Peckish

One thing I don't see mentioned here yet: If you did not prewash your fabrics, they will likely shrink when you starch them. I learned this the hard way once, I cut fabric for a hanging sleeve, then starched it, and it shrunk. I had to recut the sleeve - after I starched it.

Evie

When I starch small pieces I always place them between two pressing cloths. I PRESS one side and then flip the two cloths over and PRESS the other side. Once the pieces are pretty much dried I can then iron to completely dry the pieces. Depending on the size of the press cloths, you can do several pieces at a time.

ManiacQuilter2

I agree. I oversize a lot of my blocks (like EB does) so starch just before trimming down at pressing with the iron. If you don't pre-wash your fabric, it helps to at least press and starch before you cut.

romanojg

You can starch but not iron. Spray the blocks, let it soak in and then place a hot iron on the blocks but use no or little movement. I do this all the time, especially with HST

Skylark53

Alright, I gave this a try. I have an old heavy iron which works well for pressing and I've used some interfacing before where you have to press and not iron. I laid some scrap fabric on top of the ironing board and sprayed the backs of the squares with a 50/50 mix water and best press. I sprayed them twice or so, pretty lightly. Let them mostly dry, them flipped them over and pressed the other side. One fabric I noticed felt a bit stiffer, the other not so much. It was easier to line up and pin before sewing, but can't say yet whether it was easier to sew. I'll do a few more and see what happens. I wonder also if my back-tacking could be messing things up? I guess it's really not a necessity at this step but has become a bit of a habit...

bearisgray

I do not backtack when piecing.

When piecing long strips, I shorten the stitch length from 2.5 to 2 (or 10-12 stitches per inch to about 12-14 stitches per inch)

On the seams that cross the strips - I leave about 1/4 inch of thread on the ends of the seams - I leave about 1/2 inch of "stitching" between patches when I chain piece.

jo bauer

Good tip on letting the starch soak in. Does work better if the fabric is damp before you starch. Yup, I still use the bottles of liquid starch (Stay-Flow) sp. is the only one I can find anymore and the directions on the bottle work just fine. I use the medium to starch my fabric in the sink (while still damp from the pre-wash), put them in the washer to spin and then the dryer for a few minutes until they are just damp (time depends on how much fabric). Then I roll them up and put them in the ole plastic bag until I get the time to iron them. If it's going to be a day or two, stick the bag in the fridge to prevent mildew. I also make a mix to put in a spray bottle--way cheaper than buying the cans or the new stuff in a bottle.

romanojg

I never back tack when piecing because all seams will eventually be sewen to another piece rather a block or border so no back tacking is needed. I don't know why you starch on one side and iron on the other. Its going to soak in so it doesn't matter. I just use regular can starch, spray, let it soak in so I don't get the white stuff and the "press" with a hot iron and allow to cool.