Scorching is caused by the starch not being dry. Same with flaking, I think. I pretty much stay away from spray starch because I *always* seem to have my iron too hot and I *never* seem to wait long enough for the starch to be completely absorbed into the fabric before I iron. That's what makes a mess. (Usually the burn is just the starch; if you wash the fabric, the burned starch comes out.)

Anyway, it's not the fact that I use liquid Sta-Flo as my starch that eliminates the burning; it's the fact that I throw the saturated fabric into the dryer before I iron. The fabric has completely absorbed the starch and the starch is dry before I even begin to think about ironing. At that point I can iron away on the hottest setting with steam and never have a problem.

You guys are so funny!

I wanna say I joined this board 3 or 4 years ago...in that neighborhood. One of the first threads I read about was starch. Prism has answered the exact same way to every starch thread I've seen here. I know, because it's still printed out and stuck to the said of my laundry room.

I followed Prisms directions exactly. I LOVE how stiff my fabric comes out. I use a 1:1 solution and I use Sta-Flo as it's the only liquid starch available in my area. I find it's one of those must haves right up there with a sewing machine and rotary cutter. My cutting is more accurate, my piecing is accurate. I started using it because I was worried about my bias edges stretching cause I was a new quilter then. I use it the same way on every piece of fabric I buy. I never know when starting a project which ones I'm going to be using for triangles so I starch it all.

These are excellent directions.

I'm pretty new to quilting. . . what do you use starch on and why? What am I missing? I am hooked on quilting and love to read all the "how to's" I can get my hands on, but have not read anything about using starch on quilting fabric. Help an old dog out who is trying to learn new tricks.

Thanks for the tips, Prism! I will print and hang it in my laundry room too!

I want to thank you too Prism. I never thought of painting it on and drying it either. I, like Butterflywing have been doing yards of fabric too. But, instead of making my own from liquid I was using the spray (which I am sure has left a fine coating in my lungs by now.) When I did make my own from the liquid I would find that I always had my fabric too wet and it took FOREVER to iron dry. Eight yards of fabric that you have sprayed, folded, ironed over and over and it still isn't dry enough will make you looney. Not to mention by the time you are finished you feel you could be eligible to join the circus because of all the contortions you've had to do to wrangle it over the ironing board so many times. Heidi

Question for the ladies that starch then put in the dryer. Does the wet starch gunk up your dryer at all?

It doesn't seem to. I haven't had any problem with it.

If you do a search on "starch" on this forum (see blue option in header), I'm sure you will find a lot of threads that discuss its uses. Starch stabilizes fabric so it doesn't stretch and distort while you are working with it.

I use the heavy starching described in this thread for quilt backings and for bindings. Starched backings prevent puckers in the backing when I machine quilt. Starched binding keeps its shape and doesn't stretch when I am sewing it on. I also starch flannel fabrics heavily before cutting if I am piecing a top out of flannel -- makes piecing flannel much more accurate.

Many people use spray starch as they piece tops. I usually don't, but then I don't prewash my fabrics and there is some stiffness in them from the factory -- enough for my piecing needs, anyway. Plus I am a real klutz with spray starch.

Flannel is the only fabric I prewash. I prewash and dry it *twice*! It's also the only fabric that I use the 1:1 starch solution on before I ever start cutting it. The starch stabilizes the flannel so cutting and piecing are very accurate. Without starch, flannel tends to stretch and distort while you are working with it.

I haven't made a flannel rag quilt yet, but would like to. Not sure I'd bother to starch flannel for that kind of quilt because cutting and piecing accuracy are not at all critical to the pattern. For regular pieced flannel quilts, though -- and especially if the pieces are small -- I like to starch heavily before cutting.