What is fusible interfacing
Types of fusible interfacing
All types of fusible interfacing have a heat activated adhesive material on one side or on both sides which bonds to the fabric when ironed. Fusible interfacing can have different structure and thickness in order to be used with different fabrics.
1. Non-woven fusible interfacing is the most common type everybody uses. It's a pure product of the chemical industry – it's not fabric, it will not unravel. Usually, it has no grain, and because of this, it can be cut in any direction, which is great because you can use every bit of it in a very economical way. But sometimes it has the grain though and then manufacturers advise cutting it according to the grain line. It doesn't have any stretch, and can be used with any woven fabric. I don't recommend using it for knit fabric unless you want to reduce fabric stretch.
2. Woven fusible interfacing is a kind of fabric – it has a lengthwise and crosswise grain. It's made from warp and weft fibers interwoven together. It's not widely used in home sewing. Most of the time they make it not stretchy,, but sometimes it can have some stretch property also. This type works well with woven fabric.
3. All the above types of fusible interfacing can be further classified as lightweight, medium weight and heavyweight.
Lightweight is used with lightweight, delicate fabrics to add strength and durability.
Medium weight works for a wide variety of fabrics, and heavyweight is great for adding structure to purses or brims of hats.
Generally, the heavier the fabric you are using, the heavier the interfacing you need. However, your interfacing should be slightly lighter weight than the fabric you are using.
Is fusible fleece the same as interfacing
Yes, fusible fleece is another type of interfacing. It's quite thick, thicker than regular fusible interfacing, 100% polyester fleece with adhesive on one side. It's used for the fabric to hold a specific shape. It easily adheres to fabric.
Difference between woven and non-woven interfacing :
The woven kind is a cotton fabric with one side (the rough one) primed with fusible glue.
The non-woven kind consists of agglutinated and compressed fibers, and one side (the rough one) is primed with fusible glue.
As a result, the woven fusible interfacing looks and behaves like fabric and the non-woven looks and behaves like a sheet of paper.