Have you ever wondered what to use interfacing for? Or you’ve read that a pattern needs it but have no idea what it is or what type to use? Well, read on and let’s get to know about all things interfacing.
I get all my interfacing from Ebony Craft Australia in Ringwood, Vic. Tear Away, Cut Away, Fusible, Water Soluble, Sew in, Trace & Toile and Specialty are all available with Ebony Craft Australia with plans underway to expand the range even more. To begin with however, let’s cover a couple of basics about interfacing.
What is Interfacing?
Interfacing is used to give your fabric additional stability and structure. It is always applied to the wrong side of your fabric and in most cases won’t be visible in the final product. Bag Making or Crafting, Garment Sewing and Embroidery very commonly use interfacing with some examples being:
- – Bag making, to give them body stability and some stiffness
- – Collars, to help give them structure and stand up
- – Button plackets, to reinforce the fabric where you make your button holes
- – Facing pieces on a garment such as a neck facing. The interfacing will help the facing stay laying flat to the body and not wrinkle or fold under the body fabric
- – Embroidery, to place behind your project while you are stitching the design giving it stability
As mentioned above Ebony Craft Australia carry quite an extensive range of interfacing, which fall into 3 main categories. Woven, Non Woven and Knit.
Woven interfacing is very durable. Woven interfacing also has a grain line to it which means it needs to be taken into account when cutting. Woven interfacings weave means it supports the movement and drape of the fabric it is being used with. It does need to be handled carefully as it can fray.
Non woven interfacing is made of fibres that are bonded together without being woven. Non woven interfacing is multidirectional, meaning it does not need to be cut on the grain and does not fray. Non woven interfacing also has a larger range of weights and products available than woven interfacing. From paper thin to cardboard thick as well as fleecy, it is easy to find one to suit almost any project.
Knit interfacing has a slight stretch and is ideal for any knit/jersey projects you are working on.
You may have also come across the term ‘Sew in interfacing’ or ‘Iron on Interfacing’. This refers to how each interfacing can be applied to the fabric.
Sew in interfacing is basically as it implies, an additional layer in your garment or project that is sewn in conjunction with your project fabric. The sew in interfacing and project fabric are cut to the same shape and generally then treated as one piece, being sewn together and are not joined anywhere apart from the seams. You may choose a sew in interfacing if your project fabric is not suitable for ironing or when working with fabrics such as lace or sheer fabrics.
Iron on interfacing or heat bonded interfacing has small glue dots on one side of it. When heated up with an iron these dots melt and fuse the interfacing onto your fabric. Once you have ironed the interfacing to your fabric however it is almost impossible to remove, so it is important you are happy with how it looks and feels before you apply it. It is always a good idea to test a swatch before to make sure you are happy with the result.
There are a couple of specialty interfacing products that you may also consider using in your projects. For example:
Tear away interfacing is great when working on general machine embroidery projects. Suitable with most fabrics, it is designed to assist the machine in giving a crisp and clean embroider. It is ideal for use with light weight cottons, sheer fabrics, silks and canvases. Once you have finished your embroidery, it simply ‘tears away’ leaving your design on the front.
Wash away interfacing or Solvy, is a non-toxic, water soluble interfacing. It is essentially the same as tear away interfacing except it stays on/in your project until you wash it. It can also be used in creative projects to create some really funky looks and designs. Lots of fun to have a play with!
Trace & toile (sew) is a very light weight interfacing that is commonly used in pattern fitting. As the name suggests, you can trace off your pattern in the size required and then use those pieces to ‘toile’ or fit the garment, ironing out at sizing or fit issues before you cut into your fashion fabric.
Have a look on the Ebony Craft Australia website to see all the different types of interfacing we offer, we have competitive prices and great quality. You can also give our friendly sales consultants a call who can organise a sample swatch of any of the interfacings we offer, if you’d like to have a look before you buy. Alternatively you can also pop into our Ringwood show room Monday to Friday.
