ok I am confused I used to use sizing on my fabric when I pulled it out of the dryer (I prewash everything). BUT!!! I have a problem with it I do not like starch or sizing. What it did to my ironing board and bottom of my iron was like putting glue on em!!! never worked right after using sizing.. I have stopped using it. It is an extra cost that never seemed to work for me..

I need help How do I use it properly??

How do I keep my iron and board cover from looking and acting like it has glue on it??

thanks for your help

Chris

Use "Mary Ellen's Best Press."

Yes, that stuff is magic, isn't it? Doesn't ever seem to burn or get sticky or leave any residue at all - I don't know what's in it, but it smells like heaven, too. I use it to iron my clothes, not just quilt blocks.

where can I get it besides the web???

I am not a pre-washer....my choice....but I am a firm believer in using Magic sizing on EVERYTHING before I cut a strip or square. I spray on a pretty good amount onto the peice of fabric that I'm getting ready to cut, not wet but dampish and then hot iron in every direction I care to go. Nothing easy, I use a hot iron and go to town onto that piece of fabric. In 30 years of quilting, I've never had a top shrink more than th 1-2 percent you find after the first washing and drying when finished before using.

I buy Magic sizing at WalMart for less that $1.00 a can and it will last through about 2 quilts. I also use it to press blocks and to press the entire quilt top before starting the sandwiching process.

jodi in leavenworth

You're best bet is probably to order it thru Jo-Ann's with a 40% off coupon.

Our Hancock's and LQS both carry Mary Ellen's Best Press. If you use it a lot, it is good to purchase by the gallon. If you go to the search button and search, there are also recipes for making your own using Vodka. No, not to drink. lol It is a potato product and works well.

Vodka is not starch. It's also bug food.

Vodka is made by the process of distillation of a fermented substance--often potatoes and rye or wheat grain--and less often, sugar beet molasses. Most vodka was traditionally made from potatoes and corn, but in recent years, most high-quality brands of vodka has been distilled from cereal grains. The potatoes and grains are heated until the starch is released and converted to sugar. Then this substance, called a mash, is fermented and heated to a high temperature to allow distillation to occur. The substance is then distilled multiple times until all of the spirit is extracted. Multiple distillations allow for a higher proof. Water is added at the end of the distillation process to decrease the alcohol content, and then the vodka is ready to be bottled and sold

Read more: How Is Vodka Made? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4574426...#ixzz1819rTKeL

Magpie, you are faster than I am at research.