If you can: do not use cardboard

KatharinaV-NL

Dear friends,

Again today I saw the advice to use cardboard in projects.
It is used to give shape, like in half a crocheted lemon or the soles of a doll.

Please think long term with your precious projects and do not use cardboard as that disintegrates / goes bad in time.
And you cannot hand wash the item.

What can you use?
Usually I'm not a fan of plastics, but in this case I am :)
A good long lasting alternative is the plastic of shampoo bottles or milk jugs or.....
This will last much longer + you can safely hand wash the item.

:D Have a nice day & lots of fun creating beautiful things!

smarj

thank you for sharing i use plastic canvas

Niccrochet

thank you! I like the use of well washed plastics if needed but always make sure I bind the edges with electrical tape to ensure no damage to the fabric.

I also like to use a piece of felt in the faces to provide more support for safety eyes, I've found this reduces the chance of them coming out as they aren't then just placed in holes. I also melt and flatten the backs to widen the area. I'm so paranoid about safety eyes but for some projects they look so much better than embroidered eyes!

LosHiceYo

In my case, it depends! Sometimes, using cardboard is much better and more sustainable than using some recycled plastics. Furthermore, if you look for maintaining certain sustainability, plastics shouldn't be your first option... In addition, when you make something that you need to wash, then I wouldn't go for any support material, neither plastics nor cardboard, and I play with shapes, gauge and wise filling...

That's how I do it, but I asume everyone has their own tricks!

BlueTanager

I was thinking about this the other day. I see many amigurumis using cardboards. As bad as plastic is, upcycling is a very good thing in this case indeed! If I can throw away just a bit less plastic today, why not?
Sometimes I "sandwich" sew the plastic between 2 pieces of felt fabric to make sure the borders won't wear the yarn overtime with handling.

Lilac.Exp

That makes a lot of sense. I always try to think what would happen to my work if a child got hold of it - would the eyes be secure to prevent being swallowed? Would you be able to clean it? Is there anything sharp to hurt a child?
Cardboard would be a big mess if a baby were to chew on the toy I have made :)

Lavenderrose

I wish I had thought of this! I used a 23cm diameter thick cardboard oval for the backing of a crocheted elephant head wall mount... I think I'll take it off the wall and switch the cardboard out for something a bit more durable (and waterproof!!)

Pips77

thank you for the advice. I often use cardbord, but only in projects I keep myself. Maybe I should use more plastic. Sometimes I find it hard to find plastic that is not curving too much.

Aislinn

Thank  you  very  much  for  sharing  this  great  pattern

petrica

It is true, I agree with you. I also use plastic and it is a way to recycle too. I also like the plastic folders and file boxes. It depends what you use it for.

jlmossb@verizon

Great advice!  I always remind myself that when we're putting our time into projects we should use high quality materials.

meetje138

Never thought of this and you are so right

Cleotinka

thanks for the tip

sandrine.annonc

thank you for the tip

MT19464

thank you very much

MT19464

Thank you very much

Verdemiau

Thank you for helping us!