How to Stiffen Polyester

Iron polyester to smooth it before stiffening it.

Certain sewing projects require heavyweight fabrics for structure support. If you plan on using lightweight polyester, your project will not hold up the way that it would if you used canvas, leather or other sturdy fabrics. Luckily, you can add some weight to polyester fabric by stiffening it, which gives extra support to your finished project so that you can use patterns that are meant for sturdier material.

Things You'll Need

• Clothes iron
• Ironing board
• Liquid fabric stiffener
• Small bowl
• 1-inch polyester paintbrush

Instructions

1. Set your clothes iron to medium-high heat or a specified polyester setting, if your iron has one.

2. Lay your polyester fabric over an ironing board. Lay it right-side up or right-side down, as it will not matter. Smooth the iron over the entire piece of fabric to remove any wrinkles. Lay the ironed fabric over a flat table, right-side down.

3. Fill a small disposable bowl with liquid fabric stiffener.

4. Brush an even layer of the fabric stiffener over the back of the fabric with a 1-inch polyester brush. Allow it to dry according to the instructions on the bottle, or until it is dry to the touch.

5. Grasp the corner of your fabric to test its stiffness.

6. Apply more coats of fabric stiffener to the back of the fabric, the same way, until you achieve the desired stiffness.