heavy starch and pointy points
 

I'd like to say a heartfelt THANK YOU!!!!! to all of you who have casually mentioned that you like to starch your fabric until it's stiff. I've even seen some of you say that when you peel it off the ironing board it should stick straight out. I used to think that was overkill, but now I'm a believer!

I took a class over the weekend. I consider myself an advanced beginner (if that makes sense) and this is an ongoing drop-in-when-you-can BOM thing. Saturday's block is a star, and omg, the points have been driving me nuts. If only the fabric would stay still while I cut/sewed it!

And then I had a lightbulb moment. Actually, more of a stadium lights moment. I fished out another fat quarter, starched the dickens out of it, cut it, and ta da! My points are pointy!

I'm sold! Light starch on my blouses, heavy on quilt parts.

I learn so much from you guys!

Welcome to the "other" side! It just makes your quilting life easier, doesn't it?!?

awesome to know...glad it worked so well for you!..PIX now!

Yeah for Team Starch!!!! We won another one over!

What kind of starch did you use?

that is my question too......what kind of starch? what I have tried so far really didnt do much for helping.....

I have used the sta-puf liquid starch as well as spray starch. One teacher I had starches her fabric until it is like 'typing paper'. Can't argue with her, she wins national contests...an amazing piecer, appliquer and even more amazing quilter.

I personally like sizing better than starch. But if I do use regular starch, I like to mix mine own up from the concentrate. Has anyone used that scented kind (maybe by Marti Mitchell or Mary Ellen or somebody)? I've seen them use it on Sewing With Nancy or Fons or Porter or some quilting show on PBS.

I like EVERYTHING I iron starched... even my pillowcases. I know... I'm a weird-o.

I am a "new" believer myself; with the project I am working on right now, I starched till stiff the fabric and WOW was it fantastic to cut and stitch. Will definetely be a starch fanatic from now on.

Has anyone ever starched faux suede? I'm working on embellishing fabric for a bag. I'm using several different brands of faux suede and batik cottons. I starched all my cottons and I'm ready to try starching the suede, on the back side and at a lower temp. That suede keeps wiggling around!

Faultless Professional Formula Heavy Starch-it's what The Husband had for starching his uniform hats. He's also got a jug of Sta-Flo liquid starch around somewhere, but I've never used it.

I'm open to other suggestions; this just happened to be on hand when I was desperate. :) I use vodka and water for sizing.

Christine27, I don't believe that you can starch faux suede.

I use the concentrated Sta-Flo starch and dilute 50/50. To use it "properly", you should starch the dickens out of the fabric, then put in a plastic bag and let the starch really get "into" the fabric, then let it air dry or in the drier, although air dry is actually better(will be stiffer than drier), otherwise when you iron, you're really just ironing the starch and this is why your iron will get all yucky.

Because Faux suede is not a natural fiber , and is made of oil based raw materials , its ability to absorb the water /starch solution is very very limited, if any. One reason oil/petroleum based fibers dry so quickly is that they don't really ever get wet. There are molicules of water that are between the fibers , giving the feeling of moisture, but the fibers themselves don't get wet.

Glad it worked out well for you, but it is entirely possible, and quite easy actually, to have pointy-points (also straight cuts, square blocks, even seams, etc) without the use of starch or any other additives whatsoever. I much prefer my fabric to feel like fabric, not cardboard...or even typing paper. :)

I totally agree!

As a pre-washer, I like to have some "feel" back into the fabric, as the sizing has been removed in the wash.

I did like using Magic Sizing, and because it's unavailable here in Canada, I hade been using spray starch, which if not careful it becomes that cardboard and typing paper feel! Just last week I tried Mary Ellen's Best Press for the first time, and can see it will be my option now instead of the spray starch.

As for pointy-points and perfected work ... a lot of that comes from your technique and abilities and NOT from starching til it is like cardboard! And one of those techniques is learning the value of pressing, and pressing well, throughout the process.

And if you're looking for really perfect-pointy-points paper piecing might be your solution!!
(now there's a lot of Ps!)

whatever works!

I too like the one made from Vodka & water, I put Lavender essence in it also for a good smell.

I use this too but mix it in a one gallon yard sprayer. Put the fabric in the bathtub on top of a plastic shower liner and spray until saturated. Let it dry in the tub until damp, then press. I put a pillow case on top of the iron cover so as not to get starch all over it. Wash pillowcase when it gets too stiff or full of starch.

starch is our friend...starch is our friend..starch is our friend....

I buy Sta Flo at Walmart and mix it half with water. Works great! ! ! ! And less costly than lots of the name brands.

I'm so glad the starch did the trick for you!

Starch does a great job of holding the fabric in place. I usually start out light and add as needed!!

i wouldn't starch faux suede. try backing it with freezer paper, use a pressing cloth on top. I don't put much direct heat on that stuff.

I totally agree. Starch is great it makes cutting and piecing so much easier.

I always thought using starch was a waste of time UNTIL I had my stadium light bulb moment too!!! Now I don't leave home without it!!!

My LQS owner advised us in a class to use sizing. She sprayed her sample block at all stages of the sewing and cutting. Then she made another one with no sizing. The difference was amazing! It sure made believers out of us and has really improved my piecing!

I also like to use heavy starch. Straighter seams pointier points.

When you starch the fabric really stiff, does it soften up thru the quilting process? Or do you have these stiff blocks that's being sewed together? If you have the quilt top LA'd, does this make it easier or more difficult?

I've been starching, but not til stiff. Just wondering if I should be starching more.

I have been starching faithfully since I first saw it mentioned in a tutorial somewhere and would never want to do without it. I was just remembering a desperate situation a friend of mine ran into many years ago. Someone, learning that she could sew, had asked her to make a skirt from a very easy pattern. She said "Sure", thinking "How hard could that be?" She found out that it could be very hard indeed because the woman picked a light, sheer, filmy, slick, stretchy, fraying fabric - your worst nightmare. I now know that very likely the solution to the problem (which none of her sewing friends came up with at the time) might have been to starch the heck out of it.

I'm a starch & iron believer too. Staflo liquid starch - half & half in spray bottle. The kind in a can always stops up before I use it all. StaFlo is cheaper too.

I definately agree. Starch the Hell out of it and the points will be great.

The scented starches give me a bad headache and make me wheeze.

Sta-Flo works great and is cheap. I dilute it 1:1. Its like sewing paper together and certainly a must for small pieces like Dear Jane blocks!!

AMEN!! I am in love with heavy starch.

I use Sta-Flo mixture 1/2 and 1/2. Leah Day sprays her fabric on one side turns it over and presses. She then sprays that side turns it over and presses that side. I think it works great that way

I learned this trick (about spraying one side/ironing other) a loooooong time ago when we had to iron everything. Of course I started out cooking my starch - then went to spray. Buying it in a bottle is much easier.

I don't care for the smell of bottled starches. That's why I bought my first gallon of Sta-flo. I mix it 1:1 with water and add a few drops of lavender oil. Now I starch EVERYTHING!
Especially pre-washed fabrics, but even new off-the-bolt fabric gets starched! I'm a firm believer that the starch makes the fabric behave better for both cutting and piecing. Once my top is pieced....it gets another pressing with starch. To me, that makes quilting on my DSM easier, too.

Ya, just a wealth information here!

I use ARGO powdered starch, cook up 1/4 c in the microwave for a load of fabric (water set on low/warm), in the rinse water. It makes a medium starch concentrate. [I]My recipe: start with 1/4c starch in 1c water and stir till dissolved. add 2c water and microwave for 5 minutes stirring (I use a whip) at every minute. starch should be translucent and bubbly. mix in another cup of cool water and mix thoroughly. Pour into warm rinse water, add prewashed fabric, agitate and spin out on low. Line or dryer dry till just slightly damp. Press while damp. Spritz with water to reactivate the starch whenever needed. A box of starch costs <$2, and is equal to 2 gallons or more of liquid starch, plus it's fresh each time. Many stores no longer carry it, so you might have to search. I buy mine at the Woodman's chain in Wisconsin and supply members of my guild with it @ $1.25 per box. I buy liquid starch for mixing 1/4, starch/water, for spray starch in a pump spray bottle at my ironing board. Warning: storing fabrics with starch will attract bugs in some areas of the country.

Love my starch!!!! Wouldn't quilt without it!