I love using fusible web for applique. It’s so fun and easy and adds such a different dimension to projects that often couldn’t be done any other way. I don’t know about you, but whenever I have to refill my personal fusible web supply, I find myself in front of the interfacing rack at a fabric store with my eyes glazing over all the options. What do they all mean? What’s the difference between EZ-Steam and EZ-Steam II? Why are some purchased by the bolt and others only available in little packets over in the notions section? I never paid much attention to which I chose, so then I’d be very frustrated when I’d make a project and the shapes wouldn’t adhere easily, or would fray after the first wash.
I finally broke down a few weeks back and bought a little of each on available at my local JoAnn Fabrics. I was going to figure out which of these was the best and which ones to stay away from! Here’s what I did-
I appliqued three stars with each type of fusible web I had on hand. One large, one medium and one small, so I could see if size made a difference in how well the web worked. I also tried to use various fabrics- some were the super nice, $12/yard designer quilting cottons, some was the cheap stuff from JoAnn’s, because I wanted to see how big of a difference the fabric quality made when it came to fraying.
I sewed each applique piece with a straight stitch, well away from the edges so we could get a good view of how much the fabric would fray with each web. (the picture above is of the piece before washing) When it was all sewn, I washed the whole thing on medium heat and dried it in my dryer. And then I washed it again on high heat, and dried it in our dryer just for good measure. 🙂 Here’s what I learned- first the random facts, then I’ll do a run down of each fusible web.
Random Facts
1. The quality of the fabric didn’t seem to change the amount of fraying very much. If anything, the cheaper, thinner fabrics ended up with less fraying (which really surprised me!). Maybe because they are thinner they stick to the fusible web better? I’d have to do more testing on just this subject to be sure. For now I’m just happy to know that the cheaper stuff still works ok.
2. The smallest stars (about 1 inch wide) did fray a lot more than the others, though I was able to get a few that turned out ok, with the better fusible webs.
3. The performance of each web seemed about the same on both medium and high heat washings. (The ones that didn’t stick well or frayed did so on both settings. The ones that stayed nice did so through both settings)
Fusible Webs Compared
| Product Name | Ease of Use | Amount of Fraying (1 is no fraying, 10 is a lot of fraying) | Texture Change (1 is not stiff, 10 very stiff)* |
| EZ-Steam | Good | 8 | 5 |
| EZ-Steam II | Frustrating to get the paper off before the final fuse | 8 | 6 |
| Wonder Under | Good | 7 | 4 |
| Heavy Duty Wonder Under | Web fell off of the paper before I ironed | 4 | 6 |
| Heat n Bond Lite | Good | 2 | 5 |
| Heat n Bond Ultra Hold | Good | 1 | 7 |
| Lite Steam-a-Seam II | Good | 8 | 6 |
*Please note- I wanted to really be able to feel the texture, so I backed the entire applique piece with the fusible web instead of cutting out the center (see what I mean in this post) which would greatly reduce the stiffness of the piece.
I think in the end, Heat’n Bond won for me. I was blown away at how little the Heat’n Bond Ultra Hold
frayed. (I admit, the fraying is my biggest pet peeve when it comes to raw edge applique.) It was also the stiffest, but none of them are so thick that I couldn’t sew through them to quilt. And I think if I cut out the center of the web before fusing the shape onto the fabric, I’d really love the results.
I went ahead and added an enormous visual so you could see each one up close. These photos were taken after the applique was washed and dried twice.
What do you think? Is there one I’ve left out that would out perform some of these better ones? Do you feel like these results are consistent with how a certain product typically performs? I certainly don’t pretend to be an expert- I’m just sharing what I learned. I’d love to hear what you’ve learned along the way, too!
Thank you for sharing! The visuals were helpful!
Linda, I’m glad it helped!
Jessica, this is so helpful! I had no idea about all of my options, I am embarrassed to say I thought Wonder Under was it. I do like a little fraying for some things, so that’s great you included that criteria. Thanks!
Thanks Lisa! I didn’t realize there were so many until I went out and started to buy things for this test. It’s kind of crazy! I agree, some project look adorable with a bit of fraying. I’m glad I finally know what to use when I’m going for that effect, and what to use when I want a clean line.
this is AWESOME! I just found your site after a pintrest search for article of faith punch cards, but I can’t stop playing around here! I’m bookmarking this for sure, and I have to order some of your patterns.
Laree- I’m so glad to here it! Hope to hear from you again soon 🙂
I love HeatnBond. It’s easy to use and takes a lower temperature, which allows me to use a wider variety of fabrics, including lame’ without melting or scorching. However I made a wall hanging with HeatnBond ultra and it was an experience. The salesperson told me there wasn’t any or much difference between the lite and ultra and could be used interchangeably. Wrong. It says on the package to not sew through it, which I saw way too late. My needle got so gummed up, I had to clean it with rubbing alcohol every inch. That stuff holds like a champ and would be great for non-sew projects, but I highly recommend following the package instructions – no sew. I use HeatnBond lite with no problems and the window method. I love it.
Thank you for this results chart. I have been considering trying a few others and this really helps. I have also heard that mistyfuse works very well and does not change the drape or stiffness, but I haven’t tried it yet and it is not available at Joanns. I have found Steam a Seam to be more difficult to use and it also requires a higher heat.
Thanks so much for your input! It’s always so great to hear experiences from others
I really appreciate this article, Jessica! Thank you so much! Candice, I have had really good luck with putting wax paper over needle-gumming things like the HnB Ultra and fabric with the fused-on metallic dots. You can see pretty well through the wax paper and it tears away after.
Great article Jessica. I was also confused with fusible web thing. Thanks for sharing such good and helpful information.
Happy sewing
So glad it helped Amruta!
Great info and the visuals really helped! Excellent resource. Thanks so much.
Glad it helped!
Thank you soooo much. I never seemed to get a look I liked. I am going to rush to Amazon (very far from fabric stores) and order Heat and Bond. Great charts
I’m so glad to help!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review. It was just what I was looking for! Happy Thanksgiving (thankful for people like you)!
thanks!
Found your post on a Google search as I am about to start a quilt based on a cathedral mosaic from the 1400’s. I found your review extremely helpful, as I never do raw-edge applique (primarily because of the fraying).
I appreciated the review of all of these products. Thank you for the effort to put this together for others to benefit from your time.
Hi, your test was really helpful, my problem is that the ones I’ve tried all gum up my needle. Which did you find best for this?
Heat n’ Bond lite does ok for me as far as gumming up my needle. I have heard good things about Soft Fuse- I just ordered some to try!
Thank you so much for offering your time and educating us on different fusible webbing! I am new to quilting and my first one has some applique in it, which I’ve never done! I ended up purchasing a 75′ roll of Heat n Bond Lite from Amazon because the reviews were good and even though pricey for that much, ends up being a much better buy. Seriously, when it arrived, I didn’t even know if this was what was referred to as “fusible web”. Thank you for setting me straight!! I’m very relieved now after reading your blog. I will keep it, and get to work on the applique part of my beautiful quilt.
Great information. Can I have permission to print this and use as a handout in a class I am giving on appliqué? I will give you full credit.
Of course! Thanks for asking.
Brilliant. Thanks!!!
This. Was. Super. Helpful! Looking to customize face masks with matching bow ties by using a no-sew applique method. Thank you for posting this. Now I know which fusible is the winner!
I’m so glad it helped!
SO glad to help!!!
Thank you so much for this post! It is so helpful!
I’ve been trying to decide between the Wonder Under or the Heat and Bond lite for my project and this makes it so much clearer! I really appreciate your close up looks at the amount of fraying because after washing, it could change the look of my quilt a great deal! I will use Wonder Under for quilts that will look be super soft and look cuter with fraying. I’m going to use Heat and Bond lite for my current quilt because I’m willing to sacrifice some softness for crisper edges with less fraying.
Thank you so much for this great comparison. I have been trying the different fusibles because of fraying. I have the most recent – HeatnBond – sitting next to me in the package and am excited to use it. The search may be over!
Have you tried Flexi Fuse? I like the way it makes the fabric look smooth and not stiff. They some. I think you’ll like it.
I’ll have to try that, sounds great!
Hi Jessica – thank you for the comparison and the direction! I sat down to contemplate fusible webbing and when I saw SweetBriar Sisters I knew that was the reco I wanted to read! THANK YOU! Off to make a more informed purchase. Hope all is well! MC
Wow!!! Just what I was googling for! Great info. Love the depth of your research.
Did you happen to notice if any product did better on a low heat setting? I’m fusing holes in frost protectors. The fabric melts above wool and even at that setting you must keep moving.
Oh, that’s a really good question. Unfortunately I didn’t test that specifically. I’d imagine the ‘ultra’ type products (aka the no sew ones) wouldn’t do as well, since their glue is thicker and needs a bit more to melt it. Sorry I don’t have a better answer for you!