Prism99

The only thing I can think of is that you are not allowing the starch enough time to soak in. You mentioned doing what fits on the ironing board; my bet is that a minute seems like a long time (and one minute might not be enough).

I would try spraying the wrong side of the entire fabric piece first, rolling it up to sit for half an hour to an hour, and then ironing. You could also try putting the roll of fabric inside a plastic bag and putting the plastic bag in the frig overnight.

White flakes means the starch is sitting on the surface of the fabric when you iron. If you don't want to use the above method, I'm thinking the suggestion to mist the fabric with water before spraying with starch might be very helpful. I would mist the entire yardage with water first. There is probably some surface tension on the fabric; using slightly damp fabric when you spray the starch on would likely help it be absorbed into the fabric instead of just sitting on top.

nana2

I have watched a lot of quilting shows and have heard that storage in plastic boxes and bags should only be for two years, max. I live in Houston, Texas --- a very humid area. I have a lot of fabric in plastic bags and plastic storage containers which are in a spare bedroom. I often rumage around in them and leave the tops off so I have not had any problems --- yet. Now we do run the A/C a lot of days --- not because the temperature is high --- but because the humidity is so high. Personally, I think anytime fabric are closed up in anything for a long period of time, they get a mildew smell. My sister in Austin, Texas (a really dry area) brought me some fabrics which had been stored several years. I let them air out for several days. Sometimes, I just want to give up on house work and do nothing but sew up all the fabric I have then I would not have to worry about storage.

pittsburgpam

I layed out the dahlia on the dining room rug over an old sheet. It's a very flat and dense rug and I can't iron right on the hardwood anyway. I pinned it at all the points and sprayed it with the starch.

It did really well. I did have a some fullness around the yellow fabric row (for some reason) and I was able to ease it out and then iron the heck out of it. I'm going to let it sit for awhile and maybe starch it again.

Thank you for the ideas and information.

Prism99

Wow, Pam, that's a beautiful dahlia!

Sally Dolin

You all know the answer already, putting the starch on the back of the fabric. I use a 50/50 mix and if it really needs to be stiff for one reason or another I just increase the level of starch. One thing I didn't see mentioned was the method of application we use. My partner and I sell pre-washed kits. The kits are pre-cut as well using our accucut machines so we need the fabric stable to assure correct cuts. We use a garden sprayer, the kind with the pump handle. Works like a dream. You will have to remove the diffuser at the opening if you leave the starch in the sprayer and just use a pin to clean out the dried starch. Since we usually wash and iron 30 yards at a time, we also roll and plastic bag the pieces and put them in the freezer. In the refrigerator, if you get busy and don't get to them they will mildew.

Also for detailed info on using starch to applique. Visit You tube and watch the Sharon Schaumber videos. She is wonderful

butterflywing

EEEEEK! now you tell me!

littlehud

That dahlia gets prettier every time I see it.

ewhughe1

I don't use starch. I cut the piece I am concerned with then cut fusible interfacing a 1/4" smaller press it to the back turn over and place it correctly, then applique it. Hope this helps. It is really worth the effort.

dlf0122quilting

I was told to be careful of using too much starch if you do not plan to wash your quilt because if you live in an area where silverfish are a problem, they love to eat the fabrics with spray starch in them. Has anyone ever heard anything about this or is it just some baloney thing?

rita222

I also use liquid spray starch. I believe you are making it too heavy. I usually use 2/3 water to 1/3 starch. I believe the reason you are getting flakes is because there is so much starch that hasn't disolved.