Month two

[E.M. T.]

What is the vodka supposed to do?

Vodka has starch. You can make the spray with just vodka and water.
It presses really well, but I like a little more stiffness so I add a little liquid starch. You can also add several drops of essential oil and it will smell great.

Erica

[E.M. T.]

It enables you to iron for long periods of time other than that, it acts as a preservative.

Anything that helps me to iron for long periods of time gets my vote . Does it come with chocolate? :wink:

I have powder starch and the instructions on my tub for about a tbsp of powder is first mix in 1-2 tbsps of cold water, then add about 1/2 pint of boiling water, mix well then top up to 1 pint with cold. You need the boiling water to cook the starch and it will go mouldy - I left mine too long and it smelt yuck when ironed. Alternatively I believe that you could use rice water.

I suppose you could use a couple of drops of teatree oil in it for preserative - if you like the smell.

[E.M. T.]

Vodka...well, generally made from potatoes ? And there is chocolate vodka...think it'd work best in a glass ! :lol: hic !

[Beth A.]

In a 4 cup glass measuring cup, add:

1 tsp ordinary cooking cornstarch (NOT Sta Flo laundry starch)
(You can add a bit more or less, but if you get white flakes while ironing, you have added too much!)
1 c boiling water
Stir well til the mixture is translucent.
Add another 2 c cool water.
Stir well again.
Put into fine mist sprayer bottle.
Shake well before each use.
Use within 1 week or it will develop mold.
She says that this starch re-activates with a mist of water, so once your fabric is starched at the beginning of the project, you don't need to use more starch during construction - just mist with water.
She especially recommends starching logs for log cabin blocks, borders and quilt backings.

[Beth A.]

BTW, I was unable to find any Sta Flo powdered starch at Wal Mart around here (a suburb of Detroit). I guess starching is a lost art.

BethMI

[Margo C.]

BTW, I was unable to find any Sta Flo powdered starch at Wal Mart around here (a suburb of Detroit). I guess starching is a lost art.

BethMI

Sta Flo is not a powdered starch....it is liquid and comes in a jug.



You can order it on line: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...A&dur=3642

(It appears that it is not available on line from WalMart right now, but if you Google STA FLO, there are other suppliers.)

Check out this video from the manufacturer: http://www.staflostarch.com/

It explains why marks easily wash away on starched fabric. I've even marked an entire baby sized whole-cloth quilt with a graphite pencil (before I knew it may not come out) but because the fabric had been heavily starched, the marks all came out in the wash!

[Margo C.]

Finished Month two with striplate piecing.

[Beth A.]

Thanks, Margo - very interesting! Now I at least know what I am looking for.

BethMI

[Susan B.]

Finished Month two with striplate piecing.

Yeah! And what do you think? Will you use that technique again? If so, will you do a class for us?

[Susan B.]

Dear Sue,

It is quite a leap to suggest I could teach a class in striplate piecing. I also am comfortable with paper piecing and like the perfect result. For paper piecing, my samples would be perfect at every step. Now in striplate piecing, I have achieved good enough results -- perfect some of the time and good enough most of the time. Sewing the jagged sashing to the green and red-orange stripes, I can get the green points to show 97%, but my points are often not just showing but above the stripes 95% of the time. I am very happy, however, and getting better at getting them closer to the stripes.

I checked out your quilt gallery and love your quilts.

Carol

[Margo C.]

Finished Month two with striplate piecing.

Yeah! And what do you think? Will you use that technique again? If so, will you do a class for us?

Susan, I don't know if you are aware, or if it will be of any help to you, but there is a PDF posted in my classroom with instructions that explain some of the things I learned when I tried the Striplate method.

http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/image...supplement.pdf

[Rita C.]

Carol, I am wondering if doing the striplate method has tilted you at an angle permanently? :lol:

[Rita C.]

Yuk Yuk, you never know

[Rita C.]

:lol: :lol:

[Rita C.]

Perhaps she has 'leanings'....