Fusible web on waterproof-breathables?

No, you are right, it isn't.

A second layer of the outer fabric if you must. Hood brims need a wire edge if you must stiffen them, but mostly I never bother. I don't usually find storm flaps need stiffeneing either. I'm much more concerned about sealing the seams!

With fleece I never bother to face openings either. I may use a storm flap on the inside (especially if using Windbloc), but not a facing on regular fleece. It helps reduce the bulk.

Mike, have you seen Sewing Outdoor Gear: easy Techniques for Outerwear That Works, by Rochelle Harper, ISBN 1-56158-283-2 (Taunton Press 2001)? I love this excellent book! Teaches you all sorts of good stuff.

Also check out the tips on Penny's website:

is our resident expert in this field, and does brilliant work. Do check out the rest of her site, as it'll give your swarms of ideas for the future! :)

That's what I thought.

In my case, I actually want to use the fusible web to fuse the fabric to some other material. I don't need waterproof-breathable, but this (Sympatex) was on sale and so cheaper than non-breathable waterproof and, most important, was in the colour I wanted.

I may have to find a non-breathable after all.

Mike

I realized I'd made the assumption that Sympatex is based on a Teflon-like membrane. However, I just checked the Sympatex website and found out that it is

100% polyester!

That means it should be possible to adhere to it with sticky stuff and, hopefully, fusible web - I will have to do a test.

Mike

Mike, as always, do what the Big Boys do. I've seen the inside of enough Patagona, Marmot, Mountain Hardware etc to advise. They NEVER use fusibles. For interfacings on collars, cuffs, storm flaps etc it's always some sort of sew-in Pellon type interfacing. Depeding on the feel of the final product, it's anything from the very lightest to a needle punch weight. For hat and hood brims, something of the weight of Timtex is what is used unless they go with a molded plastic brim.

I've never seen a brim wire on a hood. Maybe that's a UK thing.

Penny

Actually, what I'm trying to do is bond the Sympatex to Timtex. The brim is large and I'd rather not stitch through in a lot of places to keep them together and I'm not sure I'd get the performance I want if it's only stitched together on the edges.

This is a hat that's somewhere in between a Tilley and a pith helmet :-) It has to be waterproof and the brim stiff enough to deal with wind. I started this project last year (when you advised me to use Timtex), collected the materials over the winter and am finally starting to actually make it.

I haven't seen any in a while and the last one was a thin plastic rod. Works well until the plastic ages and cracks.

Mike

The hood brim on DH's rain jacket from Lands End is very rigid, as if it contains Timtex or something similar. Timtex would be too stiff for storm flaps, of course.

Doreen in Alabama

Always, use what's been done already as your guide. I've got an OR goretex rain hat right here, and the interfacing ( timtex?) is encased in the brim very snugly, and edge stitched. Trim the seam allowance off for the seam that connects the brim to the crown, edge stitch the timtex just inside the seamline for the facing towards bottom piece of the brim, and sew exactly right next to the edge of the timtex when you put it all together. The outer layers of shell fabric will need to be pulled up taut. You might need to baste your brim stitching line to get it exactly right.

You can always secure your layers with Wondertape. I've done that before, when using multiple layers of Timtex for Tilley style hats.

P.

The OR is not bad, but I'd like the brim to be a bit stiffer even so at the front. I'm going to see what one layer of Timtex is like and may use two layers in the front of the hat if I think it's too soft. I hate it when a brim flops down over my eyes in a stiff wind while kayaking.

One of OR's competitors has a similar hat and the fabric seems to be adhered to the interfacing. That's what made me think of this.

I'm wondering if I should fold the edge of the Timtex into the hat band at the front. I'm thinking that if I cut a few notches out of the Timtex, fold the remaining bits up and stitch them into the band, that might make the thing more rigid. With the right curvature, it should stay in place sort of like a baseball cap brim.

The hat band (base of the crown nearest the brim) and a head band will be separate. The head band is going to be attached to the hat on the sides only. I want to have a bit of space in front and back of my head for air flow. There's going to be no-see-um mesh openings on the sides at the top of the hat for air flow (covered with flaps against the rain). Think of the way a hardhat or climbing helmet has a separate suspension from the shell. That means that if I make the hat band stiff at the front, there won't be any comfort problems.

If I could find a hat that was what I wanted, I wouldn't be copying it, I'd have bought it.

Thanks, as usual, for your advice, Penny!

Mike

Let us know the results! :)

One of Alan's Rohan jackets has malleable wire to shape the hood peak. You can bend it to shield you from winds in different directions... He says this is quite common in most of the big makes.