Pellon interfacing question

6 years ago

I do admit that my box of interfacing was a mess. Some had those annoying long plastic labels inside the layers, others did not. Those plastic labels are not always forthcoming about whether this is a woven interfacing or not.

By visual (and a little prompting from an interesting online article), I was able to ascertain that the vast majority of my unmarked interfacing, mostly fusible, was non-woven (and therefore unusable in these days of making medical masks). I found one rather decent sized piece that was actually marked fusible woven, and was not particularly heavy. Yay!

I found a good guide, by a Google search, and list it here at the bottom so that someone else may benefit from it. Sorry it has to be from that particular store, but it was helpful to identify the few labeled pieces that had a "model" number but not the magic words of woven/non-woven.

One piece is labeled SK135, Sheer Knit Fusible. The guide does not say Woven, but it does say "tricot", which I believe is a warp knit weave. So is this interfacing considered woven or non woven? Could I use a piece of it in a medical mask?

Pellon Interfacing Guide

Donna

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Comments (3)

msmeow
6 years ago
It would be knit, rather than woven, but different from non-woven. I’m not sure how non-woven is created. Can you use fusible interfacing in a face mask?

Donna
Aglitter
6 years ago
Fusible interfacing has a chemical-based coating that would be unsuitable for a breathing apparatus.
donnar57 thanked Aglitter
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User
6 years ago
Fusible interfacing will also not hold up well to washing, really hot water, or bleach.

I am experimenting with some non woven material. It seems to make sense that it is a bit like the fabric this is used to make the commercial masks.

It occurs to me that there may actually be other fabrics that do a pretty good job of protecting despite not being one of the approved and regulated ones.

I suspect that some of these medical supply industries are instrumental in getting their product to be certified and approved and regulated as THE ONE that is required by law to be used. Maybe some of these other things are just as effective to sub for the small masks that a lot of people are wearing. How much protection can that mask really give, no matter if it is an approved PPE fabric or interfacing? Unless it is the protective gear that is designed as real haz mat or real infection isolation gear, how much does it really benefit us to have this mask made from the approved PPE as opposed to two layers of non woven fabric? I, think, in this case that there are likely few differences in level of protection, given the design of the. masks. In some other instances of PPE gear it would, undoubtably, not be sufficient. But, as a sub for these little pleated masks, these alternatives may be the next best thing.

Most are wearing these little disposable masks and using the same mask over and over. That is not the way these disposable masks were supposed to be used.

This medical industrial complex has been very successful at getting their products deemed to be essential and exclusive of all others, by law. They have done this with other supplies also. This is part of what lobbyists do. They work to promote the industry to get their product to be the one that meets regulations and it becomes standard practice or law.

No doubt that the companies that make the filter paper that the masks are made from have proven and verified that the fabric does what they say it does. But, there may be other fabrics that we have more access to that will serve the purpose just as well when making these little pleated masks. We are not making the same as the N95 masks or haz mat gear.