Starch Question
 

I've spent most of the day looking at old threads about starch and all it did was raise more questions. I recently discovered starch basting for EPP. Bought some Niagara spray, and like using it, except the smell of it (fresh Linen). If I was to change over to the Sta Flo, what would the ratio be to equal the Niagara?

I don't buy any of these & just use the powdered starch from the laundry section at the supermarket. Just a teaspoon in a 500ml spray bottle is a light starch, & if I need it thicker like a gel I will use more powder and cook it a bit. Virtually no smell and isn't as expensive.

I’ve been using niagara for fifty years, my mom & grandmother used it. I don’t buy one with fragrance added - yuk- I just buy the regular. The starch smell disappears immediately after spraying

I much prefer the Sta Flo starch, it's cheaper and goes a lot farther than a can of starch. The ratio I use is 50/50. The "proper" way to use starch is to starch at least 2 hours ahead of the time, throw it in a plastic bag, and let it sit, take it out, either line dry or throw in the dryer for a few minutes, then iron, have never had a problem with the iron getting all gunky, then, I do spray mist with water since I don't use the steam on my iron. If you just spray the starch, let it sit a minute, then iron, your iron will "gunk" up and you'll get flaking all over, that's because you're ironing the starch and not the fabric. You can even starch it and leave it in the bag for over a week, just be sure to put the bag in the refrigerator.

I like the 50/50 mix also. Sometimes I will add a little more starch. It depends on the project. Yes, as mentioned above, spray first and wait before you iron. For large pieces of fabric, I hang it over the shower rod and spray, let dry and then iron.

You would maybe have to experiment a bit. I would start with maybe 50/50 (just a tiny bit of each) and go from there. You might have to strengthen it a bit. Do you use a brush on the edges of the fabric, then iron over the papers? I haven't done this with EPP, but did it with "prepared" pieces for applique. Works great. Will have to try it for EPP. Good luck.

I bought a whole gallon of Best Press and it came in the Lavender scent, yuck! I'm using it up though but don't like the scented products either. I love Lavender but only in essential oil or from my Lavender plants.
I need to try using starch. I never have. Thanks for the post.

This is exactly what I do. It works better than regular basting IMO. First time I tried EPP, the papers would pop out after having to set the project down for a while. I also tried the glue stick method, but was having problems with it as well. This is working wonders for me.

I never use starch of any kind. Never had any problems not using it. Good luck.

When I am using starch for my appliqué, I use “sta-flo” liquid starch and use it full strength with a small paintbrush. I just iron my freezer paper to the back of my shape, paint on starch around the outside edge of the fabric and fold it over the edges of the freezer paper, and iron in place. When it cools, it will hold the shape when I remove the freezer paper, until I use Elmer’s school glue to paste in into place, iron again, and hand or machine stitch it down. They are pretty stiff, (but needle turn is too difficult for my clumsy hands), and all of the stiffness washes out.