General Info, Sewing Techniques

Fusible Interfacing – A Guide To Getting The Best Results

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How to apply your fusible interfacing properly!

I use a lot of fusible interfacing. When I worked in the fashion industry I was lucky enough to have a fusing press, so that did all the work for me. However getting a good ‘fuse’ at home is more difficult.

My instructions here are based on trying to simulate the ‘fusing press’ process at home.

Firstly some of the heavier fusing I sell in my shop (the 1055HF) takes quite a bit of force to fuse it, a gentle ironing motion will not do the trick!

Here is the technical info supplied by the factory I use for the non woven fusible interfacing  labelled (1055HF) Stiff Heavy Fusing:

Composition: 100% polyester
Technical: chemical bonded
Coating: LDPE
Weight: Heavy clothing use
Width: 36″
Length: Any length required
Color: black, snow white
Hand feeling: hard, and crisp
Feature: fusible, adhesive, shrink-resistant, waterproof, hard to tear away.

Its also washable at 40 Degrees!

This type of fusing would be suitable for the following applications:

Non-woven fusible interfacing is suitable for inside waist bands for garments made from a medium to heavy weight fabric, clothing and jackets made for autumn and winter that are heavier in weight, embroidery backing, hats, bags etc. Its also great for a number of craft uses. Some people use it to make fabric box’s and apply 2 layers for a stiffer box.

For those new to fusible interfacing, the shiny side is the side that has the resin applied, you will soon know if you make a mistake with fusible interfacing as you then have to spend a long time picking it off your iron! Its worth taking the time to double check which is the sticky side. I speak from experience here.

Why Use Fusible Interfacing?

Interfacing is used on the “wrong” side of fabrics to make an area of a garment more rigid. Interfacing can be used to stiffen or add body and strength to your fabric.

Interfacings are essential in shirt collars and waistbands as they strengthen that area of the garment. Collars are usually fused on the under collar only.

You also need it in button stands to strengthen where the button hole and also the button is sewn, with the added advantage of having a nice clean sharp line at the center front of your shirt or blouse . It’s also common to add interfacing to the back of embroidery or any decorative stitching you do, this type of interfacing doesn’t have to be fusible though.

Its common to cut fusing pattern sections slightly smaller than the whole pattern piece as they can be quite bulky when fused to the seam allowance. It’s best to have them a few millimetres over the seam allowance so that they are caught in by the stitching, but don’t add too much bulk to the seam allowance.

Some coats and jackets can be fully fused, for example the whole pattern piece is fused as a block, this is only common with outerwear. The term for this technique is -block fusing-.

There is also a term called ‘elephants skin’ used in fusing, this is where the fusing partially fuses so you have areas that are not fused and this looks all bumpy and wrinkly on the surface of the fabric. You want to avoid elephants skin at all costs! Fusing can be removed if you make a mess, bu warming it up again and pulling it off – it’s worth a try if you’r not happy with the result. Of course you need to apply fresh fusing then.

How to get the best results – fusing at home

  • Always try a test piece first – it’s much safer than going directly to your garment or project!
  • The clothing factory will follow the instructions below – so lets take a look at how to translate them to home use

  • ■Manufacturers Fusing Condition:

    Temperature: 135-150℃
    Pressure: 1.5-3.5kg/cm2
    Time: 10-16 second

  • The temperature you need for a good fuse depends on the thickness of the fusing and your fabric, the above is a guideline.  A domestic iron commonly heats to a temperature of 180–220 °Celsius, depending on the fabric.
  • You do need to apply quite a bit of pressure when fusing – DO NOT USE AN IRONING MOTION– that will only drag the fabric and fusing.
  • This is my routine – I place the fusing to the wrong side of the fabric – sticky side down – I then use a fusing cloth ( a piece of cotton), this helps regulate the heat a little too, However I sometimes remove the cloth if I need a very strong bond and if I am using a very thick fusing.  I work from the center of the piece I am fusing, and move outwards, using the tip of the iron at first and then when I am confident that it’s all flat and in place – I press as hard as I can. Don’t be afraid to put your weight into it – to simulate the pressure you need to bond the fusing and the fabric together. I don’t use steam – there is an age old debate on this subject – some people do use steam and some don’t – I prefer not to. I let it all cool down for a few seconds and then I then press from the right side of the fabric with a cooler iron
  • As you can see from the guidelines above the fusing does take time, from 10 to 16 seconds. If you have already completed a test piece you can be sure that the conditions you are fusing under are correct. Having a test piece gives you the confidence to leave the iron in position, without worrying!

I also use a lot of  (1035HF), which is more of a medium fuse. It’s a good one for regular clothing use and ideal for blouses and skirts and trouser waistbands. The numbers are a universal code used by the clothing industry, however unless you are buying directly from the factory, you are unlikely to encounter them.

Generally fusing is referred to as either light weight, medium weight and heavy weight, with handles being soft or stiff or crisp or heavy. They are all subjective so an industry code is more accurate for clothing manufacturers.

Here is a handy chart with the full range of fusible interfacing weights and their industry codes if ever you go into mass production or become a clothing technologist!

Other Useful Products

A couple of other very useful products I have come across are worth a mention. If I am doing any delicate embroidery I use a film that dissolves in cold water. Its perfect for the delicate work I do on my lingerie samples.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

■ Product Description:

Composition: PVA (Polyvinyl Alcohol)

Thickness: 25gsm-50gsm
Width: 40″
Length: As required
Color: translucent
Texture: embossed
Feature: good water-solubility, eco-friendly, no remnant left
Application: cold pva water soluble film is used for senior underwear, fashion clothing and lace embroidery backing.

This film dissolves very quickly in a few seconds when submerged in cold water, I love to use it. Its fairy expensive but a meter lasts a long time when you are doing delicate embroidery and its a good item to have in your sewing box!

100% Cotton Heavy Weight Woven Interfacing

I also find this 100% cotton woven interfacing is ideal for heavier craft projects – or costumes.

■ Product Description:

Composition: 100% cotton
Coating: HDPE
Width: 44″
Length: As required
Weight: 150g-200g
Density: 20*21/60*60
Color: white
Hand feeling:  hard
Characteristics: excellent fusing effect, better peeling strength and washability, Ideal if you want cotton interfacing for a cotton project.
Application: cotton heavy fusible interfacing is applicable to work shirts, uniforms, hats, stiffer cuffs, waistband, placket, purse, bag and so on. In fact anywhere where you need a garment part to be extra stiff.

It takes a little more fusing than the non woven interfacing we looked at above –

■ Fusing Conditions:

Temperature: 165℃-175℃ – not a problem if you are fusing to cotton as it can take the heat!
Time: 18-22 sec – so give it some time.
Pressure: 2-4 kg/c㎡ – so lean in hard if you are fusing this at home!

This product is ideal for costumes and collars if you want them to stand up! Again its quite costly but its cotton and you really don’t need to use too much for a collar or a cuff.

I worked as a costume designer once and I used this fusing all the time, I love it!

Whatever the fusing you use its well worth taking the time to fuse it properly to the chosen area, It can make such a difference to how professional your garment or project looks.

I hope this has helped and if you have any questions or comments then please let me know.

Happy fusing!

Nicola

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Sewing Techniques

HOW TO USE RIGILENE POLYESTER BONING – Properly!

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How To Place To The Body & Sew

In this modern world we have the luxury of being able to buy polyester boning, it’s easy to sew into your garment if you follow the guidelines below.

Boning is specially created to give shape and support to corsets and other strapless garments that need help with support. This product is ideal for evening wear, theatrical costumes and even swim wear, and so many other craft uses.

This type of boning is extremely light weight and it’s possible to sew it into position straight onto the garment or the lining. I try and send all corset customers this guide so I thought I would pop the information on my blog.

Here is my guide to boning!

This boning is designed to be sewn to either the fabric seam allowance or the lining seam allowance; I generally prefer to sew to the lining. Of course you can also insert it into a channel if you want to.

It is important that you attach the boning so that the curve of the boning is going away from the body, a little confusing I know but hopefully the pictures below will help!

 Firstly The Wrong Way

When the boning is sewn to the corset you do not want it to form a bubble away from the body as shown here. Therefore position it so that the curve of the ridgeline forms a C shape when placed to the body, as shown below, this will allow the boning to mould to the body.

 

 

 The correct way!

Cut the boning so that it will finish approx. 6 mm away from the upper and lower seams to prevent an unsightly bulge. So If you have a 1 cm seam allowance the boning will end 6 mm below that.

When sewing the boning to the seam allowance, place equally each side of the flat seam allowance (you should have already pressed this open and flat) stitch on the very edge of the boning going all the way through the lining and the seam allowance. Place cotton or wadded end caps at each end of the boning to prevent it from fraying the garment.

 

My corset boning packs come with small plastic end caps which are idea, if you don’t have these then use small fabric pieces to cover the ends, it’s also advisable to curve the ends of the boning pieces with your scissors as they can be quite sharp and pointy and can then poke through your garment in time.

I love making corsets and they are not as difficult as you imagine, so why not give it a try! This product goes perfectly with my corset pattern block pack, also available in my Etsy shop as a PDF or a printed pattern sheet.

Happy sewing

Nicola x

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Beginners Pattern Drafting Info, General Info, Pattern Cutting Techniques

Pattern Help – Recreating a Vintage Dress Pattern

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I have had a question from one of my readers regarding a dress style.

The best way to develop a dress is by using a dress block, you would think that you could just place a skirt and a bodice together and that would be it – unfortunately its not as simple as that. There are a few adjustments you need to make to join a skirt to a bodice to get a good fit, and you need a little pattern cutting knowledge for that. I plan to do a post on just the subject very soon.

But for now, lets suppose you are in a rush and you have a bodice block and a skirt block, my best advice would be to first of all follow my post on lengthening the bodice below the hip line and that will give you a basic dress block, suitable for some, but not all styles.

Lets take the example above, this is the style my reader wants and she only has a bodice block, but now she has followed the blog post and created a basic dress from the bodice.

 

 

The style lines can be followed through to the back dress and an identical quantity of fullness should be added to the back skirt – remember to cut the skirt on the bias grain with a seam at the center front.

I hope this helps and if anyone else has any pattern cutting puzzles then please let me know.

Happy pattern making

Nicola x

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design and pattern cutting, Pattern Cutting Techniques

The Japanese Bunka Bodice Block – How to work with it – Pattern Magic!

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I was given my first copy of the Pattern Magic book shortly after it was published. It was written all in Japanese, there was no English translation at the time! Luckily I had a Japanese student and she kindly translated the drafting instructions for me. I don’t think the latest English translations of the book have the drafting instructions. The books do come with copies of the blocks, however.

Being Welsh and a little more ‘curvy’ than the blocks supplied, that are designed for beautiful Japanese ladies, I began the task of drafting the Bunka blocks using the drafting instructions in the original Japanese version. but to my own size charts.

I have developed a range of styles from these blocks and I love them, they are slightly different to regular bodice blocks in that they have extra suppression at the side body. This gives you the option of using the darts to make the bodice into fitted styles or cleverly ignoring the darts so that you have a straighter side seam. If you use the darts as they are, it also has the effect of spreading the suppression more evenly around the body. Not so great if you have a large bust though.

I have never been asked any questions about how to move or use the darts on these block, surprisingly. I imagine those customers that use the blocks are developing the gorgeous styles in the bunka book and therefore would just follow their instructions. Or they can work it out for themselves. Its not difficult but I thought I would show how the darts can be moved to make the blocks appear as regular blocks and the methods I use.

Firstly for me I need the suppression, that is darts, at the bust as I need as large a bump as I can throw out at the bust. I re assign the side dart to the bust dart by simply measuring the side dart and placing half that quantity either side of the bust dart.

If you have a smaller more athletic bust and you want a flatter but fitted look, then the side dart can be closed out for more shaping and the original bust dart remains the same as illustrated here.

Or if you are using the alternative block I developed with the dart at the shoulder, you will need to connect the apex of the dart to the armhole, as illustrated below, and then cut along this line, as illustrated and fold out the dart for the more fitted style. This method is also suitable for the side back dart.

 If you want to take a look at the blocks I drafted in my Etsy shop they are here.

I also have a lovely Japanese Draped Dress that I developed from this block in my shop.

I have also developed a kimono style bodice block to save you time!

I have a large collection of Japanese pattern cutting books, so keep posted as I will certainly be looking at this topic again in my blog.

If anyone out there is using these blocks I would love to hear what you do with them!

If you are a keen pattern cutter you can’t help but be inspired by these beautiful books, so take a look at Pattern Magic!

Nicola x

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bra and panties design

Lingerie PDF Patterns!

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I love to create patterns for lingerie, one of my favourite panties pattern is ‘Le Brezilien’ as they are referred to in France! Why not have a try at making them.

The PDF pattern and making guide is available on Etsy click here to take a look!

All my PDF patterns come with a detailed making guide, and when I get time a video!

I am also working on a soft bra for a larger bust, I love soft bra’s but need a large cup so I am testing a number of styles on myself to see which ones work best – so keep posted for the pattern!

 

Happy Sewing!

Nicola x

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Current Projects, Free Downloads

Making A Lovely Evening Bag – Great Project For Small Pieces!

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The evening bag sew along.

Download your free pattern by clicking the link below – simply print the pages on your regular printer and stick together to form the bag pattern!

Free pdf evening bag pattern 4 x A4

This is a lovely project, not as simple as it first appears, for the free PDF pattern please download the file from the link above.

You will need to gather together…

  • Bag main fabric- 55cm in length and 37 cm wide
  • Bag lining fabric – the same quantity as above
  • 1 zip- minimum 28cm long – you may need to buy a 30cm zip, don’t worry if you have a longer zip as it can be trimmed back.
  • Matching thread
  • Contrast or matching fabric for a strap – 4 cm wide and 50cm long
  • Some wadding if you want to pad the strap a little

Cutting out

The pattern piece can be cut as one whole piece as pictured here on the lining fabric, I chose to have a seam on the main bag piece as I wanted to place the print of the fabric in the best position I could. The main bag pattern piece can be cut in the same way as the lining if you are using a plain fabric.

  • Cut 1 bag pattern piece in main fabric
  • Cut 1 bag pattern piece in lining fabric
  • Cut one strap piece 4 cm x 50 cm – this is variable and depends on your personal choice, the strap can be in a contrast fabric or the self fabric, it can also be padded with piping cord or wadding as I have chosen to do.

Lets sew the bag together

We will start with the lining – place the right sides of the lining together and stitch the side seams taking 1 cm seam allowance.

Pop the lining to the side for now and we will work on the main bag.

The main bag construction – inserting the zip

The first step is to place your zipper foot on the machine.

  1. Pin the zip tape to the seam allowance at the top edge of the bag and sew across. Press the zip in position.
  2. Place the other edge of the zip at the opposite top edge of the bag opening and sew across.
  3. Press.

The loop straps

The straps are very much up to you. You could use cord, or ribbon, or contrast fabric.

I chose to make straps in the bag fabric and pull some wadded filament through to pad the strap.

The straps now need to be attached to the bag each end of the zip

One last step – before the lining in attached to the main bag

The bag opening needs to be completed before attaching the lining to the main bag

Now follow the same steps you took to sew the lining, sew the side seams and the base. You may not be able to sew right to the top of the bag as the straps are quite bulky if you padded them, but this can be completed by hand if you want to.

Lining the bag

Now all that remains is to attach the lining to the bag at the zip seam allowance. Most of this can be done by machine, but you will need to leave a gap to turn the bag through and that can be finished by hand.

Firstly place the lining inside the bag as it would lie when finished, pop a couple of pins there to hold it in place.

My completed bag! – they are ideal as gifts or lovely as a wedding or special occasion bag.

Why not add some design details such as a lovely fabric flower, keep posted and I will show you how!

Make sure you subscribe for more free projects.

Any questions or comments then please let me know.

If you are inspired by making this bag then this is another lovely bag to make!

Click this link to go to the pattern on Etsy!

Nicola x

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Current Projects

Seam Allowance – How much should I add?

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SEAM ALLOWANCE

Seam allowance must only be added to a pattern at the very final stage, once the pattern is complete and has been checked thoroughly and measured to make sure all seams match back and front and all parts match. If you add seam allowance before you are completely finished it will confuse things!

Other factors which effect the decision regarding the amount of seam allowance to be added to a pattern section are –

  • The type of fabric the garment is to be made in,
  • How much the fabric will fray and the general stability of the fabric,
  • The type of seam the designer intends the seam line to have, for example a French seam as apposed to a plain seam.

As a general rule confined or very curved areas, for example necklines and armholes and some very intricate style lines will need less seam allowance added than very long or fairly straight seams such as skirt hems, side seams, shoulder seams center back seams, inside and outside leg seams etc.

If an area is to be bagged out then less seam allowance is needed to reduce any bulk inside the bagged out section.

Facings may be classed as a bagged out area and should always be considered when deciding how to neaten an edge.

* Industry practice is to keep seam allowance to a minimum and rarely does a seam allowance go over 1 cm, however those making garments at home or for a couture market may allow additional seam allowance to enable more flexibility to alter the garments fit. An example of this can be sometimes viewed at the back waist of a trouser where a generous wedge of seam allowance is left to allow the garment to be altered in the future.

Happy Pattern Making!

Nicola x

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Beginners Pattern Drafting Info, design and pattern cutting

Fabric Grain Explained

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Fabric Grain – A Detailed Explanation.

You may already know about fabric grain, or perhaps you may not! I have encountered students on the second year of their degree in fashion, who did not know about the grain of fabric!

Hopefully those of you that know a little may still learn something here!

Grain refers to placement of threads in a woven fabric, knowledge and understanding of fabric grain is really important when designing, drafting patterns and making any garment.

WARP-WEFT-BIAS

The WARP threads run parallel to the selvedge (the finished edge of your fabric), the WEFT threads run at right angles to the warp, i.e. from selvedge to selvedge (the cut edge). The WARP thread is the stronger of the two.

The WEFT threads should run around the garment, i.e. horizontally, this provides greater elasticity in wear.

The BIAS grain runs at 45 degrees to the warp and weft and provides the greatest amount of natural stretch. The BIAS grain is ideal for draped or softly moulded garments, as garments cut on the bias are more fluid and mould to the body closely.

When making a full circle skirt some sections will unavoidably be cut on the bias, this will result in these sections dropping more at the hem line, therefore it is essential to hang bias cut garments for at least 24 hours and revisit the hem line to make alterations.

If you take a look at my post on circular skirts, you will see how you can achieve different looks by cutting the skirt in different ways!

Grain is important as it effects the whole balance of the garment, garment sections cut off grain will twist on the body, you may well have noticed a pair of trousers you have that twist around the leg, this will be because the trouser pattern section has been cut off grain, this is often seen in cheaper garments as cutting off grain allows the manufacturer to fit more pattern sections on the fabric and save money!

Grain strongly influences how pattern sections are placed on the fabric, therefore garment pattern sections should be placed with the WARP threads running parallel to the center front (CF) and center back (CB) etc. This means that the WARP threads run vertically through the garment.

 

Unfortunately once a garment has been cut off grain there is no possibility of redemption, the signs of a garment having been cut off grain are listed below and should be taken into consideration when you are assessing the fit of a garment.

The material in the leg of a trouser appears to twist slightly to the left or the right and does not lie correctly on the inside leg, unfortunately this may not be spotted until the garment has been washed and dried.

A skirt that is intended to have an even hem line has dropped in one area of the hem.

One side of a neckline appears not to lie flat against the body, or appears to behave differently to the other side of the neckline, for example a cowl neck may hang heavier on one side than the other.

Badly cut garments that have incorrect grain that are produced in a patterned or check fabric can distort the appearance of the fabric.

All of the above are common faults found in cheaper garments, where the manufacturer has tried to save money by tilting the pattern pieces, when cutting the garment out.

Grain Lines on Basic Blocks

Strictly speaking a basic block should have a grain line with no arrows at the ends. Arrows on both ends of a grain line indicate that the pattern piece can be cut facing in either direction, arrows just on one end indicate that the pattern pieces should all be cut facing one way. Fabrics with a nap or pile such as velvet need to be cut in one direction only. Fabrics with a nap should be cut with the ‘pile’ lying as your hair would grow – downwards.

 

Grain lines, if cutting on the straight of grain, are always parallel to the CF or CB. Grain lines on trousers and sleeves run down the center line. A grain line on the center of a trouser is also referred to as a crease line.

Pattern sections to be cut on the bias grain have grain lines marked at 45 degrees to the straight grain.

 Also take note that –

When pattern sections are traced from a master pattern, measure carefully from the original grain lines to place new grain lines on any traced sections, where the original grain line may not be present.

Hopefully you now have all the information you will need on grain and grain lines!

Happy pattern drafting!

Nicola

 

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Current Projects

Making A Toile – For the skirt block – sloper- draft.

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A follow on post from the bespoke skirt draft.

If you have drafted the skirt block using my method in yesterdays post, or if you have used your own method, or you are using a ready drafted skirt block, the following information will be useful for you!

Let’s adopt good working practice here and do it properly! I have a few rules I always follow and they have served me well over time.

I never cut up a pattern draft, even if I think I won’t need it again, I always take the time to trace the size I need, particularly if there is more than one size on the pattern sheet.

It’s also a good idea to arrange your patterns on your paper in a logical way, usually this would be in the position they were originally drafted, so for the skirt, this would be with the hip level aligned and the side seams placed a short distance apart.

The next step is to create a basic pattern for a ‘toile’ so we can test and fit the block. A ‘toile’ is a common term in pattern cutting and just means a test garment.

Strictly speaking a toile does not need seam allowance on any hem lines, so we don’t need to pop seam allowance on the waist or hem. This means we can see exactly how the block sits and fits.

Therefore we only need SA (seam allowance) on the side seams and CB (center back).

We also need some sewing notches and some balance notches.

Sewing Notches

Let’s place a notch at the hip levels, notches at the end of the dart legs and the center of each dart, and a notch between the hip line and the hem line to aid sewing and matching the side seam. Also a notch should be placed 20 cm (7 7/8″) down from the waist at CB.

Balance Notches

Balance notches let us see that the garment is ‘balanced’ and is sitting on the body and hanging correctly. Place balance notches at the CF and CB

Drill Holes

Drill holes are markers that let us know that the dart is coming to the end and a mark is normally placed around 1.5 cm (9/16″) before the dart apex (end of the dart).

Make sure the grain line is marked on the pattern and also the hip line. Place a fold line or an instruction to mirror the front skirt on the center front and also place an instruction to cut 2 back skirts as a pair.

Take special care when marking in the darts, particularly if you have followed my instructions to contour the darts to the shape of the body.

 

Here is a brief order of assembly for sewing your skirt toile

  1. Sew up the CB seam to the zip notch – tempted to press it open now? if you want to be a proficient sewer you can wait until you have more to do at the pressing table!
  2. Sew all darts – I have a special way to sew darts that avoids nasty bumps at the end of the dart. Darts should not be visible once sewn and should like flat.

I like to compare the sewing of a dart to landing a plane. You would not want the pilot to land the plane at a steep angle! You want the approach to be smooth and almost flat, with a gentle touch down and the plane should keep on travelling.

When you come to the drill hole you know you only have 1.5 cm left to ‘land’ your dart. Sew as close to the fold of the center of the dart as possible, so that when you come to the ‘apex’ i.e. the end of the dart, you can just sew off and carry on sewing. This forms what I call a piggy’s tail! Do not back tack at the end of a dart.

If you sew your darts like this they will look flat and sit well on the body. Now you can give the seams a press!

3. Sew the skirt side seams.

You are ready to have a fitting.

Remember that you do have some ease at the waist, this ease is there to allow you to move in the garment, and is also there to be eased into the waistband, so allow for this excess. You do not want the waist too tight.

I am happy with the fit at the back, but would like to take a little extra out in the darts at the front waist. Here I can choose to either add an extra dart or make the existing dart a little larger.

Any changes you choose to make should be marked on the original pattern and noted.

It’s worth taking a little time to perfect the fit, as this is now your base for all skirt style developments. Keep posted and subscribe to be updated with future posts and learn to make lots of different styles from this basic block!

Happy pattern drafting,

Nicola x

 

 

 

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Beginners Pattern Drafting Info

Updating My Bodice Workbook

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I try to produce workbooks for all the main blocks I draft and grade. I want my customers to make the most of my blocks! I also want beginners to have a good start to their learning.

I have recently updated my darts workbook where I cover darts, there really is a lot to know!

I have just updated by bodice workbook and that is now available on my website.

Click this link to go straight there!

The workbook will give you are great start to using your bodice block.

I never stop learning!

Nicola x

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