Every other post I read here is, "starch this, starch that". I'm thinking alright, I guess I need to get some. Sheesh. But then I forgot about it. Then I walked into my local thrift store and what was sitting on the shelf waiting for me for a whole dollar? A brand new unused bottle of starch.

Sweet mother of starch. I'm sorry I questioned you. For those of you who've yet to jump on the bandwagon. Run go now! You'll never look back.

we really do know what we are talking about (most of the time)

I had to learn the hard way to let it dry before pressing :roll:

So, everyone, if you're starching several yards of fabric, do you ever do it in the washing machine? Or just in the sink and let it hang to dry? (I assume you don't put it in the dryer because it would leave a mess.)

My fingers get tired of spraying...and then I usually do end up ironing while wet, which is not much fun.

i am a convert was a sceptic

Why? I'm a recent believer in starch (since joining this board - another QB starch convert!) and I'm currently ironing right after starching.

OK ... now I see what she meant by not starching when wet. I'm not starching whole fabric - just the cut pieces. So it's no big deal.

i also have just started starching

You are starching (and ironing) before cutting though, right? It keeps your cuts more accurate. I think if you starch after cutting you'd lose a lot of the benefit.

Yardage (which can be pretty small for me): I spray the heck out of it and put it in the dryer until almost dry, then iron with steam.
Blocks: I spray and loop them across the bottom of padded coat hangers and wait as long as I can.

All I have to say is: "MaryEllen's Best Press"!!!!! :-D I heart it so very much!

Explosive blessings, abundance and inspiration to you all!
- The Creative Seamstress

I LOVE LOVE LOVE starch. probably two much. This morning while I was spraying my fabric my BIL asked me if I was planning to send my fabric to the corner. I was like ??What?? He said that fabric is going to stand in the corner on its own. lol I replied....No just cutting on the bias!

Hilarious! Love it!

I noticed the blade cuts through the fabric like butter if you starch before cutting.

Seems to also help fix fmq oopsies.

I don't use the yardages you people do but I love to spray Magic Sizing on all my projects when I am done. It gives them a very professional look. They look crisp and smooth.

I was using starch but when I had to make cut backs starch was one of the first to go.

I haven't been starching. Is it easier to quilt, or piece with starch?

OK, Everbody here starches. But I use quilters basting spray to sandwich my quilts before quilting and I read that it won't stick if the fabric is starched. Anyone?

Here's my easy-peasy method for starching yardage. I mix a solution of water and Sta-Flo liquid laundry starch and "paint" the starch onto the fabric using a large wall painting brush. (My kitchen island is perfect for this task.) Once the fabric is saturated, I toss it in the dryer. Final step is to iron with steam. Sometimes I will mist with water to increase the amount of steam, but usually this is not necessary.

My favorite solution for backing fabrics and binding fabrics is a 1:1 ratio of water to starch. I don't prewash piecing fabrics, so usually don't bother to starch those.

It really helps to have the starch dry before ironing, as then you don't have to worry about accidentally scorching the fabric or the bottom of your iron. Steam reactivates the starch.

I heavily starch backing fabrics and have had no problems using 505. I do use cotton batting or 80/20 batting. Have heard that polyester battings sometimes don't stick well.

Thanks! I use either cotton or 80/20, too. Do you starch your fabrics before you cut?

Absolutely. Starch stabilizes the fabric so it doesn't move when I cut. It also helps eliminate puckers when machine quilting.

Well, I'm game! I'll give it a try!

Starch, starch. starch!!!!

Reminds me of what my Mama told about Grandma many years ago. It was while Mama still lived at home and before she married Daddy. Mama said she had been having to do the laundry most of the time for the whole family and knew how to do it and how much starch (flour and water) to use.

But one day Grandma told her, "Now don't starch my underwear". Mama said it made her so mad, since Grandma knew she had been doing the washing for a long time. So Mama said she made the starch so thick and dipped Grandma's underwear in it and they would stand alone when they dried. Grandma never told her how to do the laundry anymore. Wonder why???? LOL

Totally not true, at least for me. I starch like crazy, use spray basting on both sides of the batting, and I hand baste. The spray basting is great; I love it.

And I starch my piecing fabric before cutting, too.

I'm game too. On to the store tomorrow.

:lol: :lol:

Hey Carrie I read somewhere on here how to make home made starch I bet it would really be inexpensive to make ;-)

I like the homemade Mary Ellen's that I learned about here. 2 ounces of vodka, couple drops of lavendar essential oil and fill the 16 ounce ME bottle with water.

I found the lavendar oil at Whole Foods and have requested my own bottle of cheap vodka for the sewing room LOL I have been making it with Sky Vodka and that could get a little expensive!!!

I now buy a huge jug at the supermarket and mix my own it was getting to expensive buying a bottle everytime. But oh my the ironing board cover get so stiff!

Just be careful when starching pieces that have been cut but not prewashed. I was doing a BOM from the LQS (supposedly high quality fabric) and when I starched one of the pieces it shriveled up right before my eyes---a lot!!
I ended up having to replace it with some fabric from my own stash. It was the only fabric from the package that did that and they never gave any extra.

Love my Mary Ellens!

So if you starch, then did I read somewhere that bugs like the starch? It seems like you'd need to wash the quilt immediately after finishing it since you now have a food product (cornstarch) on it.

Is this right? Can you store starched (for example, new, finished but not yet given away) quilts for a couple of years with no problems?

I love my starch !! I buy the concentrate .. much much cheaper than the spray. It is right up there as far as my favorite tool along with my rotary cutter.

I to love Best Press. I starch everything before cutting wet and have never had a problem.

You can make gallons of it for $1.78. Walmart Sta Flo. :thumbup:

has any one tried putting the fabric[ after starching] in the freezer?seems to help a lot w/ the ironing,& then you don't need be in a hurry to iron ,it won't dry out
dar

i learned the hard way to not starch after cutting....oh the shrinkage!!! haven't touched the stuff since

starch is awesome!Use it all the time

I put it in the dryer, but, only dry it until it is damp enough to iron. If you let it get "bone dry" you have waited too long.