Marji: Fabric Prep and Fusible Underlinings

Fabric Prep, for those who're using a fusible underlining:

If you're going to be using a fusible to underline your coat my suggestion is to block fuse the fabric BEFORE laying out and cutting. If you're lucky enough to be LindsayT you can have it done for peanuts professionally in NYC. (insert little "green with envy" icon here) The rest of you will want to *do a preliminary layout, then cut the fabric in "blocks" around the pieces. This is extremely important. Can you imagine arbitrarily cutting sections and then not having enough length to cut a section of your coat?

• Note that if you cut a section that no longer has any selvage edge attached you want to thread trace your grainline on that piece before cutting your block. Use silk thread or rayon embroidery thread so that the thread lines don't create a permanent ridge in your fabric while fusing.
• Make very certain that your grainlines are lined up—fusible and fashion fabric—and that your warp and weft yarns in your fashion fabric are perpendicular to each other. On Each Piece, before you fuse.
• Note that this does not apply to anyone using fusibles for interfacing for shaping the lapels—that is an entirely different process. This just applies to those using fusibles to underline their entire fabric.