Interfacing Fabric

Interfacing is used in sewing to add extra structure or firmness to certain areas of a garment – such as cuffs, collars and waistbands.

You can get lots of different types of interfacing – iron-on or stitch-in; woven, non-woven (with an almost papery feel) or knit; black or white; light-weight to heavy-weight; in packs or by the metre or yard.



Which one you choose will depend on what fabric you’re using – the main thing to ensure is that the interfacing is a similar weight to the fabric so that it adds firmness but doesn't make it too firm. I generally keep a stash of light-weight, medium-weight and heavy-weight interfacing so I’ve always got something to match what I’m making. (If you’re using sheer fabrics, which interfacing would show through, you can attach a layer of fine fabric such as organza instead.)

Iron-on interfacing is easy to use. It has a sticky side - with little blobs or lines of glue on it, which feel rough to the touch - and a non-sticky side - which you can draw on.

Here’s how to apply iron-on interfacing:

Cut the interfacing to the shape of the pieces it needs to be applied to, using your pattern as a template. I like to draw around my pattern in biro onto the non-sticky side, then cut the pieces out. If the shape I need is simply a rectangle, such as for the back opening facing of the Mathilde Blouse, it can be easier and more accurate to measure the shape on the pattern and draw it straight onto the interfacing.

Place your fabric piece on an ironing board, wrong side facing up. Position the interfacing on top of it, glue side facing down. Place a pressing cloth on top – I use a piece of muslin, or you could use another piece of fabric or even a tea towel. (Note: my pressing cloth isn’t in the photo so you can see the interfacing.) Gently press down onto the fabric with a hot dry iron for a few seconds to allow the sticky side to melt and adhere to the fabric.

Make sure the sticky side of the interfacing doesn’t come into contact with your iron, or it’ll leave a horrible burnt glue mark (yes, I’ve done this – doh!). Also be careful not to move the iron around or the interfacing might get squidged up into a sticky mess – just keep the iron static.

And that’s all there is to it!

If you're making the Miette skirt, apply interfacing to three of the waistband pieces.

On the Mathilde Blouse, you need to apply interfacing to:
- front neckline facing
- back neckline facings
- cuff bands
- back opening facings – between the fold line and the seam allowance.

Alternative methods:

If you need to interface small fiddly pieces like a shaped collar on slippery fabric that is liable to move around when you cut it, you could press some interfacing onto the fabric before cutting out. This method does waste a bit of interfacing, but it saves time and hassle. Your call.

If you don’t want to stiffen your seams – perhaps if the garment you’re making involves lots of layers, or the fabric is thin and you don’t want the seams bulking up – you may want to cut your interfacing so that it fits the stitching lines of the fabric pieces rather than the cutting lines. I must admit I rarely have the patience to do this unless absolutely necessary!

Like this? See also Marking and Cutting Fabric.

Understanding Sewing Pattern Markings

What do all those lines, dots and crosses on a sewing pattern mean? And what should you do with them?

Cutting lines
A multisized sewing pattern will have the cutting lines for different sized pattern pieces nested within each other. The different sizes are usually differentiated by different styles of dashed lines. Pick out the lines that match your size – you may find it helpful to draw over them in a coloured pen. These are the lines you should be cutting to get your pattern pieces.

Grainline arrow
A long, double-pointed arrow across your pattern pieces indicates the grainline. You don’t need to mark these arrows on your fabric – they’re just there to help you position the pattern pieces so they're going in the right direction in relation to the way your fabric will hang fabric.

Line up the grainline parallel to the selvedge, ie. running lengthwise down the fabric. An easy way to do this is to start by sticking a pin in one end of the grainline arrow. Measure the distance from the arrow to the selvedge. Now pivot the piece so that the other end of the arrow is the same distance away from the selvedge. Once you’re happy with the positioning, pin the other end of the arrow to hold it in place.

Place on fold arrow
Another kind of arrow you may see is one with two little sticky-outy bits like the image above. This indicates that you need to line up the cutting line the arrow is pointing too with the folded edge of your fabric before cutting it out (read this if you don't know what I'm talking about). The pattern piece only represents half the fabric piece, so placing it on the fold means you'll end up with one symmetrical whole piece. Make sense?

Darts
Darts are triangular – or curved – shapes stitched into the garment to help mould the fabric around the body’s curve. On a pattern, the lines of the dart are usually marked by a triangle (or a curved “triangle” – or whatever that shape is called! – for a curved dart. I’ve singled out one size of dart here so you can see the shape more clearly.

I like to mark dart "legs" using dressmakers’ carbon and a tracing wheel. You can also use a chalk pencil, tailor’s tacks or your own preferred method. (Read all about transferring pattern markings here.) Mark them on the wrong side of the fabric so you can align the lines when it comes to stitching them. I've added a red line down the middle in the image above - I like to mark the central line in on my fabric to help fold it accurately.

Notches
Notches will be indicated on your pattern by either a little triangle or a small perpendicular line along the cutting lines. If there are two next to each other, that indicates the back side of a sleeve or armhole. Marking the notches on your fabric will help you match up the pieces accurately when it comes to sewing them together.

A single snip is a better idea than cutting a triangle, IMHO – firstly, it’s quicker, and secondly, it’ll make your fabric less likely to tear or distort out of shape. Make sure the snips are shorter than your seam allowance so they won’t show on the outside of your garment.

Gather points
Gather points are usually marked either by little circles or crosses. They show you where to start and stop a line of gather stitching, such as when creating a puffed sleeve.

I like to mark them by sticking a pin straight through pattern and fabric, then making a little dot where the pin comes out with a chalk pencil or washable pen.

Buttonholes
Buttonholes are marked by short lines that look like, well, buttonholes. You don’t need to mark them on both bodice pieces, as one side will have buttons on instead, of course! Women’s clothing usually does up right over left (as my pattern teacher would say, “Women’s clothing does up right over left, because women are always right”. Totally sexist, admittedly, but memorable!)

Buttons
Some patterns include the position for buttons too, marked either by a circle or a cross on top of the buttonhole markings. I’ve left them off the Mathilde Blouse pattern because it’s a good idea to mark them in right before sewing the buttons on, so that you know they’re going to go in the right positions in relation to the finished buttonholes. Buttons tend to ride up so they should sit 3mm / 1/8” down from the top of a vertical buttonhole or inwards from the side of a horizontal buttonhole.

Fold lines and tuck lines
Your pattern may have other markings on it too. On the Mathilde Blouse, for example, the pattern includes folding and stitching lines for the tucks, and a fold line for the back opening.

While other markings are usually made on the wrong side of the fabric, it’s a lot easier to fold these lines into place if you mark them on the right side of the fabric (just double check your marking tool rubs or washes off!). For long lines, I like to mark the ends with either pen or scissors, then use a long ruler to draw the lines between these markings directly onto the fabric.

I think that covers many of the most common markings you're likely to find on your pattern. Hope it makes a bit more sense now!

Like this? You might also like:
Demystifying Sewing Patterns
Before You Cut Your Fabric
Marking & Cutting Fabric
Sewing Construction: The Basics
How to Make a Mathilde Blouse

Walthamstow Wonderfulness

Yesterday morning, I awoke in a cold sweat from a nightmare. I dreamt that I'd overslept and missed the Walthamstow Sewing Blogger Meet-Up organised by Stevie. Mercifully, it was only a dream, so I didn't get to miss any of this...

Lovely ladies...

Swapping our pattern and fabric stashes...

Claire demonstrated her unbelievable organisational skills once again, this time with a swatch sheet previewing all 20 pieces of fabrics she'd brought to swap...

Claire, Stevie and Dibs simply ooze sex appeal with their granny shoppers!!

So what did I come away with?

The majority of this was from the swap, so a pretty good haul for £5.50!

I feel so lucky to have met such a wonderful group of people who share my passion for all things sewing :)

Designing Your Mathilde Blouse

One of the best things about sewing is that you can dream up a garment in your head and then make it, exactly as you like it. I’m really excited to see how you make the Mathilde Blouse your own. It’s a versatile design that will look lovely in lots of different fabrics, plus the style has plenty of room for adaptation.

What to think about when choosing your fabric:

* The pattern works well in lightweight, drapey fabrics. It can look very elegant in silk or polyester crêpe de chine, habotai, charmeuse… or that mystery fabric you scored for £2 from the man outside Sainsburys at Walthamstow Market.

* If you find sewing with slippery fabrics tricky, try a cotton, such as lawn, voile or chambray. Keep it lightweight and drapey so the blouse doesn’t end up looking too stiff.

* Patterned fabric is lovely, but plain fabric will let the tuck lines shine.

And some design ideas:

* The buttons down the back are one of the stand out features of the design. Experiment with contrast, self-covered, novelty, rainbow, tonal or ombre colour buttons. So many options!

* How about making the yoke and cuffs in a contrast colour to the bodice and sleeves?

* Loving Mr Selfridge as much as I am? Try channeling that Edwardian chic into a cream cotton and lace version.

* Add a strip of piping, ricrac or other trimming between the yoke and front bodice.

* Lengthen and widen the hemline to make a smock-style dress. (Just be careful where you place the buttons so you can sit comfortably!)

* Instead of sewing tucks, try gathering the excess fabric on the front bodice into the yoke.

* How about attaching mini bows to the cuff bands?

* Hand stitch an embroidery design to the yoke, or use the fancy topstitches on your machine.

* Check out the Maker Gallery for more design ideas.

What ideas do you have for making the Mathilde Blouse your own? I’d love to hear! Leave a comment below or if you write a post, please leave the link so I can see. Oh my goodness, I’m sooooooo excited to see your Mathilde Blouses!!!

PS. If you follow me on Twitter, you've probably witnessed my gushing, but I really am so touched by all the warm and supportive comments and messages you've left me about the Mathilde Blouse Sewing Pattern. Thank you!!!