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Using Fusible Webbing and Woolen Felt
What is Fusible Webbing?
Fusible Webbing is a man made fiber that melts when heated with an iron. When it is placed between two pieces of fabric the melting action of the web causes it to fuse the fabric together.
Fusible Webbing has two sides. One feels like paper the other has a rough texture, this is the glue never let your iron come into direct contact with this side!
Fusible Webbing can be purchased by the metre on a roll in different sizes at your local craft or sewing store. Pattern shapes can be traced onto the paper side cut out and pressed onto fabric for applique work.
I use fusible webbing for my applique work. You can create fabric shapes with the fusible webbing arrange and press them onto fabric, and Blanket-Stitch around them. This can be seen in Image 1.
2.
Little Pig
Fusible webbing can also be use to glue cotton fabric to woolen-felt material. I do this to make the Pupil's on my Soft Toys. I begin by selecting a cotton print white with a black spot.
3a. I trace two circular shapes for the Pupils onto fusible webbing. Cut out the paper shape (away from the drawn pencil line). Centre it over a black spot on the fabric and press it with the iron.
3b. I then cut out around the circular shape directly on the pencil line and peel of the paper.
3c. Lastly, place the two cut out fabric shapes on top of the woolen-felt. Press them with the iron. Once they are cool cut out the circles close to the fabric shape.
I now have two Pupils for the centre of each eye on my soft toy. The finished look can be seen on the Little Pig pictured in image 2.
1.
Little Fox Quilt Applique detail.
Another way I use fusible webbing is to create fabric woolen-felt shapes which can be sewn onto soft toys to create features for a toy, eg. eyes, nose...etc.
A shape can be traced onto the paper, cut out and pressed on the back of the felt. The paper is peeled away. The felt shape is blanket stitched and pinned into position onto the soft toy. I then stitch around the felt shape to secure it to the toy.
Woolen-felt shapes can also built up and layered on top of each other to give features more depth. In Image 2, you can see the Little Pig's eyes are made up of 3 layers of woolen-felt blanket stitched on top of each other.
3a.
Making Pupil's for Eyes
3b.
Making Pupil's for Eyes
3c.
Making Pupil's for Eyes
The following page offers information on how to create features with woolen-felt and fabric for your Soft Toys using fusible webbing. The information will be set out through a series of mini-slide pictorial tutorials.
The tutorials to be covered will be,
* how to use fusible webbing to create a woolen-felt shape and blanket stitch around the woolen-felt shape.
* how to layer and sew woolen-felt shapes together.
* how to use fusible webbing to back cotton fabric and glue it onto woolen-felt material, so that it can be used as a feature on a Soft Toy, and
* how to sew a blanket stitched woolen-felt shape onto a Soft Toy.
Happiness Heart
Pop the Penguin
Using fusible webbing is to create woolen-felt shape and blanket stitch around the woolen-felt shape.
The following mini tutorial details step by step how to use fusible webbing to create a woolen-felt shapes. The tutorial also demonstrates how to blanket stitch around the woolen-felt shape.
Using a lead pencil trace the shapes you what to make into features for your Soft Toy, onto the paper side of the fusible webbing. Cut around each shape away from the drawn pencil lines.
Choose the woolen-felt material you want to use and place it on the ironing board with reverse side facing up. Place the fusible webbing on top of the material with the rough side down. This is the side with the glue on it.
Once the knot has been made, push the needle under one of the nearest stitches on the back of the shape and cut off the thread.
Using a lead pencil trace the shapes you what to make into features for your Soft Toy, onto the paper side of the fusible webbing. Cut around each shape away from the drawn pencil lines.
How to layer and sew woolen-felt shapes together.
Woolen-felt shapes can be built up or layered on top of each other to give features more definition and depth. I like to layer the woolen-felt pieces on my Soft Toys generally around the eyes, as can be seen in my Pop the Penguin and Teardrop Soft Toys.
Pop the Penguin
Teardrop
The following mini tutorial will detail step by step how to blanket stitch a smaller woolen-felt shapes on top of a larger woolen-felt shape.
Pin the shapes together.
Choose a colour thread to match or contrast the colour of the woolen-felt being sewn. Sewing with 2 strands of DMC Cotton Thread, push the needle up through the back of the shape so that it comes out right along side the outside edge of the shape being sewn. Then put the needle down into the the shape roughly 1/4 inch away from the outside edge of the shape.
Once your feature shapes have been sewn pin them into position on your Soft Toy. They are now ready to be sewn onto the toy.
Pin the shapes together.
Using fusible webbing to back cotton fabric and glue it onto woolen-felt material can be done so that it can be used as a feature on a Soft Toy.
There are many beautiful patchwork fabics available to choose from for applique on fabric. I find the amazing range of prints available quite appropriate to use to enhance the features on Soft Toys. Unfortunatly the cotton fabric alone is too fragile and weak to be used on it own. I therefore use fusible webbing to glue the back of the cotton fabric to woolen-felt material to make it stronger and more durable on the Soft Toys.
On the Funny Bunny's tummy and the pupil's of the eyes I have used cotton fabric backed with woolen-felt. The Ladybird detail shows the cotton fabric used on all of the Ladybird'. Fabric lined woolen-felt shapes have been blanket stitched, arranged and sewn together and to make the Ladybird. This is then sewn onto the Quilt Top for decoration.
The following mini tutorial details step by step how to use fusible webbing to back cotton fabric and glue it onto woolen-felt material so that it can be used as a feature on a Soft Toy.
Blanket Stitching a woolen-felt shape onto a Soft Toy.
1. Once you have all your woolen-felt shapes blanket stitched and pinned into position onto the Soft Toy, you are ready to sew the features onto the toy.
1.
Spotted Pig
2. You will need 2 strands of DMC Embroidery Cotton in the same colour as used on the blanket-stitched shape and an embroidery needle. Take the needle and thread underneath the shape. Go in and out of the outside edge of the fabric on the soft toy to secure the thread. Bring the needle out just to the left side of one of the blanket stitches on the shape.
3. Now take the needle over the same sititch to the right side and push it through the fabric on the toy and out the left side of the next blanket stitch in the row. This will be the stitch next to the last stitch sewn.
2.
3.
4. Continue sewing around the shape sewing on the right side of each stitch and out on the left side of the next stitch on the shape being sewn.
To finish the last stitch being sewn on the shape come up and around the same stitch and thread your needle through the loop made to make a knot. Put tight, then push the needle into the toy right next to the knot and out anywhere through the toy. Cut off the thread close to the toy and the thread will disappear inside the Soft Toy.
4.
Little Pig
Sew Handmade
