Homemade Fabric Stiffener

Homemade Fabric Stiffener

I used this recipe for a fabric stiffener when I could not get my hands on a store bought one. Just using white glue and water, you can make this at home when you can't get to the shops or prefer to keep prices cheap. As you know, these stiffeners makes fabrics firm and rigid for craft projects and are a must for every crafter.

Besides, these are a lot cheaper to make at home!

What you need

White Glue (dries clear)
Water
Bowl (any will do)
Spoon
Extra bottle

Instructions

Place your white glue into the bowl.

Then add either equal amount or less water to your glue. The amount of water depends on how thick (stiff) you would like your stiffener to be.

Mix well and then place into the glue bottle and an extra bottle.

Store in a cool place.

Wash bowl and spoon with regular dish detergent.

Comments

  1. Will clear glue work?

  2. Evelyn M. Troyer says

    Can it be Elmer’s glue you use for paper and will it be good on a crocheted name-lace wall-hanging framed and behind glass. Also, if used for fabric to press like collars and cuffs, can this be washed out of the fabric and done over again. Does this yellow or deteriorate crocheted doilies? Is it a plastic fabric finish? Please give me the details of the recipe for different strengths of desired stiffening. It sounds good to me.

  3. I would like to stiffen a net fabrc iwant tto make a hat will it work

  4. Will this work on mesh?

  5. thankyou this worked wonderfully

  6. If we use this on fabric, can the fabric stay stiff enough to stay upright? I need a fabric stiffener for Halloween. I need to drape dolls with cloth and use fabric stiffener, after which we remove the dolls so they sit upright. So I will use it if it can.

  7. What is pva glue…thanks

  8. Can you sew the fabric once it’s stiff?

  9. caspin12 says

    i did this to a number of different pieces of fabric, came out great, one piece in particular feels really stiff and im going to make a handbag from it. and some other bits im going to fold into fabric origami butterflys. thanks for the recipe. i used pva glue and water.

  10. its not reallt working for me… but im hoping itll get harder tmr but i have a feeling it wont. i used fox white adhesive glue and mixed it with water
    any advice

  11. If l want to stiffen jeans for a planter how much do l need, plus do l sock them in it…ty

  12. Works like a charm!

  13. Works best with NATURAL fabric fibers!

  14. I’ve worked with fabrics – with watered down glue I gave them a “paper”effect. Once dried, it is surprising how many washes the treated fabric survives (at least ten) until it starts loosing crispness.

  15. I have 7 meters of fabric that needs stiffening (like dressing). Would this work? Does the glue wash out when fabric is washed? Thanks for the tips.

  16. GREAT IDEA AS THESE PURCHASED STIFFENERS ARE I AM SURE ONLY PVA GLUE RELABELLED

    SANDRA.

  17. Thank you for such a helpful suggestion. It’ll save me $$$ too!

  18. I found this came out very runny…sorry…

  19. how does this stiffener work outdoors in the weather? That’s where I want to stiffen up a cloth project.

  20. amazing

  21. This will come in handy for gauze ghosts.Thanks!

What do you think of this project? Let us know!