Talk Back Thursday

Thank you so much to CarlaF, Ivalyn, StitchyWitch, Julia, Summerset, Faye, Elaina, Meredith, Nancy W., Katherine H., Shannon, Sarah & Becky for talking back to my confession last week! I confessed that I haven't used sew-in interfacing since my highschool days, when that was the only option around, and asked if others were similarly "addicted" to fusibles.

As usual, I got a lot of different opinions and a lot of good insights!

For starters, there were a few folks on each end of the continuum. More specifically, there were 4 votes for "I have NEVER used sew-in interfacing" (with 3 of these folks taking the further "but I am considering trying it someday" position) and 2 votes for "I ONLY use sew-in interfacing."

In the "I rarely use..." category, the 2 sides were evenly matched, with 1 vote for (or against, depending on how you look at it) sew-in and 1 vote for (or against) fusible.

We even had a couple of votes for "I don't really use 'interfacing' at all." Elaina prefers to use organza and canvas (depending on the fashion fabric) instead of official interfacing and Katherine reported that lately she's been avoiding patterns that call for facings, and so that elimates the need for much interfacing.

And, of course, we had a variety of "it depends" responses - seven, to be exact.

Five of those seven said that it depends on the type of fabric. Three said that they use sew-in interfacing on sheer fabrics, like silk and organza, and one only uses fusbiles for knits.

Katherine said that (when she does use interfacing) the type she uses depends on the instructions / recommendations of the pattern.

And Summerset said that her choice depends on the nature of the project. She uses sew-in for her couture projects (because, among other things, it IS couture) and fusible for children's clothes and more trendy clothes - reading between the lines a bit, clothes that don't necessarily have to last forever.

There were also some pros and cons of the two materials called out. Hmmm... Now that I think about it, there were some pros for sew-in and some cons for fusibles called out. ;)

Regarding cons: Several people pointed out that fusibles can mess up your iron and are not as dependable as sew-ins, and can pucker and bubble - especially after washing.

Although Meredith - who has sewn continuously from the P.F. era (pre-fusibles) through the Dark Ages (of "iron on" Pellon) and into the present, A.F. (after fusibles) - believes that today's high quality, woven fusibles do not have this problem.

I completely missed the Dark Ages - they took place during my 20 year sewing hiatus - sounds like it was a very rough time for all... ;)

Regarding pros: Of course, sew-in interfacing was called out as supporting a longer life for your garments. And Shannon prefers sew-in because it's easier to fix mistakes - once a fusible is attached, it's not coming off! At least, not ALL of it... ;)

Thanks again to everyone who responded! I love reading about your experiences and being able to learn from you! :)