question about making handbags
 

I received instructions for the Charm Party Tote. Instructions call for Pellon fusible fleece. Looking at Joannes website and they have fusible interfacing, and fusible web, stitch witchery fusible interfacing and others. All so confusing. Its it all basically the same? or do I have to make sure I buy exactly fusible fleece.
Can I make the bag without it?

You iron on the Pellon fusible fleece which give it body and durability.Its not all the same, the fusible fleece is like a thin batting. Hope this helps.

I found mine at Hobby Lobby. Hope this helps.

Fusible interfacing is not the same as fusible fleece. Make sure when you are searching the fusible has "fleece" in the name or description. The fleece is thicker and is more dense than most battings, making it more stiff.
You can make a bag without it , but it won;t have much "body" to it and won't "stand -up" ! I have used really really stiff interfacing , and double layered it in a pinch , but much prefer the fusible fleece. I have also used poly felt and fused it myself , and had results similiar to the fusible fleece.

I have found it cheeper to use headliner fabric I came across t throughhis idea after buying some special handbag liner in a quilting store which turned out to be headliner material You can find it usually in the dec and or utility section of most fabric stores like Jo anns I think Hobby Lobby has it also It gives your purse lots of body and is easy to sew

Will you be quilting it? If so, you can probably get away with using regular batting.

I use fusible fleece, and if I want a really stiff bag I also add a fusible interfacing. With the fleece, you can choose to quilt it or not. Either way works fine. Also, I usually trim the fusible fleece 1/4" smaller than the bag so that there is less bulk in the seams. Again, completely optional.

I always use 987F fusible fleece that you can get at Joanns. I also add Decor Bond (Joanns also). These two together make a nice sturdy looking bag that is more professional looking.

Ditto that last comment from Joysewer. It does make a nice finished product when you use the 987F. You can usually get it on sale or with a coupon and I always buy at least 5 yds at a time. Makes several purses.

http://www.joann.com/fusible-fleece-...bolt/prd14450/

Can I use this? It's not Pellon, but it's fusible fleece. I hadn't planned on buying that much, but didn't see it in smaller quantities. The Pellon fusible fleece on Joannes website, is 5.00 for 22"x36".

I agree...you will want to be sure you use fusible fleece. I generally buy it in 5 (or 10) yard increments. Mainly because I find so many uses for it other than just bags. I always want my bags to be very sturdy (kind of like Vera Bradley bags). I think that makes them look alot nicer. I know I didn't use the fleece in some of the earlier bags I made several years ago and I was never happy with them so I rarely carried them. I have not tried that stuff that is like headliner fabric although I know that the LQS I go to has it now. I intend to buy a package one of these days and give it a try. Have several different bags that I have the patterns and fabric to make...just other things taking priority right now.

Yep that's the 'stuff" .

I just bought my fusible fleece from Joanns this morning.

SweetPeaches, I have made my own 'pellon' by putting double sided fusible on regular batting to make my purses. They hold up just as well. The first one I made with the 987F and I can't see the difference and I use my purses till they fall apart. The magic for me is the inside base. I use the plexiglas purse bases that you can get at Jo-anns or LQS. You can also have a glass shop or your local hardware store if you live in a small town cut plexiglass to fit your needs. Good luck!

joanns carries it, you just have to order the right one, it is very different than interfacing

I used the "Soft and Stable" headliner fabric for the first time this weekend. I really like the results. I've made over 100 bags and almost always use fusible fleece (I like the one from WalMart best, it is the heaviest I've found). Don't think I'll use the Soft & Stable for bags I sell because of the expense, but will use it for my own bags.