

Jennie said...

great post, I'm always interested in how people do things. :)

HoneycombAvenue said...

Thanks for sharing! I've tried interfacing twice now and both times I'm left with little bubbles. I'll try again with your tips. Can you share what kind of interfacing and fleece you use? Thanks!

Projects By Jane said...

LILY,
I do not use any of the "popular" brands. I go to a supplies store in Singapore and I tell the storekeeper to give me the best interfacing and fleece she has for my bags. They cost around $6 to $7 per yard but really worth it as I RARELY get bubbles. You need to try what you can get and see for yourself if it works. If you keep getting bubbles, throw the interfacing/fleece into the ocean. It's crap.

Jane

Unknown said...

Thanks for the tips Jane. It helped, although I did slightly burn my fabric. My iron was too hot. Btw, what's your opinion on prewashing fabrics? The more I read online, the more confused I get about prewashing fabrics. Do you prewash your fabric before making a bag? Thanks.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the tips Jane. It helped, although I did burn a tiny bit of my fabric. I think my iron was too hot. Btw, do you prewash your fabric before making a bag? The more I read online, the more I am confused with prewashing of fabrics. Some say its a must , some don't bother. What's your take on this? Thanks.

Projects By Jane said...

@crouton soup
It is quite difficult to burn fabric. Sometimes it's because the iron is too hot. But seriously, how hot can your iron go? Sometimes it's because we have left bits of fusible on the fabric and it melts.

As for prewashing fabric, when I make a bag for sale, I ALWAYS prewash. But if it's for myself, I may not. I prewash mainly to see if the colour bleeds after I have treated it. I use cotton mostly and whatever shrinkage is so little it doesn't matter. I usually buy good quality cotton tho'...

If it bothers you about prewashing, just go ahead and do it. If you love the crispy feel of brand new fabric, then don't prewash.

Oh, if the fabric smells, I will wash it until it no longer smells.

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