{"id":7261,"date":"2015-10-26T15:45:57","date_gmt":"2015-10-26T15:45:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/?p=7261"},"modified":"2018-01-15T10:24:21","modified_gmt":"2018-01-15T10:24:21","slug":"how-to-stiffen-miniature-crochet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/?p=7261","title":{"rendered":"How to stiffen miniature crochet"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_14233\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14233\" style=\"width: 428px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"14233\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/?attachment_id=14233\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/decoratedchristmastree.jpg?fit=428%2C582\" data-orig-size=\"428,582\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"decoratedchristmastree\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;\u00a9 F H Powell 2008&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/decoratedchristmastree.jpg?fit=428%2C582\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/decoratedchristmastree.jpg?resize=428%2C582\" alt=\"miniature Christmas tree\" width=\"428\" height=\"582\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/decoratedchristmastree.jpg?w=428 428w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/decoratedchristmastree.jpg?resize=221%2C300 221w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 428px) 100vw, 428px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14233\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u00a9 F H Powell 2008<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There are several methods which can be used to stiffen miniature crochet (or knitting), but as only very small amounts<!--more--> of starching material are required for miniatures the following methods are the most useful and cost effective: <\/p>\n<p><strong>A. Traditional sugar solution method<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Make a solution of two teaspoons boiling water and one level teaspoon sugar.<\/li>\n<li>Stir until sugar is dissolved.<\/li>\n<li>Place crochet in the solution until the crochet is completely wet through.<\/li>\n<li>Wring out excess solution or sugar crystals will form on the finished work!<\/li>\n<li>Pin the crochet out on a piece of corrugated cardboard or polystyrene covered in cling film\/wrap, using rustproof pins (normal steel pins will rust and leave unsightly marks if left in more than a few hours).<\/li>\n<li>Only pin around the edges of the item, making sure all the details are pinned out, such as forming points.<\/li>\n<li>Pull the crochet into shape as you work around, making sure the item stays flat and retains its shape.<\/li>\n<li>If the crochet needs support, such as a basket or angel then you may need to cover some blu-tak (Elmers tack) with cling film\/wrap and shape to fit the item, pinning into the blu-tak if required.<\/li>\n<li>Leave to dry in a warm place for 24 hours minimum.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>B. The item can be starched with laundry starch<\/strong><br \/>\nWork as above but using either powdered starch dissolved in a little water or spray starch. Although not recommended for larger items, spray starch is often strong enough to starch miniatures. <\/p>\n<p><strong>C. PVA Glue<\/strong><br \/>\nA solution can be made from PVA glue and water, this will dry clear and slightly shiny. Make up the solution and proceed as with sugar starch<\/p>\n<p><strong>To finish<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen the crochet is completely dry remove the pins carefully. At this point any hanging loops may be added by threading a small piece of cotton or transparent thread through one of the holes left by a pin on the ornament. Do not use metal hooks to hang miniature decorations unless they are rust proof.<\/p>\n<p>The photo below shows the same decorations as those shown in the top photo, but this shows how the decorations appear during the stiffening process:<br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14237\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14237\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"14237\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/?attachment_id=14237\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Tree-decorations-2.jpg?fit=640%2C480\" data-orig-size=\"640,480\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;DX-7&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1034507740&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Tree decorations 2\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;\u00a9 F H Powell 2008&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Tree-decorations-2.jpg?fit=640%2C480\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Tree-decorations-2.jpg?resize=640%2C480\" alt=\"drying decorations\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14237\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Tree-decorations-2.jpg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Tree-decorations-2.jpg?resize=300%2C225 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14237\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u00a9 F H Powell 2008<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n<p>If you wish to try making and stiffening some miniature crochet Christmas decorations, then please see <a href=\"http:\/\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/?p=4227\" target=\"_blank\">these patterns<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are several methods which can be used to stiffen miniature crochet (or&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14237,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"How to stiffen miniature crochet for display in the dolls house: http:\/\/wp.me\/p3Q29Z-1T7","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[13],"tags":[91,107],"class_list":["post-7261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-knitting-and-crochet-tips","tag-hints-and-tips","tag-miniature-crochet"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Tree-decorations-2.jpg?fit=640%2C480","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3Q29Z-1T7","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7261"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14239,"href":"http:\/\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7261\/revisions\/14239"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/store.buttercupminiatures.co.uk\/newsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}