How To Make a Crown
How do you make a crown out of lace and glitter?
It is the Queen's birthday — so why not make a crown fit for a Queen? This is a two-glue craft project: a PVA wood glue stiffens a length of lace into a shape that will stand up on its own, and a flexible all-purpose adhesive fixes the decorations on and closes the band into a circle.
The reason it works is that PVA dries hard and slightly brittle. Soaked into a soft fabric like lace, it turns the fibres into a rigid mesh — the same principle behind starching a collar, with a much stronger result. The overnight drying is what makes the crown hold its shape, so this is a project to start the day before.
What you will need
- Selleys Aquadhere Interior
- Selleys Power Grip
- Lace
- Glitter
- Jewels and artificial flowers to stick on
- Baking paper
- Water and a bowl
- Scissors and a ruler or tape
How to make the crown
- Measure the lace and cut to size.
- Mix 3 tablespoons of Selleys Aquadhere with water, place the lace in the mixture and allow it to sit for 30 seconds.
- Take the lace out, lay it on baking paper and generously sprinkle glitter on it. Repeat this on the back and allow to dry overnight.
- Decorate your crown with jewels and flowers, using Selleys Power Grip.
- Glue the ends together using Selleys Power Grip.
Getting it right
Measure around the head, then add a little
The band has to overlap at the join, so cut the lace slightly longer than the head measurement. It is easy to trim and impossible to add back. If the crown is for a child who will grow, an extra centimetre of overlap gives you room to re-glue it larger later.
Thirty seconds in the mix, no longer
Half a minute is enough for the diluted glue to soak through the lace. Leaving it longer does not make it stiffer — it just means more glue to squeeze out, which clogs the holes in the lace and dulls the pattern. Lift the lace out and let the excess drip off before laying it down.
Baking paper, not newspaper or a plate
PVA sticks to almost everything porous. Baking paper is the one surface it will release from cleanly, so the dried crown lifts off in one piece rather than taking a layer of newsprint with it. Lay the lace out flat with the pattern arranged how you want it before it starts to set.
Glitter on both sides while the glue is wet
The glitter has nothing to hold it once the glue dries, so both passes have to happen while the lace is still wet. Do the top, turn it over, do the back. Sprinkle generously — a lot of it will fall off when the crown is handled, and what remains is what was properly embedded.
Why overnight
The lace is saturated rather than coated, so the glue has to dry all the way through the fibres before the band will hold a shape. Overnight in a warm, dry, well-ventilated spot is what the project calls for. If it still feels cool or flexible in the morning, give it longer — a crown glued into a circle while the band is soft will sag.
Why Power Grip for the decorations and the join
The band flexes when the crown goes on and comes off a head, and the join takes that flexing every time. Selleys Power Grip is a flexible, shock-resistant adhesive, which suits that far better than a rigid glue would. It sets in 3 minutes, so hold each jewel in place briefly rather than letting go straight away.
Practical strength is a longer wait: about 12 hours on porous surfaces like the glue-stiffened lace, and longer on non-porous surfaces such as plastic jewels and metal findings. A useful trick from the data sheet for those non-porous pieces is to apply the adhesive and keep the two surfaces apart for about 30 seconds before pressing them together — it reduces the set time noticeably.
Limitations — what to know before you glue
- Power Grip is not suitable for polyethylene or polypropylene. Many cheap craft jewels and plastic flowers are moulded from those. If a decoration will not stick, that is usually why — Selleys All Plastics with its primer pen is the product for them.
- Power Grip is not for permanent water immersion. The crown is a dress-up item, not something to wear in the rain.
- Power Grip yellows on direct exposure to UV. Store the crown out of the sun if you want the glue lines to stay clear.
- Aquadhere Interior is not waterproof. A stiffened lace crown will go limp if it gets wet, and it will not recover.
Clean up any excess Power Grip with mineral turpentine or acetone before it sets — once cured it has to come off mechanically, which is not something you want to be doing on lace.
Variations
The stiffening technique works on any open fabric: doilies, wide ribbon, tulle. Coloured glitter or a dye added to the glue-and-water mix gives a coloured band. Drying the band curved over a bowl or a jar instead of flat gives a crown that already has its shape before you close the join — useful for a taller crown that would otherwise want to spring flat.
For more craft projects using the same two glues, see how to decoupage, DIY air dry clay, how to repair a flexible toy and the rest of the repairs and craft section.
Common questions about making a lace crown
What glue stiffens fabric?
Selleys Aquadhere Interior, diluted with water. Three tablespoons mixed with water is what this project uses.
How long does the lace soak?
Thirty seconds. Longer just loads it with excess glue and clogs the lace pattern.
How long does it need to dry?
Overnight. The lace is saturated rather than coated, so it needs to dry right through before it will hold a shape.
Why baking paper?
PVA releases cleanly from baking paper. On newspaper or a plate the dried lace will stick and tear when you lift it.
When do I add the glitter?
While the glue is still wet, on both the front and the back. Once it dries there is nothing to hold the glitter on.
What glue holds the jewels on?
Selleys Power Grip. It is flexible and shock resistant, which suits a band that bends every time the crown is worn.
How long does Power Grip take to hold?
It sets in 3 minutes, but practical strength takes about 12 hours on porous surfaces and longer on non-porous ones like plastic and metal.
My plastic jewels won't stick — why?
They are probably polyethylene or polypropylene, which Power Grip is not suitable for. Use Selleys All Plastics with its primer pen instead.
Can I make the crown fit better afterwards?
Leave enough overlap at the join when you cut the lace, so the ends can be re-glued at a different diameter later.
Can the crown get wet?
No. Aquadhere Interior is not waterproof and Power Grip is not for permanent water immersion — a wet crown goes limp and does not come back.
How do I clean up glue I have got where I did not want it?
Mineral turpentine or acetone, before the Power Grip sets.
Can I use a different fabric?
Any open fabric will stiffen the same way — doilies, wide ribbon and tulle all work. Dense fabrics soak up much more glue and stay heavy.
What glue stiffens fabric?
Selleys Aquadhere Interior, diluted with water. Three tablespoons mixed with water is what this project uses.
How long does the lace soak?
Thirty seconds. Longer just loads it with excess glue and clogs the lace pattern.
How long does it need to dry?
Overnight. The lace is saturated rather than coated, so it needs to dry right through before it will hold a shape.
Why baking paper?
PVA releases cleanly from baking paper. On newspaper or a plate the dried lace will stick and tear when you lift it.
When do I add the glitter?
While the glue is still wet, on both the front and the back. Once it dries there is nothing to hold the glitter on.
What glue holds the jewels on?
Selleys Power Grip. It is flexible and shock resistant, which suits a band that bends every time the crown is worn.
How long does Power Grip take to hold?
It sets in 3 minutes, but practical strength takes about 12 hours on porous surfaces and longer on non-porous ones like plastic and metal.
My plastic jewels won't stick — why?
They are probably polyethylene or polypropylene, which Power Grip is not suitable for. Use Selleys All Plastics with its primer pen instead.
Can I make the crown fit better afterwards?
Leave enough overlap at the join when you cut the lace, so the ends can be re-glued at a different diameter later.
Can the crown get wet?
No. Aquadhere Interior is not waterproof and Power Grip is not for permanent water immersion — a wet crown goes limp and does not come back.
How do I clean up glue I have got where I did not want it?
Mineral turpentine or acetone, before the Power Grip sets.
Can I use a different fabric?
Any open fabric will stiffen the same way — doilies, wide ribbon and tulle all work. Dense fabrics soak up much more glue and stay heavy.