If you’re doing knitting, crochet, sewing, crafting, then you know that sometimes you need to stiffen fabric. Fabric stiffener is a commercial product for making fabrics stiff or harden.
You can use fabric stiffener to stiffen the fabric, crochet doilies, lace, ribbons, cheesecloth, and appliques.
Fabric stiffeners are a useful product for some sewing, crafts, knitting, crochet, embroidery, quilting, and other fabric DIY projects.
You can stiffen your fabric permanently or temporarily for your projects. And temporary and permanent fabric stiffeners are available on the market. Before you start your project, determine how you need to stiffen fabric- permanently or temporarily. And then, select a stiffener and start your project.
In this article, I’m going to recommend & review the top 4 best fabric stiffeners. So, If you’d like to stiffen your fabric for all types of projects, you can purchase one product from our list.
Table of Contents
- Best Commercial: Mod Podge Plaid Stiffy Commercial Stiffener
- Best Permanent: API Permanent Fabric Stiffener
- Best Temporary: Aleene’s 15581 Stiffen – Quick Fabric Stiffening Spray
- Best Strongest: Aleenes Liquid Strongest Stiffener & Draping Liquid
Top 4 Best Fabric Stiffeners Reviews – Liquid & Spray Options
1. Mod Podge Plaid Stiffy Commercial Fabric Stiffener
This Mod Podge Plaid Stiffy Stiffener is one of the best commercial fabric stiffeners right now on the market. It comes with a bottle, and the bottle contains 8-ounces liquid stiffener.
It’s a versatile and flexible stiffener that is perfect for all types of fabric craft projects.
Also, you can use it for some needlework, sewing, DIY projects, and more. It’s an ideal product for stiffening fabric, ribbon, lace, dollies, and more.
It’s a liquid fabric stiffener product, so when you want to use it on your items, you need to use a brush or sponge. Also, you can wet down your fabric with this stiffener for stiffening.
However, the stiffener is a little bit expensive, but it is one of the best fabric stiffeners that makes the fabric very stiff and perfect for making lots of stuff. This product has almost 80% positive reviews on Amazon, and it’s a commercial-grade product.
Pros:
- It’s a commercial-grade stiffener
- The stiffener makes the fabric very stiff
- Works well on various types of projects
- Super easy to clean when your item is wet
- Customers are happy with this product
Cons:
- It’s slightly expensive when you compare to the other product
- There are no other bad things found
Read Also: 8 Electric Scissors for Fabric & Sewing
2. API Permanent Fabric Stiffener
This API Fabric stiffener comes in an 8-Ounce bottle. It’s one of the best permanent fabric stiffeners right now on the market.
The API stiffener is an ideal option for all types of projects where you need to stiffen your fabrics.
It’s a waterproof fabric stiffener, which means it’s washable. And then, it dries clear and dries pretty quickly.
Therefore, it’s easy to use and super easy to clean up as well.
For better results, use a brush to apply it, also place a waxed paper or unwanted clothes under your fabric. Once you’ve applied it, make sure to dry your item completely.
With this stiffener, you can make some beautiful bows, angels, scarecrows, trim, lace, any kinds of banners, crocheted Christmas ornaments, more.
Pros:
- Perfect for all type of fabric stiffening tasks
- It’s waterproof
- This stiffener dries clear & super fast
- Super easy to clean up
- It made in the USA
Cons:
- Not perfect for spraying
- No other found
Next Read: Fabric Spray Paint Buying Guide
3. Aleene’s 15581 Stiffen – Quick Fabric Stiffening Spray – Temporary Stiffener
If you don’t want to use a brush or sponge to use a fabric stiffener for hardening your fabric, and if you’re searching for a stiffener for temporary projects, then this Aleene’s 15581 Stiffen – Quick Fabric Stiffening Spray is an ideal product for you.
It’s a temporary stiffener spray, so not perfect for permanent projects- so select it for temporarily fabric stiffening jobs.
It’s the ideal product when you need to keep the fabric shape for working with your fabric. After finishing up your projects, you can wash out the stiffener from your items.
This fabric stiffening spray product dries clear, so it’s not going to discolor your fabric. For the simple shaping task, one coat is enough. But if you’d like to shape heavily, you can use double coats.
Overall, this fabric stiffener spray is an ideal product for stiffening and shaping fabric, crocheted doilies, ribbons, and more. It’s non-toxic, so it’s not bad for your health. So, if you’re looking for a temporary stiffener for your crafts, sewing, needlework, and more, then you can go for it.
Pros:
- It’s a stiffening spray
- Super easy to spray
- It dries clear
- It’s not damaging the color
- Ideal for temporary stiffening
- It washes off completely
Cons:
- Not an ideal product for permanent projects
- No other cons
Read Next: 7 Fabric Refresher Sprays
4. Aleenes Liquid Strongest Fabric Stiffener & Draping Liquid
It’s our last pick and comes from the brand Aleenes. This fabric stiffener is one of the cheapest options right now on the market. The bottle contains about 16 ounces of fabric liquid stiffener, and it cost under $10.
This Aleenes stiffener and draping liquid are non-toxic and super easy to use as well.
It’s perfect for permanent projects and super easy to clean. It’s an ideal liquid for shaping and stiffening fabrics and trims.
However, it’s a perfect stiffener to use on crochet doilies, lace, ribbons, cheesecloth, and appliqués for crafts, arts, sewing, and many other projects.
The stiffening product shapes and stiffens most fabrics, and it’s cheap. Also, it has more than 700 customer reviews on Amazon. So, if you need a stiffening product for your next projects, you can try it out. It’s our last pick, but it’s heavy-duty and high-quality, it will never disappoint you.
Pros:
- One of the strongest stiffeners
- It’s inexpensive
- Works on all types of fabrics
- Dries super fast and clear
- Ideal for costumes and seasonal projects
- It has more than 700 reviews
- Easy to clean
Cons:
- Some people say that it doesn’t provide a perfect finish
- There are no other bad things found about this product
Final Words:
After several hours of hard work, I provide you with this fabric stiffener review content, And now I hope you can easily select a stiffener for your next craft, art, sewing, needlework, knitting, and many other projects.
If you need a fabric stiffener for permanent tasks, you can go for the Mod Podge Plaid Stiffy Commercial Stiffener or API Permanent Stiffener. But if you need a stiffener for temporary projects, then Aleene’s 15581- Quick Fabric Stiffening Spray can be an ideal option for you.
