Friday, March 13, 2009

Reviews

I want to make this blog a lot more than just pictures of what I make. So first up is a review of materials I have used and what I like and don't like. Hopefully it will be helpful to some of you who like to craft it up.

Most of the stuff I have been making this last year are appliques on baby onesies. (My background in sewing goes a lot further than just appliques but that is a post for another day.) With my appliques, I always fuse down the fabric before I sew it onto the fabric. This helps it to stick and not move around when I go to sew and also helps to keep it from fraying as much. I have always used the same kind. My "Steam A Seam". It was the first kind I picked up and tried out and it worked great so I stuck with it for the last year.



In my wanting to make my Etsy shop a little more I thought it would be fun to make patches of my appliques so I went on a search to find a fusible webbing that would require no sewing. The first one I picked out said it was the strongest no sew adhesive. You are also not able to sew through it with your sewing machine and it is machine washable. Sounded perfect so I bought it and used it right away, all excited to not have to sew anything.


The very first thing I sewed was my mushroom t-shirt and I used it for the felt pieces. The grass and the spots on the mushroom. The grass fell off after the first wash. It didn't even make it to the dryer. The spots are still holding strong however. So I had to reapply the grass on the t shirt and I went back to my "steam a seam". I haven't sewn the grass down yet but this has already been through the wash and of course has stayed put on the shirt.

So I wouldn't recommend the heat n bond if you are looking for a no sew fuse. Doesn't work. They have other kinds of the same brand that you can actually sew after you fuse and those might be OK. If anyone has a favorite fusible web let me know. I would love to try it out.

1 comment:

Jodi Jean said...

this almost makes me want to applique ... ALMOST ... i'll leave it to the pro