41781
I'll just add 2 cents. I think it depends what you want the final item to look like and its intended use.
1.Historically, crochet was stiffened with sugar water.
2. Next, came water soluble starch-The kind my grandma soaked granpas cotton boxers and ironed stiff as a board- no kidding One time they stood on
their own.
3.Next, came white glue 50-50 diluted with water.
I heard this yellowed over time. Perhaps glues are
better nowadays.
4. Mod Podge was all the rage in crafts in 70's and
80's. Its a clear acrylic hard finish with more coats. Used to paper piece on wood.
by bumblebee
27 Dec 2011
I've seen 3 D loopy Ribbons on boxes with
mod podge and are gorgeous.
Just like poly paint finishes: glossy vs more matte versions exist now.
by bumblebee
27 Dec 2011
So I'd say in order listed 1 and 2 was for stiffening. In FSL most of us use our
WSS for this purpose. No protection.
Methods 3 an 4 offer protection. The more
applied the more the feel of a coating.
Finally, my concern is with yellowing over
time. I've seen old glues turn yellow and
crack. Not sure about mod podge yellowing
by bumblebee
27 Dec 2011
time. I've seen older 20yr items yellow and crack with glue but not sure about modern glues or mod podge.
by bumblebee
27 Dec 2011
I think that for using fsl as a zipper pull-the word tiger-what you did added
strength and protection but I did not know
you could wash it as an item of clothing.
I know it can be wiped.
by lilylady
28 Dec 2011
thank you, I'm sure they won't be washed, I was just wanting them to hold up to tween use.
37638I tried textile adhesive and i did not like itat first, because it felt gooey, but then it went through the washer and I love it, yes it is soft but protected also! I have tried start, hair spray and stiffener(too stiff)! I will try the white glue today!
173580Several years ago on another group a lady recommended spraying with Rustoleum brand Clear Top Coat. It says it is a protective crystal clear finish. She was using it particularly for ornaments hanging in windows and said it kept them from yellowing. I have found it does a great job as well. Purchased it at Hobby Lobby. Good Luck and Happy New Year. Nan W
by lilylady
27 Dec 2011
O.K. thank you, I will try this. I'm going to make more as my nieces and nephews are also tigers.
11761Seeing your answer to Bevintex, perhaps you overdid the Mod Podge and there are different types of Mod Podge available too.
The kind I use is Mod Podge Gloss-Lustre. I use a brush and paint on one coat on each side and hang up to dry.
It is also useful if you want to add glitter as you just sprinkle it on before the Mod Podge dries.
This gives a lovely clean look to the FSL and dust can just be brushed off.
It does not necessarily make the FSL stiffer than it was, that part comes with the WSS removal technique.
If you want your FSL STIFF, do NOT soak it to get the WSS out.
Just rinse it under warm running water, or add warm water to a dish and gently wriggle the FSL until there is no WSS visible. It should only take a few seconds or so, depending on the quality and amount, of layers, of WSS you used.
If you want softer, lacier FSL, keep rinsing it in warm to hot water, allow to dry and rinse again until you get it the softness you want.
You can also use spray starch and an iron to increase the stiffness after removing the WSS, but I didn't like this as I always seem to get brown marks whenever I iron starch on FSL.
Everyone has a different technique to gain their desired effect but it takes practice before you find the exact way to do it.
One thing I do recommend is to always cut off as much WSS from around the design as possible to speed up the dissolving process.
Hope this helps. Hugs and blessings, Meganne
by lilylady
27 Dec 2011
thank you, this is what I did. Just one coat. I just thought it looked to plastic looking. My GD loved it, so maybe its alright. I gave them all of them, so I don't have one to take a picture of.
122864I just briefly rinse out the WSS and then let them dry and shape them. I also save my WSS scraps for later stiffening if it needs it. I've had problems with those tiny little bugs eating the spray starch. I have yet to see if they will like the WSS also. Does anyone know if that is a problem??
Depending on what kind of use your FSL will receive, you could also get a can of spray urethane and give it a good coat, which will make it waterproof and not let it get dirty. I don't know if it would crackle with handling or not. This is definitely a field of experiment till you get the right recipe. Maybe use the bloopers to experiment with!!! Good luck.
16262Don't try to wash the wss out completely, just rinse/soak it enought to open up all the holes in the piece so the design looks good. I usually lay my rinsed pieces between a couple layers of washcloths, turning occasionally. I usually weight it down with my 5" ruler and something heavy on top. I remove the washcloth before it's dry and continue with the ruler and heavy weight until dry.
29237I haven't tried this but it seems to me that someone posted this before. Save WSS stabilzer scraps and dilute with water in a spray bottle. Should work like starch. I just recently dipped some old crochet snowflakes into a mixture like that to give them some stiffness back. I never had a problem with the FSL's loosing stiffness.
109762After I read what you wrote again did you do each individual letter of the name or one continuous row? If it is a long piece of FSL it could be a bit heavier that a single design. Could you give us more information on the inches/metrics of this piece and how many letters in the name?
by lilylady
27 Dec 2011
it is a word tigers from Rickys fun things. very cool and my grandkids loved them. My GD had me put it on her zipper of coat. They liked it coated/ Thank You
89895why are your ornaments not keeping shape? I just dry them flat and they stay. I do not soak them just rinse them in hot water enough to remove the wss. I then iron them between non linting cloth just enough to take out the majority of moisture then leave them laying flat for 24 hrs and they are stiff.
by lilylady
27 Dec 2011
thank you, its for the word "tigers" for the GKs. Just thought it needed protection.
17461I water down glue like the white school glue and spray on the ornament and let it dry .It works like fabric stiffer but hold up better .
by tracypullen
26 Dec 2011
I use half water half glue and it works really well. I have some crochet flowers that are over 15 years old that are still stiff.
670There are wonderful spray starches on the market and you can find most of them in the quilt shoppes or that section of your fabric store. Or make your own with straps from your WSS and put it in a spray bottle - just don't try to make too much of it up at a time.
211078Before I ever heard of FSL, there were crotched wedding bells and the like. These were always dipped in a strong syrup mix of sugar and water which when dried made the lace stand up on it's own.
by bevintex
26 Dec 2011
depending on where you live this can draw bugs. You can buy a fabric stiffener that does the same thing.
by lilylady
26 Dec 2011
yes, I remember my mom doing that, just didn;t know the combination and I knew they had come out with something better. Thank You
16529I actually like the mod podge. Use several coats and it starts to look like plastic.
67271Can you post a picture of it please.
Hugs Yvonne
by lilylady
27 Dec 2011
I don't have any right now, the GKs took them all. Its ricky's fun things. The word "tigers" It is cool. My GD had me put it on the zipper of her coat. So I thought it needed protection.
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