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Do you have a homemade recipe for stiffening lace? I saw one for sugar but wasn't sure if it would bring bugs to the art. I also saw one for glue but I need it to be stiff as I am making angel wings for a project. Thank you..
My mom and grandma have always used the sugar trick for stiffening crochet ornaments and decorations. I don't recall bugs ever being an issue- however, if small children or pets will have access to it, you might want to put it out of reach. My grandma once made a crochet swan, and used sugar to stiffen the neck and head. My younger brother found it and sucked it limp. He was maybe three or four at the time.
Tyshero, very funny story about your brother. Ha ha ha! Thanks for sharing!
I too have used the sugar water and no problem with bugs. You can also use starch.
hahah that's to funny Tyshero. Thank you. I was thinking of using glue as I don't want weather or humidity to soften it either.
I know I could use starch just don't have that on hand and didn't want to have to go by any. I was thinking glue would work. I guess I will have to try it and see what happens.
Cass, I found this comment on an Etsy forum about using the sugar and water method to stiffen lace:
"My Great Aunt used the sugar and water method. I have some of her tatted lace that is still stiff and not yellow after 40+ years. And if it does get soiled, the sugar washes out completely for a fresh look when stiffened again."
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
A few years ago baskets with stiff bows were all the rage at craft fairs. I made them too of course We used Aleene's Fabric Fabric Stiffener. You can get it in M's J's and HL.
Not to tell how old I am but this brings back high school memories stiffening petticoats with sugar and water!
Me, too, Diane. I remember wearing 3 or 4 petticoats at the same time that had been stiffened in sugar and water. They were too long, so I had to roll them up around the waist. Then we put on wide belts to cinch everything in.
The wide belts made us sweat and then the sugar/water kind of melted and was a sticky mess when we finally got home from school and took everything off.:mrgreen:
Gosh, the things I did to myself in the '50's in the name of "beauty." It was very uncomfortable being a teenager, in more ways than one.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
Me, too, Diane. I remember wearing 3 or 4 petticoats at the same time that had been stiffened in sugar and water. They were too long, so I had to roll them up around the waist. Then we put on wide belts to cinch everything in.
The wide belts made us sweat and then the sugar/water kind of melted and was a sticky mess when we finally got home from school and took everything off.:mrgreen:
Gosh, the things I did to myself in the '50's in the name of "beauty." It was very uncomfortable being a teenager, in more ways than one.
I had NO IDEA! Wow. Bless your heart. Geeze, I was a child of the 70's we didn't even wear bras! lol
Oh wow, our Michigan Mingle is 50's theme this year. I just got a poodle skirt, a cinch belt, and a petticoat. I was reading this thinking "Hmmm, maybe I should try that" and then I kept reading and said "Nope!" Too funny.
I used elmers glue mixed with water in the past to stiffen some lace doilies into the shapes of bowls, this was years ago, but the technique worked well.
__________________ Patrice. Organized people are just too lazy to look for things.
I used elmers glue mixed with water in the past to stiffen some lace doilies into the shapes of bowls, this was years ago, but the technique worked well.
oooooh that sounds so pretty! Did you flay the doily over the top of an upside down bowl to get the shape?? I've got to try that!
This is one from the web a few years back...I have used it on ribbon and lace...
Homemade Fabric Stiffener
2 tablespoons white glue
1 tablespoon water
� tablespoon alcohol
Combine the ingredients together, using immediately; this particular recipe cannot be stored to use later. So, make only the amount you will need, to stiffen your fabric. I recommend making the stiffen and then testing it on a scrap of fabric before using in your project.
__________________ Karen
...My life is like a stroll on the beach...As near to the edge as I can go...Thoreau...
I am so glad I found this thread. I loved the stories too. Thank you for the recipes. I have been wanting to buy fabric stiffener. I like to make my own products.
Yes, I dipped the doilies in the glue mixture, then laid them over small bowls that I placed upside down. Let them set overnight, ran ribbon through the edges, some I sponged with some glitter. I made candy dishes out of these for my daughter's daycare personnel for Christmas gifts. She is 30 now, so it's been awhile.
__________________ Patrice. Organized people are just too lazy to look for things.
I used a combination of glue and water (50/50 mix I think) to add fabric strips as ribbon to a christmas gift card basket some 30 years ago and the "ribbon" is just as pretty and stiff a when I first did it. Even with being packed up and stored in the attic heat every year, including this past holiday season. I'm in Texas where we had the record breaking heat wave all summer.
How to stiffen lace?
