Edogirl

I'm weird, I know, I really like ironing. I iron everything (except jeans!), even T-shirts. I love that clean crisp finish and the smell of freshly pressed laundry, but I had never used starch before I began quilting and found it recommended here on the board. I quickly fell in love with the way it makes cutting more accurate and piecing less prone to distortion (especially when I'm using novelty fabrics) but I've run into a couple of problems.

1. Starched pieces will not stick to my design board so I have to pin them.
2. Fabric can get really slippery if I really heavily starch it and sometime cause my ruler to slide when I'm cutting (this, I can fix easily with grippy things on the ruler, I know, so maybe it's not so much of a problem).
3. The starch I've been using repels marking pens and pencils. Chalk works okay but still comes off quite easily.

I've been using spray startch that I buy at the grocery store, the kind sold for ordinary laundry use. If I used homemade starch mixed from cornstarch would it be better in terms of sticking to the design board and marking the pieces?

Because it is so humid in Japan for a good part of the year and mold will grow on anything vaguely organic, I've been reluctant to try mixing my own from cornstarch or potato flour. Also, I do not want to attract the abundant local bug life to my stash.
Do any of you have a recommendation for a mold-resistant, bug-repelling starch?

Thanks in advance.

nanna-up-north

I don't use spray starch because it's made from the stuff bugs and rodents like to eat...... I wouldn't use starch of any kind. I do use spray sizing.... that's not made of flour or corn starch...... read the label. I don't think it would solve the problem of not sticking to your design board, etc..... but perhaps you need to spray a little less. After all, the spray is supposed to give a smoother finish and that's what it's doing for you..... can't have your cake and eat it too, I guess.

judylg

I do have the Mary Ellens Best Press on hand, but find I have a spray bottle with water on my ironing board. I iron a good number of dress shirts and find the water does as good of a job as something purchased.

pinkberrykay

Are you are able to get Best Press in Japan? If so you will find it is the bestest ever Ot sure if Joanns ships over seas but you can get a gallon with a 40% off coupon.

CarrieC

I love my Best Press. I started using it for quilting/sewing but now use it on my clothes too.

PaperPrincess

I wash my fabric when I get it home, but only starch it when I'm getting ready to cut it for a project. After my project is complete, I launder the quilt. this way, I'm not storing starched items for a long time. I've never had the problems you mention, so I think that you are very heavily starching. Might want to ease up a bit. My stuff sticks to the design wall, no problem.
It's interesting. My husband is Japanese and he starches everything, because his mom starched everything. She said traditionally, they starched a lot of items because they had all the starchy water left over from rinsing rice (she always used StaFlo). There are a lot of Japanese items I can think of that are heavily starched from obi to mizuhiki. I'm wondering if there is a local product you can use...

burchquilts

You're not weird. I LOVE to iron -- I find it sooooooooo relaing! I don't use starch, tho. I use sizing & much prefer it.