Trying Fabric Stiffener on a Crochet Basket! 

If you thread a wire through the top edge, it will hold the shape better.

Fun tip: fabric starch in the laundry aisle in box stores work the same and are usually get a lot more for way less. And if you ever have to wash it you'll need to reapply!

I always crochet over a nylon washing line when making baskets. Keeps the shape amazingly- is invisible and doesn’t ruin the feel. Highly recommend trying it. Nylon washing lines are super cheap for like 50 m. 😊

Smaller hook, but also there’s a better way to starch something large. Get a large pot and fill it with a mixture of starch and water. You can look up tutorials for how to mix it with water and how long to heat it. Soak the item in the mixture and then leave it out to dry just like you did here. It will take a lot longer. But at the end it will be very very stiff and do exactly what you want.

Use a smaller hook to make the stitches tighter which will make it more stable. It's a workout, but it will give you the effect you're looking for

I've crocheted a lot of baskets for storage as well as to use for plant pots. I've done round, square and rectangular baskets and I paint the inside (on the inside ONLY leave the outside as it is) with a layer or 2 of PVA glue and leave it to dry for a few days until it is completely clear. The basket becomes very hard and they hold their shape incredibly well. For use as a plant pot, I hot glue a plastic bag to the rim which acts as a lining so that the moisture from the soil and water doesn't soak into the pot and ruin it over time. If I decide not to use it as a plant pot anymore, I just tear out the plastic lining and it's good to be re-used for something else. I've got them all over my house, they're great projects.

I actually heard that if you put liquid starch (in the laundry aisle) into a bath and then soak the item the way you would for blocking and then lay it over the same way that you did and then let it dry. It will do the same effect, but it will be higher concentration of starch.

Use an undersized hook with macrame cord! 😊 Changed everything when I started doing that. Also makes great purses

I weave in fishing line while crocheting and it really stiffens it up!

Mod podge fabric stiffener works a dream!!! It makes things completely stiff as well!

Spraying the stiffener over a bare floor will leave a sticky spot. I suggest that you spread some type of protection on the floor to make cleanup easy. The brown paper that comes in Amazon packaging would work great.

Smaller hook and a waist coat stitch

I recommend to use a smaller hook size and possibly a HDC st for some sturdiness and a wire on too if you like. Otherwise you really did do a good job. I learned the hard way the first time using t-shirt yarn lol I had terrible tension back then 😅

YOU JUST SAVED ME SO MUCH HEARTACHE! I need to do this for my beach bags

They sell basket bottoms and you really want to use a thicker yarn or cordage for a hook that big if you want it to be tight and sturdy. You're already doubled up and it's still not thick enough for that hook.

The michaels summer side table... the bane of every Michael's employee's existence. instantly when they come out, kids use them like drums! 🤣

I love it! Your craft has stirred the comment section 👏 Plus I love the basket. Liquid starch in the laundry aisle is cheap if anyone has need.

So glad this popped up in my feed! Working on a crochet basket now & I may need to do this too. Thxs for sharing!

I actually have a basket I made with this issue. I kept it but now I know how to fix it yay thank you!

WHAT I had no idea you could do this! I'm gonna have to try it!

I have a bottle of something similar, don't remember why I bought it couple of years ago, but now I know for what it will be finally used 😂

Im already getting started on crocheting my Halloween costume so I'll be warm while I'm trick or treating 😂

I have made a basket that had some stiffness to it but still able to go through the washer. I crocheted a nice looking yarn around a very stiff rope that was ok to get wet. That part where it's ok to get wet is very important if you don't want mold and other icky results after washing

I've tried crocheting several baskets and they're never stiff enough for me, this gives me hope.

You can also use multiple strands of yarn to provide more bulk which will work to make it more stiff without the starch.

I love the basket!

I think my aunt made a wicker interior 'frame' for her basket to hang over. It has some sort of structure in there but it helps a ton.

Yes, in my day, we bought Starch in a gallon bottle, much cheaper and used it for art and to use on clothing and textiles like macrame, crochet, quilting and much more.

I’ve never used this and my first big basket attempt turned into a crochet bag for me

That product kind of reminds me of hair spray. Yeah, it will stiffen the product, but you need to double maybe even triple coat ot to make it how you want it.

Your voice is lovely to listen to.

I add carpet wool to my crocheted baskets - it gives it a lot of strenght.

Get some long thicker copper wire and slowly weave it into the sides between the stitches and itll give it a LOT more structural stability :)

The last basket I crocheted I made with two strands of worsted weight cotton yarn and a G hook. Straight single crochet. The next time I make a basket, it will probably have amigurumi features.

My basket I crocheted also ended up like that thanks for the tip

I like that it’s stiffer but still hews some floppiness as you would expect for a crocheted piece.

You can also add some Elmer’s glue to water mix it and then soak it and let it dry and should stiffen it up. A friend who’s a seamstress mentioned this hack to me once

I always use SCHOOL GLUE OR ELMER'S WITH A LITTLE WATER MIXED IN. It turns it completely hard like plastic. Dries in about five hours.

My grandma always sprayed it with a water-starch mixture. the more starch the better it held up

Oh what a recovery ❤️‍🩹 love it

Ank you for this short. I'm planning to crochet a basket for my grandson's toys and now I know what could happen. I hope I can find fabric stiffener in my country. I was also thinking of using jute instead of yarn.

If starching doesn't work, or you just want a little extra. Get large zipties from the hardware store and either sew them in or (if your stitches are large enough) weave it through the back of the stitches. Like corset boning. You can also place the ties horizontally along the bottom and/or top to add some structure in those areas.

Use smaller yarn and multiple strands at once. If you make one of them a different color, you get an interesting pattern.

You have plenty of advice on stiffening and making smaller stitches so I won’t add my 2 cents. I just want to say I think you did a beautiful job!! Thank you for sharing!!

I did this for a witch hat I made for Halloween last year

I was considering this for my crochet spinners. They invert and don't look the same after hanging outside. Thanks for this review.

Great! I actually have this same problem with a small project I created. I will definitely be buying some of this!!! ❤

Looks really good both way ❤

“Starching a project in the future” 🥰 that’s adorable

I had no idea this existed! Super helpful 😊

Nice, just finished one and it did the same. Now, I will be buying fabric stiffener

It looks really good!

That little giggle at your pun. ❤ so cute

Some cornstarch with water has always worked for me❤

Such a cute basket! ❤

Another idea is to make it with thicker yarn or double stranded acrylic yarn so it holds its shape better

You dont need starch, you just gotta make that basket pleased to see you................. alright ill grab my coat😅

the little giggle 🤭 after "it was a flop"

If you crochet 2 or 3 yarns together, you'll get a really strong, stiff basket. Also you should have put in holes for handles.

Using a tighter gauge hook helps with that you could also use Landry starch

Using a 5mm hook with that bigger yarn will give you a sturdier basket. Also, make sure you're yarning under to make the sc x stitch.

You can also use a heavy spray starch to really stiffen it up. Like dampen the basket with water before you spray the living daylights out of it with spray starch.

Should try weaving a synthetic boning around the top edge and down two sides. It’s very thin and will get hidden in the thick loops of your crochet

Def gonna try this!

What, I didn't know that was a thing! Probably pretty helpful for bags.

Glue mixed with water works as well with wire in the top edge. Use macrame cord to crochet with to.

Some actually uses a cord while you make all the stitches to make it stiff and to actually help you form the basket

Watered down glue or diy laundry starch is so much cheaper and works just as well❤

Thanks! i crocheted a basket i dearly loved and then later got the bright idea to wash it. Total flop. i put it away. i’m going to try this!!!

Use seven strands of yarns, it will stand without stiffened! Wish I could put a picture here.

I use spray starch on my macrame jewelry and it works very well but i don't want it super stiff. Also i have to really it if i wear then fairly frequently. Some people have suggested using a 1:1 mixture of water and Elmer's glue.

You definitely want to go down a couple hook sizes to help stiffen the work, but also starch and water is extremely good at stiffening things up. There's tons of tutorials online of how to do it :)

Love this good idea

Use a smaller hook next time. That will tighten your stitches and make it more firm.

Use rope yarn, its harder to manipulate but perfect for baskets

This is great, although another way (if your basket is not as tall) is to cochet a lining around the top that's a slightly tighter circle than the basket itself.

I think these baskets normally have some wire in em or are hooked on thinner wool and smaller hook with yarn that is naturally sturdier or stiffer.

Try using white school glue to stiffen cotton yarn. You do as you did in this video. It works wonders on stiffening dollies. This method is on RU-vid .

It may be a flop, but it's not a failure. Just add some handles/shoulder strap, a drawstring closure and you've a really cute summer bag!

An easy way to make crochet baskets a bit more sturdy is to crochet around clothes line. Depending on how stiff you want the basket determines what type of clothesline you use. The plastic coated one is good for if stiffer baskets are needed. Just be aware that if the outer plastic breaks and gets wet it can rust if it has a metal wire core.

Felt it by putting it in the washing machine at high heat , it's gonna shrink but it's gonna be extremely sturdy hope it helps

Back in the 50s, crotchet doilies were the rage. You would dip finished doilie in a slurpy water and starch mixture, dry and then iron it. Very stiff, but I wonder if you can do it with synthetic yarn if you used a cloth protector while ironing....?

A smaller hook and doing Yarn Under will do the trick

A plastic serving tray in the bottom might also help it to stay upright. (One from a dollar store or IKEA, for example.)

It's really good

I absolutely love it, but add straps. It would be a cool sling bag too.

I'm allergic to that starch so I would probably do some double sided interfacing and sew in a lining as well

I like telling us ur experiences🥰👍

Someone suggested recently after i made a cute little basket that i could use plastic canvas...so im going to try that next time

Try to use cornstarch. You need to cook the cornstarch in water until it thickens. And you can apply it on your basket

If I crochet a basket, I think I'd use this garden wire I used on a crocheted Audrey 2 to keep it stable and maybe try the spray if i did it again and it wasn't good

Always use a small hook, when its tight it will hold the shape

I made a small basket and just crocheted around wire like every two rounds to make it firm

Take drying transperent crafts glue and dilute it with water and apply it to the fabric or get spray glue. It's faster😉

Looks nice

That outside table looks similar to that one were a 3 year old kid got stuck in. The firefighters had to get him out.

I must crochet different than everyone I've seen 😅😂 I've never had this issue 😅 my crochet friends hate me for it 😂😂 I don't know what I do other than, I use the yarn made for my projects 😅

equal parts elmers glue and water. dunk the whole thing. spray on stiffners or starch only set on the outside of the yarn or fabric.

Beautiful

Excellent!