I've only been quilting for a few months and have been hearing about people using starch so I bought some Mary Ellen Best Press. I did a few spritzes from the bottle onto my finished blocks (I put 4 blocks close together to experiment first). They got pretty "wet" and instantly started to curl and warp a bit. I let them sit for 10 minutes to dry and yet they were still really damp. I waited a few more minutes and then used the iron to dry them the rest of the way.

The did end up with a bit more stiffness to them which is nice but it seemed weird that they got so wet and they never really dried without using the iron. I have read a lot of posts that indicate you should wait till they are dry to iron them.

I was planning on doing this process to my whole pieces of fabric (1/2 to 1 yard pieces) before starting my cutting but now I'm not sure? Do you starch entire pieces of fabric?

Maybe you are using too much?

I don't think Mary Ellen's Best Press is starch. (Starch is normally made of corn flour, but potato flour and others can be used as starch too.)

Edit: With spray starch, you need to wait for it to dry (or at least soak into the fabric so it's not just sitting on top of the fabric) before ironing so you don't scorch the starch. With Mary Ellen's Best Press, I don't think you need to do that.

To starch yardage, I mix up a solution of Sta-Flo liquid laundry starch and water, "paint" it on with a large wall-painting brush until fabric is saturated, toss in dryer, then iron with steam. It's a pretty fast method, plus my finger doesn't get sore from spraying.

when you spray starch your fabric gets wet- the iron dries it....that's how it works

I spray entire block let it sit 5 mins to soak in and then iron dry...

Make sure your nozzle is on spray, not stream and don't hold it too close.

Maybe you are using too much.

If you wait for the starch or sizing to dry, hot iron won't do anything but heat the dry starch. I get my fabric almost sopping wet with starch then press dry before cutting. My fabric isn't going to distort or ravel at all.

I always spray my blocks until they are wet, then iron them dry, thats how it works. If you are spraying dark fabric, spray on the back, it helps avoid any white residue on the front that sometimes shows on dark fabrics.

with the ellens best press, try shaking the bottle before spraying.

Just read the label on my bottle of Best Press. Says it is a "clear starch alternative" -- whatever that means. Also says at the top of the label "SCENT FREE MIRACLE STARCH." Anyway, I use it on fabric that has been dried in the electric dryer, just the way you use sprinkles of water. I don't think it is intended for unwashed fabrics.

Best Press is not really starch. If you want something a bit ...stiffer or firmer ... use starch. I am a HUGE fan of starch, didn't find much value in Best Press for the $$ it cost.

I use Best Press for all my pressing, including my clothing. You do have to make sure you don't over saturate the fabric, just like with regular starch. I lightly mist my fabrics and then I iron or press them dry. The finish can't be beat, and there is no flaking as with some spray starches. FYI I water my Best Press down and I get the same results as if I used it full strength. I get the jumbo bottle at Hancock's with a coupon and it is worth the money. IMHO!

That pressing stuff has alcohol in it so it will evaporate.

I dont like Best Press I use regular spray starch love love love to starch I use a lot of small pieces so I need them to be right Spray and let it soak in before applying your iron then no flakes

I love using the starch from WalMart. It comes in a pump bottle, and it is so easy to use and control. It is not expensive either. It is the laundry soap isle.

I use Mary Ellen's, lightly spray against a large piece of cardboard attached to the wall, wait a minute or two, then iron with a dry iron. No steam. Fabric is easy to handle, slightly stiff'er', and sews perfectly.

Does sound like you are using too much. I spray starch with just regular brand name starch in a can ... lightly ... then iron while it is still damp. Works beautifully.

I never wait until the fabric dries and have never had a problem with my iron or the fabric.

:thumbup:

I just had the same experience with preparing fabric for a class tomorrow. I had an 8" wide strip and it curled! There was such a curve in the piece that I wasn't able to use it.

what was your iron setting on ???

Lucky you. I have checked at the only 3 WalMarts that are in the area and cannot find that non-aerosol in any of them. Have been looking for about three months now. They do carry a Wrinkle Realeaser that is something over $6 a spray bottle,so I am thinking this is not what everyone has talked about. I think they were saying the Faultless non-aerosol was about $1.89 or thereabouts.

I agree, it is worth the money - I haven't tried watering it down, but now I will - thanks for the tip!

When I've wanted to really stiffen the fabric (such as triangles with 2 sides being on the bias) I've spread them out on the backside of an old cutting mat and sprayed the heck out of them with Mary Ellen's Best Press (yes, the bias side at points curled slightly)... left them overnight and then pressed them. The triangles flattened out were nice and stiff... making it much easier to piece together.

I don't use starch, I use sizing and very infrequently.......I'm sorry, but I just don't see the reason to "starch til it's like cardboard" in order to piece a quilt. I haven't starched anything since dh had to wear white shirts to work daily and they were all cotton...well, take that back, I have a few doilies that I have inherited, and when they are washed I will then starch them til they are like cardboard!!!!

you don't have to saturate with best press and don't use too much..it give just a light stiffening. I use a product for heavy starching from Niagra that is in a spray bottle. you can find it at Walmart for 1.87 and doesn't flake. I am a big fan of starch also, use it alot before cutting out applique pieces...

I just use heavy starch in the spray can, 99 cents at WalMart. I starch whole pieces of fabric before cutting and it's awesome. I use it on some quilt tops before loading onto the LA if they aren't pressed.

So far my most favorite spray starch is Niagara Non Aerosol Spray Starch. Has a very fine pump spray, biodegradable, leaves no flakes. I spray, let it sit for a couple of minutes to soak in, dry iron, not too hot. I found this at a Family Dollar store for $2.00. Probably in other stores for F.D. is the closest to me. Wash fabric first, No softener, EVER.

[quote=Yooper32]The walmart here has two brand of the non aerosol, Faultless and Niagara. It's in different parts of the store. In the laundry aisle in the food section, in the ironing board/iron aisle, and I found it where the laundry baskets were. All the Walmart warehouses have it, have the manager of the dept to order it. Here the laundry dept manager, the ironing board dept manager and the plasticware manager don't know the others are ordering it. LOL.

I personally never starch. Even IF I prewash fabric I do not starch. Even fabric from WalMart and Joann's have starch in them. You are washing the starch out and then putting starch back on it. The only time I prewash is if the fabric is black or red. And you can prewash a swatch to see if the fabric is going to run. I also prewash my batiks, but I use a Shout color catcher which works great. I still do not starch the batiks. I know I am going against what many of you do, but I don't want to do more work than I have to.

Pre washing doesn't just remove the starch. It also removes the chemicals used in manufacturing of the fabric. These chemicals can be very irritating to some people and cause allergic reactions in others. So, if I wash out the starch that the manufacturer puts into fabric and then I re-starch my fabric before I use it, it is a small price to pay to keep my skin from turning red, blistering, scaling and itching like crazy. I always and will continue to prewash. There are so many chemicals in our environment today that when there is a chance to reduce our exposure, then it is well worth the effort.

You may be using too much. I tried that brand and ended up with sticky stuff on my iron. I probably was using too much. Now I just use Sizing spray and not Spray Starch.

It should not be "wet" just misted. I think you used too much. :lol: :D :lol:

did you use steam in your iron when you were doing this ? if so maybe you were getting the fabric to wet

I tried a regular spray starch and found it left a residue on my fabrics; I didn't like it. Switched to Mary Ellen's Best Press and have had no problems. I just shake the bottle; spray and press immediately. It works great. Interesting to see some people wait 5 minutes or more. For me, I get the right results just doing the pressing as soon as I spray. I love using it and think it is worth the little extra it cost.

I do yards and yards at a time they take about a good hour to dry depending on where i dry them. (don't have a large space) It is normal though for them to take a bit of time. When I do yardage I will mix together the amounts in a spray bottle and then put fabric in a large mixing bowl and then dump the spray bottle into the bowl with the fabric. then move fabric and squeeze excess water out.it works real well that way and i always check to make sure it is nice and coated in the starch before hanging to dry.

:thumbup:

I love Best Press for the fabulous scents - I would buy Caribbean Beach and Cherry Blossom in perfume form, if I could! :)

But I've found that I prefer liquid starch mixed 50/50 with water in a spray bottle for preparing fabric prior to cutting it.

I soak the fabric, let it almost dry, then steam press it to dry all the way.

When you spray unwashed new all-cotton fabric with any liquid, it's going to curl up and shrink to one extent or another. Some of them seem to hardly shrink at all while others look like Shrinky Dinks plastic in the oven!

What surprised me the most is the difference in shrinkage between the lengthwise and crosswise grain - some of my fabrics have shrunk twice as much along the crosswise as with the lengthwise. What could distortion like that do to your cut and sewn quilt block? :shock:

That's one of the reasons I starch beforehand - to get that shrinkage done before I cut and sew. (and, lazy me, so I don't have to pre-wash! :) )

Any Canadians reading? I have searched high and low and cannot find liquid starch in Canada. I even checked the Nova Scotia stores while I was visiting my dd last month!