Iceblossom

I use a very hot iron (cotton to linen setting) with steam, no starch. If I need it, I also have a spritzing bottle of water. While I consider preparing my fabric and pressing during the creation to be vital to my process, there are few things I hate more in life than having to iron large pieces of yardage. I'm not big on ironing at any time but piecing a quilt back is not one of my happy times.

As a prewasher, the big thing is to snatch them out of the dryer just before being dry to the bone.

kkranig

I have been trying to work on the 1st project in Quilters Academy Book 1. I started out using the steam and starch and following the directions but my pieces were ending up curved and I didnt care for the cardboard like feel. So, I decided to start all over. I didnt tear the fabric again. but recut my strips etc. I was using an almost 29 year old iron that was spitting out water and leaking big time. So I went and bought a new iron and an extra wide ironing board. (I was using a mat that you use one side to press and the other to cut for pressing). I did buy a Rowenta iron, the box says it does not leak. I only used the steam and starch to prep the fabric. And pressed dry. I am still really struggling. I got one set of strips to come out right. The ones with the dark to the outside, but the ones with the dark in the middle (pressing to the dark) are still not the right finished size. I cant tell you how many times I have ripped and resewed. I am beyond frustrated! So, I contacted a local gal that I have talked to about quilting before and who advised me to start with Eleanor Burns Log Cabin quilt. I am going to meet up with her this afternoon and take my fabric to her and she is going to help me get started on the Burns Log Cabin Quilt. I am also going to have her look at the strip that I was working on and see if she can figure out why it isn't coming out. Not fond of switching gears, but I have done it before. I may come back to the quilters academy down the line. Not sure yet.

sylviasmom

I would not tear 2.5 inches from each end. It is not necessary. Tear only on the edge where you will be cutting, 1/2 or an inch maybe. I tear only when I am making strips for binding as this keeps my binding from twisting. But do keep checking to be sure that your cuts are straight.

Cena

It's so interesting to me, as a newbie, the dividing lines in the 'quilting community'; prewash vs. no prewash, starch vs steam, tearing vs cutting. I'm sure there's more, but I can only read so much a day. Another example is your own, @Iceblossom - you posted in a different thread about pressing your seams open (vs. to the dark or whatever). In the seams example, you provided a convincing opinion and link to read further. I love that kind of thing! I don't have enough practical experience to really have an opinion, but as a beginner with an engineering mind, the 'pressing seams (not open) is a holdover from hand-stitching' seems a reasonable and compelling argument. Do you have reasons for preferring steam to starch?

@kkranig I'm sorry to hear how frustrated you are! Do you think it's an issue with the process as detailed in Quilter's Academy, or something else? You know, I've only found a few people online who've talked about working their way through the books, and to a person, they got partially through and then mysteriously vanished off the face of the earth (or their blog, at least). It made me wonder if Quilter's Academy is actually killing people, or just driving them insane, ha. I hope things go well for you this afternoon, and you'll let us know how it went!

Barb in Louisiana

Please don't get discouraged. New techniques are discovered all the time by people who don't follow the "rules". I started quilting and was using steam but found that it was changing my fabric and stretching it. I don't pre-wash, so there is no need to starch before I cut. The sizing keeps the fabric moderately stable.

After realizing that the steam was what was making my good block go bad....seams would move sideways, size would change, I decided to try the dry iron. It was a miracle for me.

Also, if you are a new quilter and sewer, I would suggest you do a simple quilt. Something like cut squares of fabric (could be anywhere from 3 inches to 10 inches, your choice) and arrange them pleasingly, then sew them together in rows, then sew the rows together. This will help you practice your 1/4 inch and this type quilt is very forgiving. As long as all your seams are the same you will get a good product and will feel very successful. That means a lot to me. If you start off having trouble matching your seams, then offset your blocks as in a brick wall type appearance.

This website uses rectangles to achieve the brick wall look. https://www.instructables.com/id/Wor...ck-Wall-Quilt/

Edited to add: Just saw that you had been doing some mug rugs and some paper piecing. The pattern I suggested is probably way too easy for you.
Good luck and remember, that we quilters as a whole are our own worst critics.

kkranig

I prefer the steam to starch to get seams, etc to lay flat because I don't like the feel of the starch. I have been doing the dry iron and only steam when absolutely necessary. I am going to try best press in the fabric prep process. I personally think that Quilter's Academy is not good for someone just starting out. She is very precise and if you are not fond of the starch and how stiff it makes things, then you may not like Quilters Academy. I think the Quilters Academy books would be good for an experienced quilter that wants to hone their skill, but I don't think its good for newbies. I met with the gal and we worked on pressing, cutting and even sewing. We just used scraps she had and started working sewing blocks together the Eleanor Burns way and I ended up with 3 blocks completed (We weren't using exact length of strips.) I am going to make them into a table runner. I am also going to make 2 more of these quilts for the practice. A lot of people have told me to start with her quilts. She has a very fast and very quick way of making her blocks. I ordered a few more of her books and I am going to stick with her for a while before I decide to move on. Because her patterns are very simple and forgiving, it will give me time to practice my cutting and 1/4 seam skills, while still making something productive. I feel much better and not so frustrated! Meeting with this gal really helped.

Iceblossom

Because I'm self-taught, I didn't know about starch for decades. I've tried it, I've examined the fabric of my friends who use starch, and they've examined my fabric. Most people are surprised to find that my fabric is prewashed and only ironed with no starch. Maybe I hate the ironing part because I'm so picky, but my fabric is crisp at the end of the process.

I don't like the smell or feel of any of the commercial products, some of my friends home concoctions are ok. Mostly vodka and water?? I just use water...

I typically have a short turn around between cutting and piecing and I keep my pieces very organized and flat while cutting and piecing, I use all sorts of things to organize them (plastic bags, plastic bins, safety pins, clothes pins) starting out with a project box. Everything gets put in the box and kept in the box! Recently I got some clips from the dollar store that I just love! They are rather large, heavy and bulky but they don't put lines in my fabric and hold 2 pieces as easily as 20+. 6 to a pack, highly recommended.