Adding interfacing to your cross stitch

As you know I have recently discovered a new hobby and have ventured into the world of using a sewing machine.  My first love of the sharp side, as my friend likes to call it, has always been cross stitch and a few weeks ago she helped me turn my Let's Sew Cushion from a cross stitch into a cushion. Cross stitch fabric, whatever type you use, is not really robust enough to turn into a cushion or other project unless you add interfacing to it to  strengthen and protect it.

I am now venturing into more projects of my own and when I spotted this little character as you may all recognise as Beatrice Potters The Tailor of Gloucester I knew he had to turn into something both cross stitch and machine sewing project related.

He didn't take too long to complete and by the time he was finished I knew what sort of project I wanted to make with him and that will be revealed later. 

So back to adding interfacing to my cross stitch.  I remember my mum using interfacing to give a bit of umph as she called to collars and cuffs or to costumes she would make for our ballet costumes to make it more robust.  

With my cross stitches it is to add more stiffness to the fabric you have used and also to protect the back of your cross stitch keeping all your stitches in place. 

I always wash my cross stitches once they are complete. It doesn't matter how careful you are when stitching them you will always get the natural oils from your hands onto the fabric and it will over time discolour and show on your lovely project that you have taken hours to produce.

So before you add your interfacing you need to make sure that all the little threads are sewn in at the back or trimmed as close to picture as possible as once you have ironed the interfacing in place you won't be able to adjust any little stray threads. I am not the neatest of sewers when it comes to the back. There are those that you wouldn't know the back from the front but I am not one of those. This is relatively neat for me. 

I have learned that there is interfacing which you can sew into a project and there is interfacing which you can iron onto a project.
 I have also learned that there is a smooth side and a rough side
. The rough side is the glue side and the smooth side is the side that faces your iron.
and that you can buy it in pre cut metres or off the roll.
I have also learned that when you are ironing your interfacing onto your project that some of the glue can escape either onto your ironing board or onto your iron and is a devils own job to get off.
So my friend has told me to always have a linen or cotton tea towel in your project box that you use to lie on your ironing board to protect it.

Now comes the clever bit. My friend  told me to look out for one of these packs of cooking liners. You can find them in the £1 shops or other bargain basement shops and of course good old amazon. 

She uses these to lie o top of a project she is adding iron on interfacing to so that should there be any leakage of glue it doesn't go on to your iron which will of cost a lot more to replace than a cooking liner and of course they can take the heat of your iron.  

So when you are ready and you have your 

tea towel on the ironing board to protect it
and you have given your cross stitch a last pressing to make sure there are no creases anywhere,
and you have made sure that all the little threads are either tucked in or trimmed
then you can cut the interfacing to the size of your project.
and with glue side facing down onto your project you are good to go.

Cover the whole thing with your cooking liner and you're ready to press with your iron. You may have to go over it a few times to make sure that the glue of the interfacing has adhered to your project. You can do this by just checking at the edges rather than removing the sheet and having to place it. back again

and like magic its all done and you are ready to make into whatever project you had in mind. 

The Tailor of Gloucester has become the central piece of a pin cushion and thread catcher and he will sit next to me whenever I am using my sewing machine and do you know something I am just a little teeny weeny bit proud of myself for achieving this all by myself.  May be I will write a post about making a pin cushion/cotton catcher.  Those experienced sewers out there will probably know all too well how to put one together but there might just be someone out there who would like to know, and if I'm honest I like to keep a record of what I've done and how so that should I want to make another at some stage I have a library of my how to's that I can refer to.

The year 2020 has not quite started as any of us probably envisaged that it would. Corvid 19 continues reap havoc across the world. I hope you are all finding things to keep you occupied if you are in lock down. We have now survived our first week and heading into the second.  Our front line staff and keyworkers, of which I am one continue to go to work each day and find ourselves living in a very surreal time. I wonder where this will all come to an end and where we will all be in another 12 months time.  

Till then please stay safe and if you can stay home. 

Mx