I just LOVE the looks of crocheted snowflakes, don’t you? They look so pretty on a Christmas tree or as decorations anywhere in your home! They make great gifts, as well as package decorations, too! And they’re surprisingly easy to make (with a few crochet skills and knowledge)!
But how do you take a crocheted snowflake from droopy and lifeless to stiffened and lacy? You stiffen it with fabric stiffener and pin it out to dry! It’s not hard at all. Just a little time-consuming, like so many things in life! But it’s so worth it when you’re done! I have a free PDF template that you can use for pinning your snowflakes on to shape them perfectly. You can find that template in my written tutorial.
If you’ve never stiffened crocheted snowflakes before, check out my new YouTube video where I’ll take you step-by-step through the process. I also share my favorite pattern book for crocheting the snowflakes, as well as how I store my snowflakes for years of enjoyment!
So what are you waiting for? Learn to stiffen crochet snowflakes today for many years of enjoyment by you or someone you love!
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy New Year!
Happy snowflake crocheting!
Susan
P.S. Here’s another way to store your stiffened crocheted snowflakes. It’s a gift card tin from Amazon! I have several of these and they work great for storing my snowflakes. I can fit 4 medium size snowflakes in each tin. The tin comes with a gift card ($25 minimum card amount) that you can use or give as a gift. Then you can keep the tin and use it to store some snowflakes! Here’s a link to the Amazon gift card page with this snowflake tin (the tin is free with the purchase of the gift card!).
Thanks for sharing this information. I will use your advice. I recently lost my mom. She did the most beautiful doilies and snowflakes. I have loads of them. I took her case with the recent ones she had finished but didn’t get glued and glittered. I really want them to be done. And I don’t want them to yellow. Jeannette
Jeanette,
I lost my mom 6 years ago. It’s a hard time in life. You are blessed to have many of her doilies and snowflakes. I’m glad that I could help you with stiffening the snowflakes that your mom didn’t get stiffened. I hope you enjoy every one of them and cling to the happy memories of your mom.
Happy crocheting (and stiffening),
Susan
I started crocheting snowflakes about 40 years ago. When I first started you could still buy powdered starch and it was great to use. That is no longer on the market at the grocery stores so I turned to glue. That worked very well, then I tried the fabric stiffener products. Somewhere over time some of the flakes became discolored….yellowed. I’d love to do more snowflakes this year if I could figure out which stiffener is causing my problem and which one is safe to use. The nice thing about the old fashioned starch is you can wash the flakes and re-block them if they get something spilled on them or yellow, etc. Looking forward to your response. Lynn
Lynn,
Do you think the snowflakes themselves yellowed or the stiffener? You could try to dissolve the stiffener with water on one snowflake to remove it and see if the snowflake whitens up. I would suggest soaking it in warm water to see if the stiffener will come out. Then you’d know if the stiffener turned yellow or if the snowflake turned yellow under the stiffener. Could you apply a bit of white craft paint to the snowflakes to brighten them up again (if trying to remove the stiffener doesn’t do the trick)?
I did the bulk of my crochet snowflakes 5-10 years ago, I think. They don’t seem to be yellowed yet. I probably used either Aleene’s Fabric Stiffener or Crafter’s Pick Fabric Stiffener. So far, I’m happy with them. I guess time will tell if my snowflakes yellow or not. The main thing I watch for is storing them properly so they don’t get distorted, like some of my shaped, stiffened crochet decorations. I now keep them in the house instead of in our shed in the heat of the Arizona summers! The heat can be brutal on stiffened crochet pieces!
I hope this helps.
Happy crocheting,
Susan
You just need to make sure the glue or stiffener says it dries clear. I think there are more available now that won’t yellow.
Penny,
Thank you very much for this information. As I put away our Christmas decorations the other day, I noticed one of my snowflakes has yellowed a little bit (when comparing it to some newer snowflakes). The next time I need more stiffener, I’ll have to look for some glue/stiffener that says it dries clear. I’m sure they’ve improved over time, as you said!
Happy crocheting,
Susan
Thank you so much for the template for blocking snowflakes.
Do you have a template for blocking doilies? I’ve tried to find one, but everything takes me through Pinterest and I can never find the PDF to download.
Thanks!
You’re very welcome!
What size template are you seeking for blocking doilies? Is there a certain diameter or number of lines/points that you’re seeking?