When crafting with fabric, there may be times when you need to stiffen your project after you create it; such as when you make a witch hat, or perhaps a fabric basket. There are many craft fabric stiffeners on the market, but some can be expensive or hard to find.
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One great cheap, easy alternative is to use a mixture of Elmer's glue (or other white glue) and water, and simply paint it onto your project. It will dry clear and stiff; and you can apply more than one coat depending on how stiff you'd like your fabric.
For a different and even easier option, try Krylon clear acrylic spray paint. Start with a small amount and test it on a scrap piece of fabric first. The Krylon will not discolor your fabric.
If you want to stiffen your fabric before making your item, use regular fabric starch that you find in the clothes washing aisle. The powder or liquid works great!
By Karen from SW FL
Comments
cettina Bronze Request Medal for All Time! 64 Requests
January 14, 20130 found this helpful
What a great idea! I love the suggestion of the clear acrylic spray paint. So easy, thank you.
I do the glue and water. It makes the fabric like paper and can be cut easily. Then, once sewn on, the glue comes off on the first washing, leaving a nice applique.
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I also do some for fuse crafts that are much cheaper to sell.
I find that some fabrics darken if I use fabric stiffener or glue and it doesn't work well on sheer fabrics as it's hard to get at coated evenly. Any suggestions please?
When crafting with fabric, there may be times when you need to stiffen your project after you create it; such as when you make a witch hat, or perhaps a fabric basket. There are many craft fabric stiffeners on the market, but some can be expensive or hard to find.
