Comparing Vilene and Pellon Interfacings / Interlinings

Anyone who knows my work will know that I'm an unashamed interfacings geek.

 

I can (and do) bang on at about interfacings at great length and in an excited manner, and have a particular squeal of delight, reserved for those "Eureka" moments when I discover something new that can be achieved with the right choice of interfacing.

 

(Ok, I may be exaggerating about the squeal being exclusive to interfacing... I start throwing around hyperbole when I get excited...)

 

The tricky thing is, that when I recommend an interfacing in a pattern or book project, it's because the properties of that particular interfacing determines the look of the finished project ... but not all of the interfacings that I use are available worldwide (particularly in the USA).  And to complicate matters further, the products that are available as substitutes in other parts of the world (read: USA) are not necessarily available to me here, in Australia.  It's hard to know what to recommend when I don't know what the equivalents are.

 

Of course, there are online resources with substitution charts, but the little that I know is enough to know that these charts are not always reliable, for my purposes (for example, I saw Peltex 71 as a substitute for Vilene S520.  Peltex is simply not going to work for many of the uses that I have for Vilene S520). 

 

In a desperate attempt to give myself an International Interfacings Education (so that I can write an international sewing book), I begged the lovely folks at Pellon to send me samples of what they thought would be substitutes for the Vilene products that I use.  Bless them, they sent this box full.... and I've been playing with it for a couple of weeks.

 

So.. what did I discover?

 

I use three different weights of woven, fusible interfacing, from a soft collaring weight (medium-heavy)  through to a voile weight (medium-light).  Of course, there are other weights of woven interfacing available here - heavier and lighter - but these are the three that suit my needs for most things.

 

Pellon SF 101 (Shapeflex) comes in somewhere in the middle - like our medium weight.  It's a lovely interfacing and is a good all-rounder for bag-making.  If I suggest using "medium-heavy interfacing", you could probably get away with using Shapeflex, but if you have access to anything a smidge denser, I'd give that a go.  If I suggest using "medium-light interfacing", I'm referring to something about half the weight of Shapeflex (more gauze-like).

 

I use Vilene H630 and Vilene H640 Fleece/Wadding all of the time, to create structure in bags and purses.  They're lightweight, fusible and create loft without too much density (which makes them easy on the sewing machine needles), and they can be used in conjunction with other interfacings (read more about that here).

Pellon 987F Fusible Fleece is the recommended substitute for H630, but I think that it's more suitable as a substitute for H640.  It's denser (more felt-like) than both of  the Vilene fleece/wadding products, and the effect on the fabric is much heavier.  It creates much more structure (and thickness) than the light "oomph" that H630 gives to fabric.

You can see the difference a bit more clearly in profile... That's the Pellon fleece between the H640 (back) and H630 (front).

 I'm not sure what to suggest to use as a substiute for  H630 (light fusible fleece).  I'd welcome any suggestions from those of you in the USA (or other non-Vilene H630 territories), if you've found something to do the trick.

Fast2Fuse, Peltex and TimTex are all stiff, compressed-fibre interfacings, of diffferent densities and fusible properties.  Below, we have Heavyweight Fast2Fuse at front, TimTex in the middle and Peltex 71 at the back.

 Fast2Fuse comes in a Regular weight and Heavy weight.  I tend to use the Regular weight on the outside of bags and purses that I want stiffened (often with a layer of H630 between the fabric and the Fast2Fuse), and it's also handy for zipper tabs and some of the fancy new (secret squirrel) things I'm currently working on.  I use the heavy-weight when I want real box-like structure, or stiff bag bases.

I've done a comparison of Fast2Fuse and Peltex before.  For bag bases, Peltex is perfectly interchangeable with Fast2Fuse.  For finer work, I'd seek out Fast2Fuse if I could, and opt for Peltex if that's all I could find (2nd choice).  Peltex has the advantage of being available in both double-sided and single-sided fusible, as well as non-fusible.  Fast2Fuse is double-sided, which isn't always convenient.  Swings and roundabouts...

TimTex is about as thick as Peltex, but slightly denser (crisper?) and not fusible.  You can use it with fusible webbing (Vliesofix/wonderUnder/Bondaweb/Heat'nBond/Steam-a-Seam) to fuse it to fabric, or wrap it in fusible interfacing to make bag bases.

You can see the different densities and thicknesses in the profile shot, below.

Vilene S520 is an easy one.  It's almose identical to Pellon Deco-Fuse. 

Vilene S320 is one of my most-used interfacings, and unfortunately, I can't find an exact substitute for it. 

I love that the embossed surface  of Vilene S320 breaks that 'cardboard' surface effect that most non-wovens have, but apart from that property, it can be substituted with Pellon Craft Fuse.  Like S320, Craft Fuse fuses at low temperature and stays stable, and it gives about the same amount of support to the fabric, and it can be used in conjunction with fusible fleece.

I've only listed Vilene and Pellon products.... but there are other brands out there, and I don't have access to all that are on the shelves in the USA or Europe.

I'd like to open up the floor to any of you who'd like to offer any other suggestions. If you have anything that you feel might be useful, please feel fre to share it in the comment box below...

Bag Base Tutorial for Peltex or Fast2Fuse

I've been meaning to update this bag base tutorial for a while. Not only was the original hastily put together from a black & white pdf document (long story involving band width), but I've ever-so-slightly changed my method since it was written. (And colour is always nicer than grey, don't you think?).

This tutorial is for a base in any boxed corner bag (and it can be adapted for other bag constructions).

1. Measure the length of the base seam (above) and then the boxed corner seam (below).

2. Round both measurements down by around 6mm (1/4 inch). For example, on the boxed corner seam below, I'd round down to 6.5cm.

3. Cut a piece of Peltex (it doesn't matter if it's single-sided or double-sided fusible) or heavy weight Fast2Fuse to the (rounded down) dimensions of the base seams. (I find that a rotary cutter and quilting ruler are the business for this job).



4. Roughly cut a scrap of fusible woven interfacing large enough to wrap about 2 and a half times around the base piece - folding along the long edge. You'll also need a generous seam allowance (overhanging the Peltex/Fast2Fuse) at each of the short ends. No need to worry about accuracy here, folks!
5. Wrap the interfacing around the base piece and fuse it all together with a hot iron. The interfacing will stiffen as it cools. You can add further layers of interfacing if you'd like to make the base more rigid.
NOTE: If you use double-sided fusible Peltex or Fast2Fuse, you can use calico or fabric scraps instead of interfacing. (That's what I used to do before I discovered the benefits of layering up fusible interfacing).

6. Trim the seam allowances on the short ends to about 1.5cm (5/8 inch).

7. To make the base durable (through machine washes etc), machine stitch around the outside edge and through the centre to hold all the layers securely.

NOTE: Nobody will see this bit, so there's no need to worry about neatness.

8. Lay the base over the base seam of the bag.

9. Fold back the overhanging seam allowance at each of the short ends of the base and line up the Peltex/Fast2Fuse edge about 3mm (1/8 inch) from the boxed corner seam of the bag.

10. Stitch the seam allowances of the base to the seam allowances of the bag - about 3mm (1/8 inch) from the other side of the seam (towards the raw edge of fabric, rather than on the body of the bag). Look carefully at the photo below.
The base is attached with a little bit of movement to avoid accidentally making it too tight (which looks awful). When the bag is in use, the base will sit firmly and exactly where it ought.

When you turn the bag through to the right side, you'll see that the base creates structure but is flexible enough to not damage the fabric with wear and tear (as template plastic can). It's also comfortable when the bag is worn against the body.

Have you tried Peltex or Fast2Fuse as a base?
More free patterns, tutorials and sewing tips, are over here....

Memory Chest

I made a travelling trunk for my mother - just a small one.

With stamps and labels from the places she's been... young single girl, wife, mother...

I added recent photos of my girl and her art, and then filled it with Mum's photos of the extended family (they used to be in a very ordinary-looking basket).

She seemed to like it.

Technical information: I roughly followed a project in this book, and used a combination of fabric, Peltex, Fast2Fuse, interfacing, Vliesofix and injet-printable fabric. The base fabric is Portuguese linen from the wonderful Méri and some fabric offcuts in prints that were reminiscent of the age in which my mother grew up.

PS. Thanks to all the lovely messages of support re: my last post. I hope that the discussion will make people think a bit more about sharing other people's ideas.

Thanks again, folks. I'm truly touched.

Laptop Bag Pictures

Here's one I prepared earlier...You can see a bit of bias tape action around the edges of the flap, and on the internal divider pocket, too!!
Can you see how I've managed to complicate/prolong the instuction-writing process...?
I'm also experimenting with different interfacings and stabilisers to get it JUST RIGHT to carry a computer safely and snugly.

Good things come to those who wait.... and this is going to be VERY GOOD. But you're going to have to wait a little bit longer.... sorry (insert apologetic, kind-of wincing smile here).

Bag Base Tutorial 2 - Fast2Fuse

I love Fast2Fuse. It's a thickish, non-woven interfacing/stabiliser that gives loads of support to fabric, but is still flexible enough to manipulate around a sewing machine.


It's also machine washable (it presses back into shape!) and is fusible on both sides.

Medium weight Fast2Fuse is great for creating support in the body of the bag.

My preferred use for the Heavyweight Fast2Fuse is as a bag base. It creates support without rigidity - unlike template plastic, it doesn't have a sharp edge so is nice and comfy on bags that sit against the body. (Apparently people also use it to make fabric bowls... I'm just trying to work out when you'd use a fabric bowl!!???).


Heres How to Make a Fast2Fuse Bag Base.....

1. Cut the Fast2Fuse to fit the size of the bag base (see instructions for cutting a Template Plastic Base). With Fast2Fuse, you don’t have to round off the corners.

2. Cut a piece of light cotton fabric (calico will do) a little over an inch longer than the length of the Fast2Fuse base, and wide enough to wrap around the width of it. OR if you want to make the base a bit stiffer you can use a fusible woven interfacing instead of the calico.

3. Fold the fabric over the Fast2Fuse and iron it on both sides, until the fabric is firmly fused.
4. Trim the excess fabric off the long edge of the Fast2Fuse, leaving a seam allowance of at least half an inch on the shorter ends.
5. Sew around the edges of the fabric, securing it to the Fast2Fuse. If the base is wider than about 4cm (and if you're as paranoid as I am about things coming UNDONE) you might like to also sew an x-shape through the centre of the base. (NOTE: This may be completely superfluous... I just like to be SURE things are going to stay put!!)

6. Lay the Fast2Fuse against the base of the bag, and sew the seam allowances of the bag base to the fabric at the ends of the Fast2Fuse base.Apologies for the black and white pictures for this tutorial. I've lifted them straight off the print-friendly-but-bandwidth-heavy pdf!!!

Copyright Nicole Mallalieu 2005