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Originally Posted by tallchick
(Post 8196063)
I have had that happen as well and this is why the only precuts I buy now are fat quarter bundles, since I’m a starcher and presser before I start any project, it was a expensive lesson learned, I feel your pain!
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I have just finished a top made from a layer cake, it was a miserable experience. I will never buy another pre-cut smaller than a Fat qtr. Wonky edges, pinked edges, wonky shrinkage. Never, never, never again.
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I buy and starch pre-cuts (except for the tiny ones).
Shrinkage is not a problem. If it's a layer cake I just plan for a 9.5" square. If it's a charm pack, I plan for 4.5" square. I usually cut them into smaller pieces anyway. When you buy a FQ or yardage, you still have to trim. So, what's different with pre-cuts? |
I try to press my fabric before it is cut. I once cut some squares to make half square triangles. I decided to starch the heck out of them because the method I was using had me working with bias edges. Big mistake as I shrunk my squares (and couldn't use them for this project). So now I do any pressing/starching before any cutting. After that, no steam, no starch, light pressing of seams only.
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My layer cake was perfectly cut, it just shrunk in one direction. It won't stop me from buying precuts if they are on sale low enough, but I will continue to wash them. I had the experience of one fabric shrinking as I pressed a stack of finished blocks which made me a dedicated prewasher. I always prewashed for many reasons, but now I am much more careful to not let anything get by me. I like my finished quilt smoother than some people do so it matters to me.
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Thank you!
Originally Posted by Peckish
(Post 8196670)
No, it is a starch. Calling it a "starch alternative" doesn't mean it's not starch, it means it's an alternative to the traditional starches such as Sta-Flo and Niagra. It is simply a marketing ploy. They do clarify it so it's clear, add surfactants that help it sink into the fabric clearer, and make it smell pretty. The bottle that I have states very clearly it is starch, and if you do a Google search for Best Press MSDS, you will see that it is listed as a starch.
MSDS = Material Safety Data Sheet. Required of manufacturers by the federal government for any solution, solvent, etc. |
Measure all your squares before you cut or starch. They may not be equal to start. The manufacturer told me they are meant to be trimmed down when I complained. Mine measured anywhere from 9.7/8 to 10.1/4. I did not realize the differences until I cut and snowballed the corners and nothing was matching. I measured the squares I had left and many were not 10". If you are soaking the pieces with best press, they also could be shriking.
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