My Foam Stabilizer Tests & Results! Part 3
Welcome back! This is part 3 and final day in a series I’m writing about foam stabilizers. If you would like to read Part 1 click HERE. Part 2 can be read HERE.
A brief recap. I decided to make three bucket bags, each using a different kind of foam stabilizer. The buckets were labeled “A”, “B”, and “C”. At the end of Tuesday’s post, I shared my findings on bucket A then went on to compare and talk about Bucket B. Today I will go over Bucket C and the big reveal of what brand belongs to what bucket.
Bucket C was my tallest bucket by about 2 inches. I basted it as usual and noticed minimal wrinkling. Out of all three foam weights this one would be in the middle.
A note for using any of these foams: When you baste, give the fabric a gentle pull as you baste so the fabric is firmly attached when finished. This creates a very professional finish and will help you as you assemble the bag. You will notice less wiggling of the fabric and it will be very easy to iron too.
Here’s a close-up of Foam C. It has a similar look to Foam B, but I think it weighs slightly less and is a tad softer. I did notice when I turned the bucket out that it bounced back faster and held it’s shape nicely. Ironing it was super easy. As with all three foams if you iron it on low without fabric on top you may notice a slight odor. It is short lived though which is fine.
My verdict – Foam C: *LOVE* While I did notice a few bumps on the finished bucket, I was able to press it down a bit and iron it successfully. My only concern with this foam is that it became very bulky in the seams as I went along, but an easy trim got rid of the problem. I think this foam can handle any pattern I send my way, as long as I keep up with trimming the extra foam as I sew. It was very easy to work with and handled manipulation well.
I think it’s about time we find out what foam went where, don’t you? Here are the three finished buckets:
And here are the A, B, and C!
So there you have it! I cannot say enough about these stabilizers. All three are wonderful high quality products by great companies. I enjoyed using them all and will continue to do so. If you sew items that require structure and body, any of these will work just fine. Do I have a preference? ….Yesss…. but that is simply because of brand loyalty. (No, I won’t tell you! LOL) I do have a healthy amount of all three now and will use them all without hesitation.
So what if you’re saying, “Cindy, I loved your series but which one should I choose?” I will simply tell you this: Invest in a few yards of each and try them in upcoming projects. As you work on your projects, think about the pros and cons like I have and keep a mental note of it. See how your projects look. Does one brand look better than others on your product?
For many of us it will come down to price. What is the better deal? How much can I get? As far as convenience goes, Pellon Flex Foam wins. Your local JoAnn’s will stock it. By Annie’s Soft & Stable is easily found as well, but unless you have a quilt shop nearby that sells it you’ll have to order it online. Bosal is not as well known but is great stuff and can be ordered online in similar packaging as the S&S. Online shipping can be fast as well! When calculating costs though, remember Pellon is only 20″ wide but can be bought using coupons sometimes. Bosal and S&S are 56″ wide and you pay shipping costs. Will this affect your choice?
I hope you have enjoyed reading my adventures this week. Thank you so much for the nice e-mail messages and questions! I have enjoyed chatting with you all.
** This was a fun experiment that I created and made myself. I have not been paid to do this nor have I been given product for review. All materials were purchased by myself. Opinions and thoughts are my own. **
I’m primarily a bag and basket maker, so I was thrilled to see Flex Foam at Joann’s last week, meaning I won’t have to pay shipping for a good foam interfacing. I very much appreciate your comparison of the three! About 45 years ago, when my middle son was just a toddler, I made a large frog head as part of his Halloween costume, and I used foam carpet padding that had been leftover from new carpeting we’d just had put in. I loved it then, and for projects that require something thicker and lots of stability, there’s another option for you! That frog head went on through that toddler’s high school years, so sturdy was definitely the key word when sewing with carpet padding! If I need it, I’d ask to go through a carpet store’s remnants!