• Perfect Fuse is extra wide -- 60" and 66" -- over twice the width of most interfacings, for easy cutting of larger pattern pieces!
  
• Each interfacing has its own separate use, care and how-to instructions. 
  
• These four distinctly different products cover 90% of interfacing needs.

Each weight has it's own distinctive characteristics and uses.  Sheer and Light are similar in weight, so what are the different uses? Sheer provides crisper body. Use it in collars and cuffs. On some smooth fabrics, Light may show through, whereas Sheer won’t. However, Light fuses to textures better than Sheer. Designers use Light as an underlining in 3-ply silk crepe de chine jackets. It makes a great underlining in any jacket where a little extra body is needed. It’s open weave adds breath-ability. Keep Light in the bag as it can snag–another reason we sell it in a package. Tailor is wonderful in jacket fronts and on the under collar combined with Medium or Light on the upper collar and facing. Medium is ideal for Ultrasuede jackets.

A Little History

Fusibles were first developed in 1968, at the time Pati Palmer was an educator for the Armo Interfacing Company. Pati called the first fusibles, bake-ons. "You’d iron them on and then they’d bubble and fall off," says Palmer. Over the years they improved dramatically and fusing agents were applied to woven fabrics, non-woven fabrics, and knits. The latest and best for general use are the new weft interfacings. These are fabrics that are knitted with the addition of a yarn woven into them along the crosswise or "weft" direction. They have the softness of a knit, yet the stability of a woven.

In 1989, Pati, in keeping up her contacts with Armo, a division of Crown Textiles, developed a line of interfacings for The McCall Pattern Company in Australia. The line became very successful. At that time, there was no need for her to do this in the U.S. Then, in 1995, Crown Textiles, the premier interfacing manufacturer in the U.S. filed chapter 11 and was sold. Confusion followed. Pati got together with longtime associate and sewing expert, Marta Alto, and began to research for interfacings that would meet their goals. The goals and how they solved them with their new line of Perfect Fuse interfacings are as follows:

Simplification. There are so many interfacing choices that the customer has no idea what to use where. Therefore, we've narrowed the choices to 4 that will solve nearly every interfacing need.

See the difference. Often, you can’t tell the difference visually between one interfacing and another. We made sure there is a distinct visual difference between each interfacing in their line. Even the names signify the differences–Perfect Fuse Sheer, Light, Medium, and Tailor.

Good performance. Some interfacings bubble during laundering or abrade and pill. All of the new interfacings are wefts which do not pill or shred after several launderings. They add stability as well as softness. In-depth care and preshrinking instructions are given for each one.

Wider widths. Some garments have required narrow interfacings to be pieced. Their new interfacings are 60 and 66 inches wide, TWICE the width of most other interfacings which are 22" or 29."

Good instructions. Generic instructions, if any, are sold with interfacings today. Each of the new interfacings has its own instructions. In addition, each package includes well-researched and well-written general instructions for using fusibles.

Instant, no-wait purchasing. When you go to the deli and have the choice of waiting for your cheese to be cut or to pick up a package of the same cheese, time will be a factor in your choice. Pre-packaged interfacings mean you don’t have to wait for them to be cut. Perfect Fuse interfacings come in one or three yard packages. One yard of the wider width is plenty for most projects and you can store the unused portions in the plastic envelope. One yard of Tailor will do two jackets, depending on size and style. One yard of Sheer will be enough for several shirts.

Less confusion in your interfacing stash at home. Often, after we use an interfacing, we stack it on the shelf and 3 months later we can’t figure out what it is. The protective storage bag will keep the interfacing clean and the consumer will always know which interfacing is inside.

Quality. Consumers aren’t very confident in how interfacings will perform. Marta Alto and Pati Palmer tested hundreds of products over a 4-year period and spent 2 years writing, editing, and testing use and care instructions. Palmer/Pletsch is a name recognized for quality.

Reasonable prices. Prices on interfacings vary greatly. Often you get what you pay for. The team went for the best product, not the best price, yet the new line is reasonably priced and double the width of other products. Based on the wider width, the interfacings are generally less per yard than competitor’s narrower products. The packaging, however, is labor intensive, so in order to keep the prices down for the consumer, there will be no distributor pricing. Because of this, the interfacings will most likely only be found in independent fabric stores.

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