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Doily Bowls Stiffened with Mod Podge

I used doilies from the dollar bins and Mod Podge Stiffy in this unique doily bowl project! You can make one with any size doily and fabric stiffener. Scroll down to the bottom of the post to get a video and see how it’s done!

Doily Bowl Stiffened with Mod Podge

If you want to learn how to stiffen doilies with Mod Podge, I’m excited to share with you today. YES you can do it, and there’s actually a specific product that is really great for it:

and it’s called Mod Podge Stiffy (and you’re not allowed to laugh).

People ask me all the time if regular Mod Podge can stiffen things, and the answer is yes . . . but not to the extent that this product can. It is a true fabric stiffener (as opposed to a decoupage glue).

Stiffening fabric is often done along with decoupaging (to add items as accents), and both crafts were huge in the 70s (and are now). I love both!

I’ll have to admit though, I was a little afraid of Mod Podge Stiffy at first. There was the great yarn ball incident of 2010.

But I also know something, which is that I’m not the perfect crafter . . . and there’s plenty of user error “up in hur.” I decided I needed to give it another chance with a doily bowl.

Let me tell you, my friends, fabric stiffener is not hard to use at all. And now I wanted to stiffen everything (tee hee)! Just take a peek at my doily bowl tutorial below and you’ll see how easy it is to use.

You can stiffen all sorts of things with the same method. We made dessert cloche. You’ve got to check out the cheesecloth ghost too. It’s an absolute favorite. I love these lace candle holders too!

Now if you want to try making these bowls, here’s what you’ll need.

Gather These Supplies

  • Doily, any size – I got mine from the $1 Michaels bins
  • Mod Podge Stiffy
  • Aluminum foil or plastic wrap (or both)
  • Real bowl a little larger than the bowl size you want to make
  • Small plastic container

Here are the bowls that I used. I figured that with the larger bowl I could make a doily bowl with no lip (the pink doily), and with the smaller bowl I could add the lip (the yellow doily). I wasn’t sure exactly what that meant, but that was my idea.

Note that if you’ve fully covered the bowls, then the product shouldn’t touch it, and you’ll be able to wash and use your bowls for food again.

The container that you use for the fabric stiffener should be solely for crafts. I keep the same set of reusable plastic containers and reuse them for all of my liquid craft supplies.

Blue and pink bowls sitting on a counter

Here’s how I left them to dry, just so you can see before you begin. You can see that the yellow one overlaps the bowl I bit, so I laid it out to have a little lip. Let dry overnight. And then in the morning . . .

20120103_032739

you’ll have real Stiffy bowls made from doilies! These were pretty rock hard and could even hold candy. I was thrilled with my doily bowls. Get the complete how to below.

Yield: 2 bowls

Doily Bowls

Doily Bowl Stiffened with Mod Podge

Learn how to stiffen crochet doilies using Mod Podge Stiffy. In this project, I turn doliies into bowls.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Active Time 15 minutes
Dry Time 12 hours
Total Time 12 hours 25 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Estimated Cost $2

Materials

  • Doilies, any size
  • Fabric stiffener
  • Aluminum foil or plastic wrap (or both)

Tools

  • Bowl
  • Small plastic container
  • Cookie sheet

Instructions

  1. Cover bowls with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Cover a cookie sheet or your work surface at the same time.Covering a bowl with aluminum foil
  2. Squeeze the Mod Podge Stiffy into a plastic bowl. Make sure there is enough to fully coat the doilies.Squeezing fabric stiffener into a bowl
  3. Add a doily to the fabric stiffener and push it around. Take it out of the Stiffy and squeeze out the excess.Soaking the dollies in the fabric stiffener
  4. Spread the doily out on the bowl, making sure to center it. Wrap the doily around the sides of the bowl and press down.Wrapping a bowl with a doily
  5. Place the bowls on the covered cookie sheet and place somewhere to dry overnight.Doilies with fabric stiffener drying on a cookie sheet
  6. Release the doily from the bowl to use. Remove the plastic wrap to display your bowls.Doily Bowl Stiffened with Mod Podge

Did You Make This Project?

Please leave a rating or share a photo on Pinterest!


Are you ready to see my video and learn how to make a doily bowl yourself? Click “PLAY” on the video in this post! I’d also love for you to check out these other projects:

Karen

Saturday 23rd of September 2023

Can these doily bowls be washed? I’m thinking not.

Amy

Tuesday 3rd of October 2023

No they cannot be exposed to water!

Elizabeth

Thursday 15th of June 2023

I made a couple of doilies several years ago - and podged them over (1) a bowl, and (2) a tumbler - turned out great!!

Amy

Tuesday 20th of June 2023

Yay! I'm glad you had success! :D

Paula

Sunday 28th of February 2021

You made it look easy enough that I can do it! I have a lot of doilies in all sizes, and am looking forward to a little experimentation with the larger ones. Thanks for making me actually want to do a craft that I can do and use.....

Kia

Friday 28th of March 2014

Thanks! This is just in time for spring. I was thinking of doing some mini baskets with treats for the kids, and this would work great.

katie

Friday 28th of March 2014

I've always wondered how to make these--thanks for the great tutorial! :)

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