Fusing ~ Anybody try this?

[donnalynn2]

So I was looking through one of my Annie's Attic catalogs today and noticed 2 different books about "Fusing". According to the short description, you take a knitted item and "fuse" it with cotton to make it a very sturdy object.

 

I'm assuming whatever this is it can be used with crochet too but I'm not understanding how you would "fuse" the cotton to your item.

 

Anyone have any ideas on this?

[Katie45694]

My guess would be with a fusible interfacing, like heat & bond. I know that heat & bond in particular becomes quite stiff, but there are lighterweight fusible interfacings available in the fabric departments. Thinking about it I can see some advantages and disadvantages. Once something is bonded, it is probably bonded for good. With Crochet (or knit) you'd have to be sure everything was well flattened before the bonding process or a "wrinkle" could become a permanent eyesore.

 

Katie:cat

[jenuine226]

I agree. I think it would be done with fusible interfacing. I sew things at home, and that is the stuff you put in your purses when you want them to be "stiff" or to be a little more substantial. You can buy interfacing of different weights; just depends on how stiff you want your project to be.

 

P.S. There is a difference between fusible interfacing and "sew-in" interfacing. The fusible kind is the kind that you can iron onto your project; it has glue that melts into the project when the heat of the iron is applied. The sew-in kind, is just that, it's sew-in. If you can only find sew-in but want to make it fusible, you buy the interfacing plus a sheet of Stitch-Witchery. (A SHEET of it, mind you, not like the hem tape size... they also sell Stitch-Witchery on rolls like fabric, so you can buy it by the yard.) Then you make a sandwich of your project, then the stitch witchery, then the interfacing and iron it all together ... and voila, you've got interfacing fused to your project!

[Ennovy88]

I use HeatnBond for all my handbags... love it... It cuts down on the sewing and gives the handbags firmness.. I do not use the film close to the edge... so it will allow me to sew the bag together.. you can't get a needle through it once its heated... HeatnBond comes in 5 yards and you cut what you need.. separate the film from the paper and place the film between the crochet project and the lining.. and run the iron over it ... its fairly easy once you get the hang of it..I purchased it from Walmart and Michael.

[donnalynn2]

So is this fusable stuff cotton? The only thing it really said was that you use cotton to fuse to knitted items to make them sturdy. There must be something to it as there were 2 books with patterns dedicated to this technique...

[Katie45694]

The fusible is typically a "heat activated" sheet of "glue." You then sandwich together the items you are fusing. If you want to back a piece of crochet with cotton, you would (this is how Heat & bond works, I've used this kind, other directions may vary!) fuse, with your iron, the paperbacked piece of heat & bond to the wrong side of your cotton. Next, tear the paper backing off (exposing the OTHER glue side) then "stack" your items, crochet piece (wrong side up), then the cotton, right side up, fusible side down) and fuse. That would back your crochet piece with cotton.

 

Katie:cat

[natalie058]

I'm assuming this book is/similar to what you're talking about...

 

The description says:

 

All 10 of these fun designs is created by knitting the shape, then fusing it to a cotton lining.

 

Using common sense and the knowledge these fine ladies have offered, I deduce that the fusing is in fact *not* cotton... the *lining* is cotton... And one would fuse the cotton lining to the knit or crocheted fabric with interfacing.

[donnalynn2]

I'm assuming this book is/similar to what you're talking about...

 

The description says:

 

 

 

Using common sense and the knowledge these fine ladies have offered, I deduce that the fusing is in fact *not* cotton... the *lining* is cotton... And one would fuse the cotton lining to the knit or crocheted fabric with interfacing.

 

Aha! That's what I was trying to figure out! I knew I saw something about using cotton. Ok, so you basically just take fusing material to fuse the cotton to the knitted item? That makes a little more sense to me... Thanks...

[christinascrochethaven]

This was very interesting. I didn't know any of this. Thanks for all the info, everyone. What a great way to make a bag stiffer!

[CrazeeMoi]

ok..... I understood what they meant...... however.....I am thinking if the stitches arent tight or very close.....wouldn't the fusing show through?

[BonnieCrochets]

I was thinking the same thing, CrazeeMoi

[jaclim]

I was thinking the same thing, CrazeeMoi

 

CrazeeMoi and Bonnie.....you add the fusible interfacing on the cotton material not on the crocheted item if this is what you think you should do. I add fusible interfacing on my crocheted purses on the lining that I am going to use. It doesn't have to be cotton material. The lining for the spring purse I did for Karla was in bridal satin. I added the interfacing on the satin and it worked. Just be careful with your iron's setting. Would help if you spray some water on your lining before ironing it.

[jaclim]

Oh, silly me......you double the lining so the interfacing won't show..... If you want your purse or bag to be stiffer, apply interfacing on both sides og the lining.

[BonnieCrochets]

Ohhhh ok now I understand.

[CrazeeMoi]

ahhhhhhhhhhhh ok.......you double the lining. One of these days I might think more inside the box! Thanks!

[pragmatica]

OK, I'm reaally slow to start with and I just woke up from a nap, so thanks in advance for your patience.

 

It looks like Katie45694 describes fusing the lining directly to the crochet (which, thank goodness, saves you from sewing). Basically, she ends up with the fusing between the crochet and the lining fabric, sticking them together. I'm clear with this.

 

But then Jaclim talks about doubling the lining. Am I missing something here? It seems that if you put the fusion material between two pieces of lining, then you've made a really nice stiff double-sided lining for your purse, but you still must have to sew the lining into the purse, because the fusion is holding the double lining together.

 

Am I understanding this right? Basically, if your crochet isn't lacy openwork you can fuse it directly to the lining and get rid of the need to sew, but if it is something like lacy bridal openwork, you can double the lining and fuse it to give shape to the item but you still need to sew the lining in?

 

Thanks. Must...have...caffeine....

 

Elissa

[natalie058]

Sounds correct to me.

 

I'm sure you could sew in the lining when you fuse it directly to the crocheted fabric, also, it's just not exactly *required.* It would be when you use Jackie's method.

[JCB]

After reading this thread, I am totally confused. To me, anything to keep me from sewing is a good thing! Has anyone actually fused lining directly onto a crocheted bag? I usually crochet bags in the round (so I don't have to sew).

 

Joan

[pragmatica]

After reading this thread, I am totally confused. To me, anything to keep me from sewing is a good thing! Has anyone actually fused lining directly onto a crocheted bag? I usually crochet bags in the round (so I don't have to sew).

 

 

Joan, per the response to my post, I think that if your crochet is relatively solid (not open and lacy thread), you can use fusion material to connect your crochet directly to the lining without having to sew! Yay! I hate sewing and I'm terrible at it!

 

Caveat: I've never done this before, I'm just figuring this out from the information in the thread, so knowledgeable people, please correct.

 

Though no one has mentioned this, maybe because it's obvious, I assume you should only try to fuse materials that will hold up to heat. I'm working on a bag made of crochet nylon and I'm pretty sure that it will melt instead of fusing.

 

--Elissa

[Katie45694]

Yes, definately read (and maybe test) your fusing material. Some require VERY hot irons and that probably wouldn't work well with nylon! LOL Also, acrylics... Some of the lighterweight iron-on interfacing (usually sold by the bolt in fabric departments) take lower temperatures, but be sure and read the instructions carefully and, if needed test a swatch first.

 

Katie:cat

[jenuine226]

Joan, per the response to my post, I think that if your crochet is relatively solid (not open and lacy thread), you can use fusion material to connect your crochet directly to the lining without having to sew! Yay! I hate sewing and I'm terrible at it!

 

Caveat: I've never done this before, I'm just figuring this out from the information in the thread, so knowledgeable people, please correct.

 

Though no one has mentioned this, maybe because it's obvious, I assume you should only try to fuse materials that will hold up to heat. I'm working on a bag made of crochet nylon and I'm pretty sure that it will melt instead of fusing.

 

--Elissa

 

Elissa, yup, you are correct. If your crochet is fairly solid (i.e. no holes or lacey stuff), then you can fuse the lining to the crochet. (Otherwise, it would be a little unsightly to be able to see the interfacing through the crochetwork if you had a lacy design going on. I mean, you could still DO it, I just wouldn't recommend it because it might not look too nice.) Also, if you try to fuse through lacey stuff, the "glue" might melt through the holes, and you might end up glueing your crochet piece to the ironing board.

 

You might also want to sew along the top of the bag to make sure the lining stays "glued" to the crochet. I've noticed the edges do sometimes become unglued with a lot of use. The middle of the fused piece will be fine, but you probably want to hide the seam/sew along top just to avoid unsightly edges.

 

And Elissa has a good point. Heat-resistant material only!!! You are supposed to use a very high heat setting in order to "melt" the "glue," so make sure your crochet would be able to stand up to that before you try fusing it. It'd be terrible to ruin all that hard work.

[JCB]

OK... another question! If you are fusing the lining into the interior of the purse... how the heck do you get the iron in there to iron? I do a lot of felted purses, and many of them would not accommodate an iron. And I don't think ironing from the outside, going through many layers, would work?

 

I'm almost tempted to buy that book just to see what they recommend.

 

Joan

[jenuine226]

OK... another question! If you are fusing the lining into the interior of the purse... how the heck do you get the iron in there to iron? I do a lot of felted purses, and many of them would not accommodate an iron. And I don't think ironing from the outside, going through many layers, would work?

 

 

I'm almost tempted to buy that book just to see what they recommend.

 

Joan

 

Well, for non-crocheted, fabric purses, you would fuse the interfacing to the fabric pieces before sewing the purse together with your sewing machine.

 

For your felted crocheted bags, I'd suggest turning the bag inside out and fusing the fabric to it inside out. Then you flip it right side out again. When ironing it, because it is a round shape, you'd probably stick it around that part of the ironing board that is tapered so you could iron one side at a time instead of trying to go through ALL the layers at once... Of course, I've never fused anything to crocheted pieces, so I don't know if that is the best method, but that is what I would do for purses made of fabric.

[JCB]

For your felted crocheted bags, I'd suggest turning the bag inside out and fusing the fabric to it inside out. Then you flip it right side out again.

 

D'UH (Where's the smilie for hits self in forehead) OK... i'm beginning to see how this will work... I may just need to try this. I have some felting disasters... I think I've just found a use for them.. rather experiment on them first!

 

Joan

[goldi316]

D'UH (Where's the smilie for hits self in forehead)

 

 

Uh, remember - you asked for it!

 

 

(don't mind me, just being silly! )

 

Since I have no sewing machine and am hand-sewing challenged, I've found this thread extremely helpful and informative. Will be scouting my local JoAnns for this magic material asap!