When Bad Interfacing Happens to Good Clothes

posted in: Sewing | 4

I’m so pissed off right now that I probably should not even write this post.

Remember that cute blue blouse from two posts down?  Well, I finally wore it and washed it.  This is what I saw when I pulled the blouse out of the dryer:

It’s on the inside so it doesn’t matter, right?  WRONG!  This is what it looks like when the blouse is on the body:

After all the blood, sweat and tears I put that blouse, it turned out to be disposable.  Bad interfacing ruined a perfectly good blouse.  The culprit is Pellon brand interfacing.  I hadn’t had a problem until now but most things I’ve made haven’t actually needed interfacing.  Serves me right for buying such cheap stuff and expecting it hold up.  Needless to say I will NEVER use Pellon brand interfacing and especially not for things that will ever be washed.  I need to find better interfacing now.  FML.

BTW, I did pretreat the interfacing before fusing it to the blouse.

4 Responses

  1. Bunny

    Like you, I learned the hard way. I will never use a Pellon product for a piece of clothing again. They are garbage, clear and simple! I used to really like the products from Handler but I can’t find them anywhere any more. From now on I will get my interfacings from “Off the Cuff”. Can’t remember her business site name but that is the name of her blog.

    I am so sorry you had to go thru this.

  2. zannestar

    So devastating! I can’t stand fusible interfacings. Now I use organza or cut the interfacing from the same fabric, and it’s been a major improvement.

  3. caroline

    I never use fusible interfacing anymore, just sew in. It doesn’t really take all that much more time as you are generally finishing the edges of your facing even with fusible.

  4. Maureen

    You have to preshrink your fabric and your interfacing. The way I do this is to lay the interfacing over my fashion fabric that I’m going to fuse it on, hold my iron over the middle of my interfacing and then steam it. I steam my way down the interfacing, and then back to the top. You can watch the interfacing shrink. Then it will not shrink when you wash the garment.

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