when you spray the starch on the fabric, it's a good idea to let the starch penetrate the fibers. You can spray then wait a few minutes until it's soaked in. You don't want to see beads of the starch solution on your fabric. You can spray with water to dampen first, then spray with the starch solution, wait a few minutes then iron with a dry iron. You want the heat from the iron to dry the fabric. Don't move the fabric from the board until it's cool, then you can move to the next portion.