Mastering Fusible Web: types, uses, and essential TIPS

After those brief definitions yesterday, hopefully, you won’t get fusible web confused with interfacing, batting, or stabilizers. Today, it’s time to delve into what the fusible web is all about.

Fusible webs are often referred to by their brand names, such as HeatnBond, Wonder Under, Steam a Seam, etc. This week, I’m working with fusible webs by HeatnBond.

Various HeatnBond fusible web products

One of the main reasons quilters use fusible web is for applique. However, you can fuse a label onto a quilt, mend clothing, hem garments, add trim, do craft projects, etc.

The fusible web adheres one layer of fabric to another (or any other material such as wood, paper, glass, etc) and is activated using the heat from an iron. The raw edges can be left bare, or various hand or machine stitches can enclose the edge. We’ll talk more about that later this week.

Types of Fusible Web

1. Fusible web with double-sided protective paper: The adhesive sheet in this category is tacky (not dry) to the touch on BOTH sides. Therefore, it comes with a protective paper on both sides of the fusible web, so it doesn’t stick to itself. Usually, one side of the adhesive sheet is firmly attached to the paper, while the paper on the other side is loosely attached. When tracing applique shapes, trace them on the paper firmly attached to the adhesive. If you draw on the paper side that is loosely attached, there’s a good chance the paper will fall away from the adhesive, and you’ll lose your traced lines.

Benefits – If you’re working on applique with many pieces, the patches can be finger-pressed in place and are easy to reposition. They are NOT permanent until you fuse them in place with heat.

Cons – The protective layers of paper are not always firmly attached to the adhesive.

2. Fusible web with protective paper on one side: The protective paper is firmly attached (adhered) to the dry adhesive film and acts as the carrier (supporter) since the adhesive is too fragile to stand on its own. The paper is easy to remove after fusing it to the applique fabric. Be sure to cut out the shapes before removing the paper!

Benefits – no need to guess on which paper side to trace the applique. The paper is well adhered to the adhesive, so there’s no danger of it coming off.

Cons – No tacky surface holds complex designs temporarily in place.

3. Fusible web with NO paper: This type is simply a sheet of dry adhesive! No paper. If you want to trace shapes, use paper templates – freezer paper works well. You’ll need a protective applique sheet (non-stick) or parchment paper to protect the iron from the glue.

Benefits – This type is excellent for fusing large pieces of fabric to create collages, labels, clothing patches, digital cutters, etc.

The HeatnBond products fall into Category 2 – fusible web with protective paper on one side.

 Weights of fusible

There are four main weights of fusible products.

Lite: These delicate products work well for applique on bed quilts, garments, or wherever you want to keep the project soft and supple. It’s also great for multiple thicknesses in complex appliques. It only slightly changes the hand of the base fabric. You can finish off the edges and easily quilt through the fusible web in this category.

Featherlite: Similar to Lite, but thinner. It still provides a strong bond.

Regular: These products tend to be thicker and will change the hand of the project, making for stiff patches. This version was the original weight when the fusible web came on the market, and that stiffness discouraged many people from using fusible products.

Heavy: These products are mainly used for crafts and are unsuitable for hand or machine stitching. Check the packaging!

Types of HeatnBond Fusible Webs

I’ll be making samples with all these products over the remainder of the week, but I wanted to give you an overview of the available product formats and fabric types they are for. So you can start thinking of where you would use them!

Let’s start with SoftStretch. This product is perfect for all your stretchy fabrics. Not just knits, but what about those stretch denim jeans? And don’t forget the jersey fabrics, spandex, and fleece. I also see flannel on the packaging!

SoftStretch Lite and Ultra

This product comes in two weights – LITE (Sewable) and ULTRA (No Sew), and it comes in various formats, including the rolls as we see above. The rolls are ⅝” wide by 10 yards.

While the rolls are great for applying trim, they won’t help if you want to do appliques with larger shapes. No problem – the SoftStretch comes in packs (both LITE and ULTRA) that are 17″ x 2 yards. You can also buy it on a bolt. The bolt comes with a paper label along the length of the product, so KEEP that label with the product. And keep these other formats in their packaging. Out of the package, both look very similar, and you don’t want to mix up the LITE with the ULTRA.

Two packs of SoftStretch Fusible Web

Now, let’s look at the HeanNBond Hem products. These come on a roll in two widths and weights – 19 mm Super Weight and 10 mm Regular Weight. Both products are No Sew. Where would you use one over the other? That was easy; I checked the information on the back of the package. Super Weight is for heavier fabrics, like denim, wool, suede, and corduroy, while Regular Weight is for lighter fabrics, like cotton, rayon, linings, etc.

There’s no need to sew this product; fuse your hem and go. It’s machine washable; hang it to dry and avoid dry cleaning.

HeatnBond Hem products

Besides the width, these products look similar and could easily get mixed up. I recommend putting the roll and the packaging in a zippered plastic bag once they are open. There’s a lot of information on the packaging, and unless you follow the instructions correctly, there’s a good chance the product will not hold up.

Next is the LITE version of HeatnBond for woven fabrics. It comes on a roll in various widths ranging from 5 mm to 16 mm, so you have a wide variety to choose from. These products are sewable, and I like having these two widths in my stash as a quilter. The 5 mm is perfect for making bias tape, and the 16mm is excellent for fusing trim. Since they are sewable, I can fuse them in place and stitch the edges by machine or hand, which won’t change the hand of the project. You could use it to stabilize a tricky seam, but I’m not a fan.

HeatnBond Lite

It also comes in a package measuring 17″ x 1 yard, or you can buy sheets of it for your printer! Imagine how much time that will save when you don’t have to trace. There are 10 sheets at 8½” x 11″ in each package. I can’t wait to try those out! You can also buy it by the yard on a bolt. It’s machine washable.

Different formats of HeatnBond Lite

HeatnBond has another category called Feather Lite, which is similar to the LITE, except that it’s finer. It would be great for those multi-layer appliques where you don’t want much build-up. OH – I can’t wait to try this one as well. It’s available in the 1-yard packages and the printer’s 8½” x 11 sheets. In addition, you can purchase yardage from a bolt.

HeatnBond Feather Lite

The final category is HeatnBond Ultrahold. This product is a NO SEW product. Reading the labels to ensure you get the product for your desired job is essential. Have you noticed that the packaging is color-coded? Once you know which one you want, it’s easy to identify on the shelf.

It has several widths: ¼”, ⅜”, ⅝”, and ⅞”. The narrowest one is 6mm, which will NOT fit in your ¼” bias tape maker.

It also comes in the 1-yard packages, 3¼-yard value packages, and on the bolt. It’s machine washable and dryable, but not dry cleaning.

HeatnBond Ultrahold

TIPS for success with fusible web

Read the instructions: Always READ the instructions for the product that you’re using. The temperature and time required for the fusing vary from product to product, and you can quickly burn away the adhesive by overheating it.

Use an applique pressing sheet (or parchment paper): Use either of these products to protect your ironing surface from excess glue, or use them with those products that only come with one piece of paper or no paper. Sometimes, I sandwich my fusible shapes between two layers to protect the iron and the ironing surface. I do not use steam if I’m using either of these items, as the steam has nowhere to go, and you can quickly burn yourself.

Clean the iron: When you get fusible web on the bottom of the iron, you MUST clean it, and no matter how careful you are, it’ll happen. This process is easy to do with an iron cleaner. I prefer to use the ones where you put the product on a cloth (or paper towel) and rub it over the surface of the hot iron. They smell, but they work well, and you should be cleaning your iron regularly anyway!!!

Storage: I keep all my fusible products together in my sewing studio. They are labelled or in the original packaging with the instructions.

Here’s the link to a great resource to help determine which HeatnBond fusible web product you should use for which project.

Now you have the basic idea of the fusible web products on the market.

Initially, I mentioned that some fusibles have one, two, or no protective papers. All of the HeatnBond products have paper on one side. Let me address why or where you would want the other ones, as they are not in the HeatnBond product lineup.

The fusible web with no paper can be cumbersome for applique, as there’s no paper to draw your shapes on, so you have to draw the shapes on something to trace around them. You’ll find an excellent substitute with either the HeatnBond LITE or FEATHERLITE.

The fusible web with two protective papers is a tricky one. While repositioning the pieces is advantageous when dealing with many shapes, it can be challenging if those protective papers don’t stay in place. There have been issues in the past with the production of this type of fusible web.

So, how does one get past that issue? You can create applique “stickers” with the HeatnBond family of products to reduce the number of loose shapes. I’ll be following up with that later this week.

Wow, there’s so much information, and we haven’t even started to play yet!

The rest of the week is about reading the instructions for the HeatnBond family of products and playing with the fusible webs to see how they work! The information on those packages is going to be super important.

Have a great day!

Ciao!

This is part 2 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 1: What’s the difference between batting, stabilizers, interfacing, and fusible web?

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