The One About Spray Fabric Glue
This is mostly meant as a note to myself, but it's useful stuff if you do any sewing (particularly applique work like banners) so it's not just for me. ;-)
First of all: Fabric glue. Got little plastic gems or what you want to glue onto your shirt/banner/whatever? Then fabric glue is awesome stuff. The jewler's Glue you get at Dressew is fantastic stuff: use it, let it dry 72 hours, then iron as hot as the material will take to heat-set it and the stuff is fully washable. Also it stays flexible. Looks like white glue when you use it but is much cooler. I've used it to repair ceramic mugs (nuked them, empty, instead of ironing) and subsequently accidentally left the mug soaking in a sink over a weekend with no issues or weakening whatsoever.
This is not that stuff.
Nor am I referring to that horrible "No Sew" crap in the tube. You know the stuff, smells like ammonia? Is supposed to finish seams etc for you? It smells like ammonia because it is just over-priced liquid latex, and it is horrible stuff. Doesn't do a single thing it claims to. Avoid it at all costs.
No, what I'm talking about is a light, temporary spray adhesive that holds your banner bits (or in this case, bat ears) together long enough for you to sew it all down nicely, and which then washes out. Bonus: it's similar to a Post-it adhesive, so if the piece wrinkles when you put it down you can just peel it back and straighten it out. It is NOT meant to hold it down long-term, just while you sew it.
There's a few different brands but I have two different ones sitting on my desk right now so I want to just discuss those two in particular briefly. Why those two particular brands? Because they were what I could lay hands on, that's all. One was bought on a shopping trip in Kamloops and one here in town.
They both do the same thing. Both are repositionable and wash out. One is 505 Temporary Fabric Adhesive ($16.99 for 159 grams) and the other is "The Original" Quilt Basting Spray by Sullivans ($20ish for 369 grams).
The two main differences are in the consistency and the smell. When the Sullivans says to do it in a well-ventilated area, what they actually mean is "Do it outside." It's Naptha and petrolium distillates; using it indoors (even with the porch door open) left me feeling rather nauseous. This is its major down-side. On the up side, it sprays very neatly and evenly, allowing a very tidy and precise job. You'll still want to put newspapers down for it, though, same as with any spray glue.
It did seem that the Sullivans was slightly less tacky than the 505, but that may have been because of the particular application for which I was using it (not just glueing the bat ear fabric to a plastic mesh base, where I didn't notice any difference in adhesion, but also to hold down an overlap of about half an inch, wrapped over from the other side to finish the edge), and that I didn't really use very much. Getting an even coat with it wasn't any trouble at all. It comes out in a nice, fine mist.
The 505 can be used indoors with impugnity, which is nice at this time of year, and it holds well (although honestly the difference between the two was minimal). The two complaints I have with it are the consistency and the propellant, which is a butane/propane, according to the can, and which is cold enough that your finger is at risk of frostbite if you are doing large areas. You may want to wear gloves, or at least wrap a kleenex around that finger. Keep it out of the way of the spray. No such issue with the Sullivans.
The consistency is where the 505 falls down, although I may have just gotten a weird can. It sprayed on almost like Silly String, this thick, gloopy ejaculate that foamed a moment before subsiding into kind of a snail trail. You then kind of have to spread it out with your finger a bit, although that may have been because I was getting to teh end of the can and tehre wasn't that much left. Still, an even (and thinnner) coat was much easier to achieve with the Sullivans. It does the trick, though.
So, to sum up:
505:
Pros:
-No unpleasant odour
-Better adhesion
-Spray and use; no drying time
Cons:
-Will freeze fingers
-Gloopy consistency
Sullivans:
Pros:
-Excellent consistency
-Decent adhesion. Not as good as the 505, but only by a thin margin
Cons:
-HORRIBLE smell. Seriously, do it outside.
-Have to let it dry for a few minutes before sticking the fabric down
On the balance, I'd have to go with the Sullivans, but yeah, believe me when I say you don't want to use it inside. Seriously, it comes with a MSDS and instructions on what kind of respirator to use if you've used too much in a too-small space. But to be honest, that's the only down-side that I've found so far (seems to wash out just fine, as does the 505), and even in my over-priced little town, you're getting over twice as much for about four dollars more. Plus, considering how nicely it sprays (I know I keep going on about it but the difference really is like night and day) you use a lot less of the Sullivans to stick stuff down, so you'll get your mileage out of it.
Why use a spray glue at all? Why not just pins? Well, as I said, it's for applique work. For holding seams in place one wants pins, this would be terrible for that; but when you have, say, a banner that you're putting together, and you want that horse/unicorn/whatever held in place while you stitch the edges down, then pins actually really suck, because the fabric can't lie flat around them. And depending on the weave of the two fabrics the applique piece may distort when you stitch it down.
But if you use a spray glue then the pieces are melded perfectly together, in just the right position, wthout distortion or fraying. And you run it through your machine, stitch the edges down, and wash it out. Finis!
If you've got to do applique work (or quilting) and you've never tried it, try some spray glue. You'll be very pleasantly surprised at how much easier it makes life. And Kryss: Get the Sullivans again. But for the love of all that you hold holy, use it outside this time.
First of all: Fabric glue. Got little plastic gems or what you want to glue onto your shirt/banner/whatever? Then fabric glue is awesome stuff. The jewler's Glue you get at Dressew is fantastic stuff: use it, let it dry 72 hours, then iron as hot as the material will take to heat-set it and the stuff is fully washable. Also it stays flexible. Looks like white glue when you use it but is much cooler. I've used it to repair ceramic mugs (nuked them, empty, instead of ironing) and subsequently accidentally left the mug soaking in a sink over a weekend with no issues or weakening whatsoever.
This is not that stuff.
Nor am I referring to that horrible "No Sew" crap in the tube. You know the stuff, smells like ammonia? Is supposed to finish seams etc for you? It smells like ammonia because it is just over-priced liquid latex, and it is horrible stuff. Doesn't do a single thing it claims to. Avoid it at all costs.
No, what I'm talking about is a light, temporary spray adhesive that holds your banner bits (or in this case, bat ears) together long enough for you to sew it all down nicely, and which then washes out. Bonus: it's similar to a Post-it adhesive, so if the piece wrinkles when you put it down you can just peel it back and straighten it out. It is NOT meant to hold it down long-term, just while you sew it.
There's a few different brands but I have two different ones sitting on my desk right now so I want to just discuss those two in particular briefly. Why those two particular brands? Because they were what I could lay hands on, that's all. One was bought on a shopping trip in Kamloops and one here in town.
They both do the same thing. Both are repositionable and wash out. One is 505 Temporary Fabric Adhesive ($16.99 for 159 grams) and the other is "The Original" Quilt Basting Spray by Sullivans ($20ish for 369 grams).
The two main differences are in the consistency and the smell. When the Sullivans says to do it in a well-ventilated area, what they actually mean is "Do it outside." It's Naptha and petrolium distillates; using it indoors (even with the porch door open) left me feeling rather nauseous. This is its major down-side. On the up side, it sprays very neatly and evenly, allowing a very tidy and precise job. You'll still want to put newspapers down for it, though, same as with any spray glue.
It did seem that the Sullivans was slightly less tacky than the 505, but that may have been because of the particular application for which I was using it (not just glueing the bat ear fabric to a plastic mesh base, where I didn't notice any difference in adhesion, but also to hold down an overlap of about half an inch, wrapped over from the other side to finish the edge), and that I didn't really use very much. Getting an even coat with it wasn't any trouble at all. It comes out in a nice, fine mist.
The 505 can be used indoors with impugnity, which is nice at this time of year, and it holds well (although honestly the difference between the two was minimal). The two complaints I have with it are the consistency and the propellant, which is a butane/propane, according to the can, and which is cold enough that your finger is at risk of frostbite if you are doing large areas. You may want to wear gloves, or at least wrap a kleenex around that finger. Keep it out of the way of the spray. No such issue with the Sullivans.
The consistency is where the 505 falls down, although I may have just gotten a weird can. It sprayed on almost like Silly String, this thick, gloopy ejaculate that foamed a moment before subsiding into kind of a snail trail. You then kind of have to spread it out with your finger a bit, although that may have been because I was getting to teh end of the can and tehre wasn't that much left. Still, an even (and thinnner) coat was much easier to achieve with the Sullivans. It does the trick, though.
So, to sum up:
505:
Pros:
-No unpleasant odour
-Better adhesion
-Spray and use; no drying time
Cons:
-Will freeze fingers
-Gloopy consistency
Sullivans:
Pros:
-Excellent consistency
-Decent adhesion. Not as good as the 505, but only by a thin margin
Cons:
-HORRIBLE smell. Seriously, do it outside.
-Have to let it dry for a few minutes before sticking the fabric down
On the balance, I'd have to go with the Sullivans, but yeah, believe me when I say you don't want to use it inside. Seriously, it comes with a MSDS and instructions on what kind of respirator to use if you've used too much in a too-small space. But to be honest, that's the only down-side that I've found so far (seems to wash out just fine, as does the 505), and even in my over-priced little town, you're getting over twice as much for about four dollars more. Plus, considering how nicely it sprays (I know I keep going on about it but the difference really is like night and day) you use a lot less of the Sullivans to stick stuff down, so you'll get your mileage out of it.
Why use a spray glue at all? Why not just pins? Well, as I said, it's for applique work. For holding seams in place one wants pins, this would be terrible for that; but when you have, say, a banner that you're putting together, and you want that horse/unicorn/whatever held in place while you stitch the edges down, then pins actually really suck, because the fabric can't lie flat around them. And depending on the weave of the two fabrics the applique piece may distort when you stitch it down.
But if you use a spray glue then the pieces are melded perfectly together, in just the right position, wthout distortion or fraying. And you run it through your machine, stitch the edges down, and wash it out. Finis!
If you've got to do applique work (or quilting) and you've never tried it, try some spray glue. You'll be very pleasantly surprised at how much easier it makes life. And Kryss: Get the Sullivans again. But for the love of all that you hold holy, use it outside this time.