Fusible Test!!!

I'm currently working on a quilting book (one month to go and it's due!) and so I decided to test six common fusibles in a small table runner.  I have used all of these in the past except for Soft Fuse.

I used the following fusibles from left to right:
1. Heat and Bond Featherlite
2. Soft Fuse
3.Steam a Seam 2 Lite
4. Wonder Under
5. Steam a Seam 2 Regular
6. Heat and Bond Lite

I had such a fun time using this brown batik as a basket/planter box.  I love fussy cutting geometric prints.

I started by picking a flower to use and making six of them using the exact same fabrics. I used a stabilizer to do my usual double blanket stitch applique.  I then ripped away the extra stabilizer and started playing with the table runner.  There are two that seem much thinner and a little less stiff than the others: Heat and Bond Featherlite and Steam a Seam 2 Lite.  The others are all thicker.  You can tell when you bend the fabric.

I also did the big brown planter in Wonder Under and ripped the stabilizer away from the back to see if that made a difference.  It was thinner, but still stiff.

If you look carefully at he right flower above, you can see that I have the pattern underneath my background fabric.  I've traced the pattern in a thin black sharpie so I could see the pattern through the fabric.  This worked great....until I added the stabilizer underneath!  Then I couldn't see through anymore and had to use a lightbox to place my pieces.  

As I was stitching all the flowers I followed the package directions.  I did not have any trouble with any of the fusibles not sticking or wrinkling, or falling apart.  HOWEVER, I have used most of these in the past and I still have a favorite:  Steam a Seam.  The main reasons I like steam a seam are:  1.  You can stick the pieces to your background and move the block from place to place without the pieces falling off.  2.  You can reposition or take the pieces off with ease.  3.  It sticks well.  I have used both the regular and lite weights.  I usually use the regular, but am coming around on using the light after quilting a quilt with a lot of fusible!

I have had many problems with Heat and Bond Lite and Featherlite not sticking well or coming off the tips of the pieces.  It's not something I plan to use a lot of.  I do like Wonder Under and have had much success with it,  However, I do a lot of symmetrical applique and I want to know my pieces are going to stay put.  So I plan to stick with Steam a Seam for now.

The next step will be to quilt this little table runner and see what happens and how the fusibles differ.

Suzy