So once you pre-wash your fabric.. how do you get it to be stiff again for cutting?
 

I will admit it that I never have pre-washed my fabric before starting a quilt. It sounds like I need to change that, since so many of the fabric bleed these days. I like to cut my fabric when it it is still stiff from coming off the bolt. How can I get the stiffness back once I have washed the pieces?
I would appreciate any suggestions.

Starch is your friend. Either use spray starch (I use the cheapest I can find) or I have dunked whole lengths into liquid starch and let it dry outside. Iron your fabric and you will have the stiff feel you are looking for.

Right. I use spray starch. It works great.

I use a method I learned about from author Anita Grossman Solomon. I put the fabric and starch in a ZipLoc bag and refrigerate it, usually overnight. I like my fabric to be almost as stiff as a piece of paper --- not to everyone's taste, but doing so has helped me achieve excellent results. Take good care!

Starch can be a quilters best friend. I do prefer the starch concentrate , then immerse the piece and hang to dry before ironing. If I want to I can make fabric as stiff as card stock.

I agree that starching/sizing a fabric is helpful when working with bias edges. It does seem to stabilize the fabric. It also seems to minimize fraying while being handled.

However, my personal feeling is that if a fabric does not have enough body to be workable with after it's been washed, it's not worth bothering with.

Starch and I bought the spray can when I first started...don't do it!! Expensive (at Jo Anns) and the nozzle broke before I had used half a can, bought another can and the same thing happened. Now, I buy mine at Walmart, Niagra in a a pump bottle for about $3.00 and it lasts about 2 quilts. Smells good too. There are a number of quilters that make their own and if they give a recipe, you could refill the pump with that and it might be cheaper but I like the convenience at Walmart.

Most of the time, simply ironing it works for me, but I also like to use starch. Sizing is another great option, especially if you're going to store it and you live in an area with bugs. Silverfish like starch. :thumbup:

Lori, this sounds interesting. More info?

I spray it with water first, then spray startch it with a bottle and spray. Roll it up, put it in a zipper bag and refrigerate it overnite, then iron it.

starching fabric
 

I use the liquid starch in the blue plastic bottle, I think it's called Vano? I mix it 50/50 with water. Put it in a yard sprayer (about $15 i bought for this task ONLY) and holds about a gallon. I lay the fabric on plastic tablecloth and spray the inside of the fabric, roll it up and put in the refrigerator or freezer in a zip lock bag. Then when I want to do something other than sew I pull out a couple pieces and iron on the right side. works like a dream. If you want it stiffer, use less water.

I buy the starch concentrate Stay Flo it is in a blue 1/2 gallon jug . Walmart carries it with all of the other starches. I can dilute as a need. For really really stiff use full strenght. I like really really stiff when working with small skinny pieces. I can make 1/4 inch sewn( 3/4 inch cut) skinny borders using full strenght. I can just paint it on one end of the fabric for using with borders , using a sponge type paint brush , let it dry naturally by hanging. then iron then cut.
When I am doing scrappy quilts I will mix approx. 1 to 1 ratio in a large tupperware bowl with lid. thorw in a batch and shake until everything is fully saturated then using a drying rack for drying.
I also keep a bowl mixed and immerse strips until saturated hang dry then iron prior to cutting.
One of the benefits of heavily strached fabric is the seams stay where you press them , no flipping back as you are sewing. Cutting accuracy is also greatly improved . If you are a finger pressing person.... it makes the finger pressing more like regular pressing.
It may seem like a bit of work but I find the benefits are worth it, particulary if you are going to work with small cut pieces. For paper piecing it helps to keep the faric from flipping as you go to sew the seam. I found it very frustrating when paper piecing to turn the paper over only to find one of the fabrics had folded back on itself.
Dipping into the starch or immersion allows to cotton to completely take in the starch, as apposed to spray that does not fully saturate the fabric.
Starch does wash out, it also once dry will fall out naturally. Ever worn a starched shirt and at the end of the day its not as stiff.. thats the starch falling out as the fabric is moved or manipulated. When I was a kid and we would starch clothing , if we put it outside on the line to dry on a windy day , not much starch would be left when we brought in the clothes.

Oh my, I am new to quilting. I really do not think I will have time for this hobby if I have to do all that before I cut the fabric. May need to rethink this at least until I retire. Do most quilters pre-wash?

Tezell0801-- I decided that I should probably pre-wash the dark batiks that I buy. I really do not want those colors to run when I finally need to wash the quilt. I did run out and by some of the Shout color catchers too.

I use spray starch.

It is a topic that is hotly debated!

The prewashers list: pre-shrinks your fabric, washes out remaining dyes, washes out chemicals/sizing used in manufacturing process.

The non-prewashers list: like the feel of the fabric before washing, don't want it to shrink yet, are eager to start cutting, don't want to bother with washing.

I'm sure others will pipe up with their reasons, or you can simply do a search on this board and find many threads discussing this topic.

I take the fabric out before it is completely dry then press it and use a little starch on it. Love Mary Ellen's Best - buy it by the gallon and last me over a year.

All the fabric in my house has been prewash. I've got tons of allergies and just feel safer with all the "stuff" washed out of the fabric. I've never used starch. Use a glue stick instead of heat bonds like most folks. Use Elmers School glue to bast my quilts. Shoot I don't even iron my fabric after I wash it.I just fold it and put it away. Why? You're just going to have to iron it after you take it off your shelf to use.

What is sizing? I thought that meant starching but I am wrong I can see. I would like to know about sizing though. Please let me know. Thanks in advance. Jeanne

I love Mary Ellens Best Press the fragrance free kind.

I use Magic Sizing - about $1 at Wal-Mart.

I don't do anything, I just press it. I would say use starch.

Do you then torn when fabric is damp or is it dry after being refrigerated over it, but cold?

I starch the living daylights out of my material. My DH swears he could cut a finger on the edge.

Katmom, I iron the fabric when it is cool and damp. If the fabric is too wet, I'll put it in the dryer for a few minutes first.

Here is a link to an article that describes Anita's starching technique.

I can see pre-washing for quilts or for other projects what will be washed a fair bit, but what about making purses/totes? I have been making lots of them, and have not pre-washed the fabrics. I also like working with them when they have some body, but hate taking the time to pre-wash and starch etc. When I get a new fabric, I want to start cutting - NOW!! Do others on the board who make totes and bags for sale, pre wash??

Thanks for the link! Is it safe to assume you still need to press the damp fabric with the up and down method and not side to side ? Thanks for your help!

If you have not done it in the past no need to start now, I think it is a waste of my time. I did try it and it makes the fabric limp so then you have to starch it. So if you don't do it and it has worked in the past continue. Just wash with color guard when you wash it.

I hang dry my fabric on a drying rack or shower curtain rod. I don't totally dry my good cotton tees either in the dryer either. Just enough to get most of the wrinkles out, and then dry on a rack. I come from the old school of laundry, I don't like soft limp clothes. With Air drying, the cotton fabric holds a shape better,and then after drying I spray starch it. If the fabric is thinner, I use liquid (blue) starch and water in the sink, and drip dry it outside on the rack. Love the smell of fresh air dried fabric.

I don't. I wash it with detergent (but no fabric softener), line dry it, and iron it. I have not had any problems.

Gosh, I haven't thought about sprinkling and refrigerating clothes for years. That's what my grandmother used to do and that was when there was no such thing a permanent press. I just thought it was because she had sprinkled all the clothes and simply ran out of time for ironing everything.

Starch, starch and more starch. I like the way Leah Day does it. Spray one side, let it sit to soak in and then iron the other side. Then repeat by spraying that side, let it soak in and iron the other side. I find I don't scorch the starch this way and it doesn't get flaky.

I tend to iron the fabric using the up and down method, but I'm not sure that you have to. Cheers :-)

Honestly, unless you are cutting small pieces of fabric, you just cut. There is no need for starch or anything else. You are simply used to the habit of having that stiffness. Most quilters cut without starching first.

For small pieces, yes, I like to use starch (I'm trying out Mary Ellen's clear non-starch this week).

Yes, I'm one of those who doesn't prewash fabrics. Mostly out of laziness. I just don't feel compelled to do so unless I'm doing a swap or using white as a background fabric.

Note to poster: If I were making products for sale, I would prewash and starch.

What do you do with the fabric after you have put it in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator? do you do a yard at a time or a piece at a time?

I starch whatever I think I'll need for a particular project. I usually don't bother with anything smaller than a fat quarter. I just spray starch smaller pieces, often multiple times.