Do you ever look at premium ready to wear or handmade garments and wonder why they look a bit more structured, finished and well-made? What lies beneath may be the answer.

Adding interfacing to garments is the process of applying a layer of fabric – of varying weights and structures - to the back of another fabric to add weight and stability to the fabric.

Some of the main reasons why you might use interfacing include: 

• To add weight to fabrics at openings– Example: on a neckline facing to help it stay on the inside

• To stop areas of a garment stretching out – Example: shoulder seams cut on a slight diagonal of the fabric

• To provide stability and strength to fabrics in areas that might strain through wear- Example: knee patches

• To add weight to panels of a garment- Example: in a coat to prevent creasing and wear and tear and help it to stay in place and hang better on the body when moving

• To support areas where a specific technique puts strain on the fabric – Example: Buttonholes; I ALWAYS apply a small piece of interfacing between the fabrics if the garment piece is not already fully interfaced.

• Hemming roly fabric – Example: on the hem of a jersey circle skirt

• Covering embroidery on the inside of a garment for comfort and safety – Example; especially used in children's wear

You can also use interfacings to counteract the original properties of a fabric. For instance, you might apply a woven interfacing to a jersey fabric to stop it from stretching.

We apply a midweight non-woven interfacing to knit fabric in our slipper boots pattern; this strengthens the fabric and stops it stretching with wear whilst still retaining some slight stretch to help with the construction process.

When making a memory blanket from old t-shirts or baby grows made out of jersey fabric, you can apply woven interfacing to remove all stretch and make different fabrics behave in a similar way to each other.

I hope this spotlight on interfacing will help you make decisions about using them to perfect your next garment.

See our blog for a detailed advice on applying fusible and non-fusible interfacings.