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The Truth: Today, couture garments are nearly unobtainable, so the finest ready-to-wear, or at least those at the top of the expense list include Armani black label, Chanel, Escada, Bill Blass, Oscar de la Renta, Valentino, and Badgley-Mischka, among others. Technology has made fusible interfacing better and better, with more types available to the home sewer. All of these manufactured garments use some fusible interfacings. The Solution: Get over it! Again, Do You Love What You Sew? covers the methods that make fusible interfacing work best. New types in the last couple of years include Fusible Underlining which is fabulous for giving loosely woven and soft garments a nice spongy hand and make underlining with fusible, softer, instead of firm or crisp. Sofknit, So Sheer, and FusiKnit are certainly useful in our softest garments and knits, and the interfacings specifically for tailoring, including my favorite, Tailors' Weft, are consistently winners. Once you get to know these, you're confidence will build and sewing will be much faster since you'll have reliable products that won't let you down. As I've always said, If it's good enough for a $4000.00 Chanel, or a $3,000.00 Armani, it's good enough for me." I do however, on occasion, use hair canvas and/or a panel of cotton batiste for the back of a coat or jacket. The choice is now broader than ever, and you can choose whatever works best for each project. Don't let old-fashioned traditional methods limit your choices any longer.
The Truth: I dipped a three yard length in lukewarm water and then put it on a lawn chair to dry. (In the winter just let it dry over the shower bar, or your ironing board ... etc.) It took about 2 1/2 minutes to wet and squeeze the water out, a couple minutes to spread it out, and 30 minutes to dry outdoors, 60 indoors. My time: 3-4 minutes. Then I cut out fusible and laid it on each pattern piece, waved the steam iron over the top, and then pressed. An extra 45 minutes for my pattern 1945, and my arm got tired holding the iron up and pressing the steam button. The Solution: Hmmm ... 3-4 minutes, or an extra 45? Confidence that it was adequate? Water dip method wins hands down against the clock. If you really want to save time, cut out more than one garment's worth of interfacing at a time. Stack four layers deep and cut out enough for two jackets at the same time.
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Copyright © 1999. Nancy Erickson Consulting | ||
"You should never use fusible interfacings in a good garment'' 
"Don't dip fusible interfacing in water. Save time by holding the steam iron over it, before you fuse in place"