Pressing Strip Sets
 

I have started another quilt, one that has many strip sets (3 strips each 1.5")....all needing pressed and then cut down to size, either 6.5" or 1.5"....my question is how exactly do you press them (adding spray starch) and keep them straight?....mine always seem to end up with bows in them, requiring me to either repress, or cut a few sections, then straighten against the line again.....HELP ME!....if I thought I could add a straight line to my ironing board without causing more problems I would....LOL....I can see an ink/marker line that transfers to the fabric, not a good scenario(:.....what tips or hints can you share with me?

I actually used a permanant marker and drew a straight line with my ruler on my ironing board to help me with the pressing of my strip sets. Just remember to press and not iron - that helps a lot.

Be sure to set your seam first, that is put your hot iron on the seam before you open it, I just press, not back and forth but up and down to the end of the seam. Then lift one side of fabrics run your iron tip along the seam, this irons your seam to one side; I usually press to the darker side if at all possible.

Sometimes I use spray starch and sometimes not, just according to the fabric and how it behaves.

Good luck,

delma

I use a strip stick. You can probably make your own with half round and some thin batting and muslin. I bought mine at a quilt show though. It shows them pressing the seams open but with a little practice you can also use it to press seams to one side and they come out nice and straight. When you use it to press seams open you do it from the back side and when you use it to press seams to one side you do it from the right side.

http://thestripstick.com/

Everybody else is going to tell you you have to sew them from opposite ends and that'll solve your problem. It might help some but the real problem is in the pressing.

You can draw a line on your ironing board cover with a Sharpie permanent marker; won't transfer to fabric.

Lots of pressing tips from Quilt University.
http://www.quiltuniversity.com/pressing_tips.htm

I press the seam of every two strips before I add the units together. I also lay the strip set across the ironing board, not along it, keep the iron parallel to the seams, never tug on anything and never iron, just press. I 'almost' never have bowed strata.

3 things that help me with keeping strip sets straight: (1) always set the seam; (2) PRESS, don't iron; and (3) I lay the strip sets crosswise on the ironing board, so I'm only pressing a small section of the set at one time, then gently move it along. I found that when I laid them out lengthwise on the ironing board I always ended up with the strip set having a bow or curve, and then sub-cutting it is a mess. I actually think that a strip set with three or more strips is easier to keep straight than one with only two strips...

I saw that demonstrated at the DesMoines show last week ... looked interesting .. and easy to make myself :)

To the OP ... I have found that I'm much less likely to bow my strip while ironing if I press my seams open, than if I press to one side. I'm becoming a bigger fan of pressing open.

easy for me. My ironing board cover has stripes on it so I just line it up. lol
Syl