How To Make Fabric Stiff

Posted by Rosalie Galvez on December 14th, 2020

 Hand-applied liquid stiffeners or sprays also help if your work requires working with crafts. It is the simplest way to experiment with a bit of both and settling for the most suitable one.

How Can You Stiffen The Fabric For Sewing

While you are sewing and really aiming for stiffening, it is most helpful for collars, cuffs, facings, tabs, and openings. There is no hard and fast rule to what should stiffen in the course of sewing. Anything or any part of the fabric that would hang and hold better for comfort use this method.

It is safe to try interfacing on scraps and rugs before you try out on the original fabric.

How To Use Interfacing For Stiffening The Fabric

Interfacing comes in a lot of different sizes, types, and shapes, and it is better to check with your haberdashery first before settling on any type.

Popular interfacing is a fusible one which has one shiny fil side that indicates the presence of adhesive. Interfacing is made from a number of sources. It could be woven or it could be made of synthetic material. It also comes in a variety of units such as yardage, strips, or pre-packed pieces. For applique, there are two-sided fusible interfacings that makes two pieces of fabric for the desired pattern.

Fusible Interfacing

The first thing before applying interfacing to your fabric is to wash it so that any shrinkage that had to take place should be achieved before the attachment of interfacing to it. Otherwise, you will notice horrid wrinkles at the interfaced piece because the interfacing and the fabric will both shrink at different rates.

After that, observe the manufacturer’s instructions and press the adhesive side of the interfacing with the wrong side of the fabric. Be sure to use a presser cloth so that your iron will not stick with the interfacing. Just to be on the safe side, it is better to first try the product on scraps and get a hold of it.

Non-Fusible Interfacing aka “Sew In”

The other popular interfacing is a non-fusible web which is also termed as “sew-in interfacing”. If you are using this one, the interfacing needs to be cut in the same shape as the original garment and sewn in. It is stitched slightly over or outside the seam to be on the safe side. When you sew the piece, the seam stitching will fall just below the interfacing line.

How Can You Stiffen Fabric With Boning

In the days of flowing gowns and tightly-fitted lady garments, boning or sewing plastic stays into bodices and corsets was the most popular method to strap a lady into her garment. Even today, boning is a popular method to get stiffness in the desired fabric such as a ball gown, a dance outfit, or a wedding gown.

Theatre and other artistic endeavors aside, there is hardly a place for boned garments for day-to-day usage in the modern world.

How To Get Stiffness In Fabric For Craft & Costuming

It has become extremely popular to work with crafting fabrics because of its superior qualities when compared against other mediums. Additionally, the stiffened lace was used in historical costumes, as evinced by antique collections.

In the market, there are ready-made stiffening agents available that will keep the fabric intact while you work on it after spraying them mildly. On the other side, there are some home-made solutions and stiffening liquids that will hold the fabric tight while you mold it or simply to get the desired pattern.

If you need a temporary type of stiffening material, there are some that give rigidity to the fabric while you work on it and then wear off when you wash it. The permanent type of stiffening agents keeps the shape of the craft for foreseeable future.

Craft Fabric Ideas

• You can make great craft articles using dollies and lacework along with a stiffening agent and a mold to give it the desired shape.

• With a more artistic hand, you can mold unusual flowers out of burlap with the help of a stiffening agent.

It is up to you which way you want to go. Take the imagination path and unleash your talents by coming up with novel ideas. Don’t forget to share them with your friends and family!

A DIY Guide On How To Stiffen Fabric

• Wood Glue: Mix your own solution for fabric stiffening. It goes 1 tablespoon of wood glue with 1 cup of water. Brush gently over the surface where necessary. After that, apply the fabric on a mold and weight it to dry. If you need a stiffer effect, you can increase the amount of glue per unit of water. For that, you can achieve the hardest stiff by mixing equal parts of glue and water.

Read more about Fabric Stiffening