Interfacing: A Comprehensive Guide to Adding Strength and Shape to Your Projects

Interfacing: Everything You Need to Know

Interfacing is a crucial layer of construction material that adds strength, shape, and body to your garments or other projects. It is used to strengthen and prevent fabric from stretching away from the grain on button plackets, collars, cuffs, pocket flaps, waistbands, lapels, necklines, armholes, buttonholes, and anywhere else that needs extra stability or support.

In this blog post, we will discuss the different types of interfacing, their uses, and how to choose the right one for your project.

Interfacing is a textile used on the unseen or “wrong” side of fabrics to make an area of a garment more rigid. It is essential in garment construction for several reasons:

Adds Stability and Structure: Interfacing helps to maintain the shape of fabric that would otherwise be too soft or floppy. This is particularly important in areas like collars, cuffs, waistbands, button plackets, and hems.
Reinforces Fabric: It provides additional strength to areas of a garment that experience more stress, such as buttonholes and zippers.
Prevents Stretching: Interfacing prevents the fabric from stretching out of shape, ensuring that it retains its intended form.
Enhances Durability: By reinforcing areas that are subject to wear and tear, interfacing prolongs the lifespan of a garment.
Supports Embellishments: Interfacing can be used to support embellishments like embroidery, applique, or beadwork, ensuring that the fabric doesn’t pucker or distort.

Types of Interfacing

Fusible Interfacing: This type has an adhesive on one side that bonds to the fabric when pressed with an iron. It is convenient and widely used due to its ease of application.
Sew-In Interfacing: As the name suggests, sew-in interfacing is stitched to the fabric. It is preferred when fusible interfacing might alter the texture or sheen of delicate fabrics.
Woven Interfacing: This type mimics the structure of woven fabric, offering a similar drape and feel. It is suitable for light to medium-weight fabrics.
Non-Woven Interfacing: Made from fibers that are bonded together, non-woven interfacing lacks a grain line and can be cut in any direction. It is versatile and available in different weights.
Knit Interfacing: With a stretchable quality, knit interfacing is ideal for use with knit fabrics, allowing the interfaced fabric to stretch without distortion.

Types of Interfacing We Use in Our Patterns at Sewing Pattern Secrets

Woven Interfacing

Woven interfacing has a lengthwise and crosswise grain that must be matched with the fabric grain. It may need to be cut on the bias to work properly. It is strong and stable and used for tailored garments. It tends to bond better with the fabric, fusing well without wrinkles.

Non-woven Interfacing

Non-woven interfacing is made by bonding and felting fibers together, which results in no grain. It can be cut in any direction, won’t ravel, and is easy to use. It is very versatile and used with many fabrics.

Knit Interfacing

Knit interfacing is soft and flexible with a crosswise stretch, but minimal lengthwise stretch. It is used with jerseys and other stretch fabrics, but can also be used with woven fabrics when you want a softer shape or to maintain stretch while adding strength. Depending on how it’s used, it can also prevent or restrict stretch in areas, which helps the garment keep its shape. Weft insertion interfacing is a type of knit with a crosswise yarn designed to stabilize the stretch. It is very supple and used to interface silk or other fabrics that need a soft feel.

Other Fabric Interfacing

Other fabric interfacing can use the same fabric or a lighter weight fabric to interface as well. Muslin/silk organza can be used as interfacing. Canvas can be used to interface suede or leather. Felt can be used to interface craft projects.

Fusible Fleece Interfacing

Fusible fleece interfacing has one side with adhesive and the other side is soft and padded. It is used for bags, purses, and shoulder pads.

Water-Soluble Interfacing

Water-soluble interfacing is used when you want to remove the interfacing after you have sewn the project. And example of this would be an embroidery project where you’ve stabilized the fabric to apply the embroidery and then you wash it to remove the fine tissue left.

Water-soluble interfacing for hand embroidery, needlepunch, cross stitch, and quilting.

There are even water soluble interfacings that you can print an embroidery design on and then wash it off.

Specialty Interfacings

Waistband Interfacing: fused or sewn into a fitted waistband that provides a perfect crisp edge that will not roll or collapse. We highly recommend Ban-Roll which is made to NOT roll inside the casing.
Seam Tape: fused or sewn and used for stabilizing the seams, often used on shoulders, necklines, or hems. We highly recommend Nancy Zieman’s Clover Double Sided or Single Sided Seam Tape for stabilizing the shoulders, armholes and necklines of many of our knit or satin patterns.
Fusible Thread: 100% nylon fusible threads used to hold down edges of fabrics or seams. The threads will melt into the fabric when ironed. Brands include Gutermann and J&P Coats’ Stitch ‘n’ Fuse.

Choosing the Right Interfacing

When selecting interfacing, consider the following factors:

Fabric Weight: Choose interfacing that matches or is slightly lighter than the fabric you are working with.
Fabric Type: For sheer or lightweight fabrics, use lightweight interfacing. For heavy fabrics, use heavier interfacing.
Project Requirements: The type of interfacing should complement the specific needs of your project, such as providing extra stiffness for a collar or added durability for a bag.

Interfacing Weights

When choosing fusible interfacing, consider the type of fabric you’ll be using and the weight.

Generally speaking, industry list the weight of fabric something like this:

1 to 3 Oz – Very LightWeight
3 to 5.3 Oz – Lightweight
5.3-8 Oz – Midweight
8-10 Oz – Heavyweight
10 Oz +Very Heavyweight

Heavier fabrics require heavier interfacing, while lighter fabrics require lighter interfacing. Choose interfacing that is compatible with your fabric to ensure the best results.

The most common types of Interfacing weights are:

Featherweight – light and durable used with fine fabric
Medium weight – good for most projects
Heavyweight – stronger type designed to add structure to purses or hat brims

Applications

Interfacing can either be sewn in or fusible on one or both sides. Here are the two application methods:

Sewn-in Interfacing

Sewn-in interfacing is sewn onto the fabric using machine or hand-sewn basting stitches. It creates a less stiff feel and gives the garment a freer look. Try Pellon Lightweight Sewn In Interfacing.

Fusible Interfacing: How to Use and Choose the Right Type for Your Fabric

Double-sided fusible interfacing has adhesive on both sides and is used for appliques. It’s easy to use and great for beginners. There are two options for using fusible interfacing: fuse a large swatch of fabric and cut out your pieces afterwards, or cut the interfacing pieces out and then fuse them to the appropriate pieces.

To avoid accidentally getting any adhesive on your ironing board cover, place a piece of cotton on your ironing board. Some interfacing comes with a paper liner that can be peeled from the fusible web side and used to protect your ironing board cover and project.

Before fusing the interfacing, test a swatch of it with the fabric. Adjust the iron temperature to get a smooth finish and use a press cloth to avoid burning or melting the fabric or interfacing. A press cloth will also ensure that any dirt or residue on your iron does not transfer to your project.

When fusing the interfacing, use an up and down pressing motion, lifting the iron to a new section to fuse. Do not slide the iron across the fabric. Wait for the fabric to cool before sewing to ensure a good bond.

Cleaning the Iron: If you need to remove fusible interfacing and it’s not completely fused, reheat the area by pressing lightly and peel up the warm layer. To remove fusible interfacing residue from fabric, iron it with a dryer sheet or use spot remover made for glue and adhesive. If you need to remove fusible interfacing from the iron, use a hot iron cleaner such as Dritz Iron-Off and follow the package directions.

Tips and Tricks

Application Tips

Testing: Always test interfacing on a scrap piece of your fabric to see how it interacts.
Cutting: Cut interfacing on the same grain as the fabric to ensure consistent drape.
Ironing: When using fusible interfacing, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for temperature and pressing time to ensure proper adhesion.

Match the weight of the interfacing with the weight of the fabric
Match the color of the interfacing with the color of the fabric – dark interfacing to dark fabric, light colored interfacing to light fabric
Verify the directions that come with the interfacing
Some interfacing requires prewashing before using. Place interfacing in a tub of cold or warm water for 10 minutes. Take it out, pat it dry with a towel and dry it flat for one whole day.
Cut the fusible interfacing 1/8” smaller than your fabric to prevent the adhesive bleeding to the edges of your fabric.
Cut sewing interfacing the same size as your fabric. Interfacing up to your seam allowances might create bulk, but it can also make the seams stronger.
Fuse or sew the interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric.

Fabric Type	Best Interfacing Type
Silk, Satins	Featherweight Sew-in Woven
	Can also be lined with the same fabric
Taffeta	Medium weight Sew-in
Cotton Broadcloth	Medium weight Fusible Woven
Cotton Knits	Medium weight Fusible Knit
Heavy Denim	Heavyweight Fusible Woven

Brand	Name	Fusible/Sew-in	Fabric Weights
Pellon	860F Ultra-Weft	Fusible	Lightweight and Regular for Wool and Wool Blends
	906F Fusible	Fusible	Sheer Fabrics like Challis and Voile
	910 Sew-in	Sew-In	Sheer fabrics like Voile and Chiffon
	EK130 Easy-Knit	Fusible	Lightweight Jersey or Knit
	805 Wonder Under	Fusible	One-sided Lightweight to medium-weight
HTC	Touch O’ Gold	Fusible	Woven, featherweight to lightweight
	Fusi-Form	Fusible	Crosswise stretch non-wovens Lightweight to medium-weight
	Softknit	Fusible	Low-temp, tri-dimensional, medium-weight to heavyweight
	Intra-face Bias	Sew-in	For bias Featherweight to lightweight
Stacy	Shape-Flex	Fusible	Plain woven, Lightweight to medium-weight
	EasyKnit	Fusible	Tricot, Featherweight to lightweight
Heatnbond	Feather Lite	Fusible	Double-sided adhesive on paper backing, for Featherweight
	Soft Stretch Lite	Fusible	Double-sided adhesive Lightweight
	Non-woven Fusible	Fusible	One Side Shirt weight for cuffs, collars, buttonholes, shirts and jackets
Steam-a-Seam 2	Double Stick Fusible Web	Fusible	Lightweight to Medium weight fabrics
Steam-a-Seam Lite 2	Double Stick Fusible Web	Fusible	Double-sided for Sheer and Lightweight fabrics
Dritz	Stitch Wichery/Fusible Bonding Web	Fusible	Medium weight fabrics
Stitch Witchery	Fusible	Fusible	Used for seams, hems and belts