TO STARCH OR NOT TO STARCH .. THAT IS THE QUESTION

[Annette R.]

I am working on a UFO ... a complex pattern that is basically square in a square sashed next to half square triangles. I started the project two years ago and it has lived in a box til yesterday when I took it out and started working on it again. There are a lot of workmanship issue that I had to solve along the way since I took classes and actually improved my piecing technique. I am now ready to square up all the blocks to the correct size. I do not know how but all the blocks got limp and slightly frayed just laying around in the box. I know I had pressed the blocks at each stage of construction but you sure would not believe it looking at these wimpy little blocks. ( I USED QUILT SHOP QUALITY FABRIC.) The problem is in the ironing techniques.


My question is should I re- starch the blocks when I press them prior to squaring the blocks and sashing them?

Should I starch the block prior to assembly into rows.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK... IF you have any other tips please let me know of them.

Thanks.... Consider this a rescue mission... my poor blocks need to be rescued and so does my sanity.

[Beth A.]

I like to use Magic Spray Sizing when I piece because it makes the blocks so crisp that it can be like sewing paper together - no stretching! Plus, when I go to quilt the piece, the sizing lets the fabric slide easily under the presser foot.

Hand piecers like their fabric "au naturel," but I think that machine piecing is MUCH easier with crisp fabric.

BethMI

[Cheryl K.]

Yes, I have become a convert to staching my quilt blocks as I go along. I use Diane Gaudynski's home made corn starch recipe given on her website. Check out her monthly Tips as they are great!

To avoid starch build up on my iron, I generally spray the pieces and then let the starch have a minute to soak in the fabric before I start to press. AND I found out that spraying from the back of the block works for me. I press the seams as they were sewn first then turn the block over to finish, laying the seam in my preferred direction. When sewing blocks to sashings or borders, I wait to starch the strip after it is pieced to the block.

Eventually, there will be a bit of starch on the iron and I just take a vinegar soaked washcloth and scrub off the stuff when the iron is cooled.

I really would love to have DG profiled on a TQS show! Her quilts are amazing.

[Cheryl K.]

This quilt was started several years ago... since I had never taken a quilt class I did not know how to cut the blocks out correctly so yes I have bias everything.

The really bad blocks are being recycled / re cut for a different quilt. I must have hundreds of triangles that are just toooo bad to use as is. I have a second guilt going that I paper piece the triangles to give the blocks stability. That seems to be working. I have promised my DH I would finish some of the projects/ UFO I have been working on before I cut out any more quilts... I keep my UFO stacked in sweater boxes and they are pretty much everywhere.

Right now I have 4 quilts going in different levels of finishing. I rotate the projects so they may all finish at the same time. It depends upon what I feel like doing as to what gets worked on next.


I just can not understand why my blocks look raggy when everyone elses at the quilt retreat look so pretty and nice and neat. I spray starch everything... Heavy Duty, Magic Sizing, Best Press I have tried them all and they do not keep the blocks pressed, I usually find I have to re starch and re press before I sew and even then I am not sure.


Have a great sewing day , and thanks for your help... Starch will be my new BEST FRIEND on this crazy quilt. I press onward in my ATTEMPT to make perfect quilt blocks.

[Cheryl K.]

None of the starches will keep your block crisp indefinitely, particularly if it's humid...but the crispness returns when you press the blocks again. I always use starch; it simplifies construction and greatly reduces unwanted stretching as you sew.

I starch fabric before I cut it (if it's a large piece, just starch the part you plan to cut). Spray one side, then flip it over and iron from the other side -- no waiting, flaking or sticking. I use starch again as I press block units and blocks. My accuracy has improved a great deal using starch! If blocks you've sprayed with starch tend to stick to your iron, you can press them first quickly from the back, then again from the front; or cover them before ironing with a piece of muslin or thin paper (I have a box of cheap 12x12 "sandwich wrap" that's good for this).

Also, starch is your best friend if you're doing what I call "creative pressing" -- easing slightly out-of-shape or too-small blocks into the correct configuration with your iron. Spray the block with starch, then gently pull and press it into shape; let it cool before moving. It's sometimes helpful first to draw the correct block size on your ironing board cover with pencil & ruler (if you don't mind lines on your cover).

I've used Diane Gaudynski's recipe, but find I prefer using the liquid starch (available at most grocery stores), which you just dilute with water. It's easier, and stores at room temperature without problems. Mix up a strong concentration and use a regular spray bottle.

I make extra covers for my ironing board from worn-out sheets (though you could use any cotton fabric). I put them on over the regular, padded cover. When they get coated with starch, I just pull them off and toss them in the wash. I have a couple, so I can put a new one on as soon as I take the old one off. This way I never have to iron on a grungy-looking, scorched-starch surface.

[Cheryl K.]

I admit, my mom taught me to sew but not to iron! Thru my quilting years, I've learned the difference between ironing and pressing, but now I'm delving into this world of starch...
up until now it was confined to the applique circles , thus didn't involve spraying!
First, let me say that I've been to THREE grocery stores & not yet found liquid starch, the closest I found was non-aerosol but it doesn't seem very heavy, so I might have to go back to heavy spray starch. My trouble now is the flaking... I'll try your flip method Jan & hope that helps, but here's the question: Since I'm planning to wash the final quilt, and have pre-washed all the fabrics, will the flaking, etc. HURT the finished product?
Florence

[Cheryl K.]

Hi Florence:

You're right, the liquid starch isn't available everywhere! (who starches anything nowadays -- besides the occasional quilter, that is?). Just keep looking; it should turn up somewhere, or perhaps a kindly store manager would order it for you. You might try larger drugstore chains (Longs, Walgreens, CVS etc.) -- they sometimes have offbeat household items -- or maybe someplace like Wal-Mart might have it. I found mine (Sta-Flo brand; comes in a light blue plastic jug) at a grocery store. You could doubtless find it online!

I'm glad you're not one of those folks afeared of washing their quilts! Washing a finished quilt removes even heavy applications of starch (including accumulated flaking), as well as washable marking pen lines & other general grime the quilt might have acquired during construction and handling. Washing also softens the quilt, & provides an opportunity (when drying) to block it into shape (especially helpful if your quilt doesn't end up quite as square as you'd like, or if it will be hung on a wall and you want it to hang really straight).

The main problem with starch flaking is that (besides being annoying & SO unsightly!), it usually accompanies buildup on your iron. But this comes off easily with a good iron cleaner (I like EZ-Off the best). Diane Gaudynski says she uses white vinegar, but I couldn't get that to work for me.

[Cheryl K.]

My name is Betty and I'm a starch-a-holic. For all the afore mentioned reasons. I starch only the fabric I am about to use.I spray from the back and then crumple the fabric into a wad and make sure the starch is soaked into the fibers. I then stretch it on grain to straighten it and press. No flakes or build up on the iron. Betty Ann

[Cheryl K.]

Do you starch after you cut or before you cut your fabric?

[Margo C.]

Do you starch after you cut or before you cut your fabric?

Starch BEFORE you cut. I cut a hunk of fabric slightly larger than the finished piece, then starch, iron dry, then cut the final shape. Like Jan (leafy) I really like the Sta-Flo brand. It is hard to find, but my local Wal-Mart and Family Dollar carries it. This is what to look for:

http://www.dialdmd.com/index.cfm?page_id=55

I mix it 1/2 & 1/2 with water in a spray bottle, and only starch the fabric when I'm ready to use it. I often lay a beach towel on the floor and starch a lot of pieces at one time. I spray them all at once and let the starch soak in as I'm pressing them dry one at a time, or let them sit and air dry then iron with a hot dry iron to get them flat. I think the second way causes less distortion than ironing the wet fabric, but oftentimes I'm too impatient to wait!

When I have to starch yardage, I'll soak it in the sink with water and starch, gently squeeze out the excess, then hang it on plastic coat hangers to dry overnight before I try to iron it. Really big pieces get hung in the shower so I don't have to deal with the drips.

LadyRags, if you starched your blocks when you first made them, you might be able to revive the starch with a steam iron. Just be careful that you don't distort the shape. Lay them flat and PRESS with a shot of steam.

[Margo C.]

Thanks Margo. Great tips. I really have a hard time dealing with large yardages, my space is limited, so I usually try to figure out how to cut it smaller and not waste any fabric. I had tried starching after cutting, but, was definitely seeing too much distortion.

[Lynn K.]

I just heard about a new starch that isn't really a starch at Carol Bryer Fallert's class today. It also comes without a scent which is great for some folks.

I will get the name tomorrow as I have another class with her.

[Diane O.]

If you are talking about Mary Ellens Best Press, it is fantastic stuff. I use it instead of starch. While it may cost more than starch, it smells a lot better, and it doesn't flake like starch does.

Diane in Colorado Springs

[Lynn K.]

Yes, it is Mary Ellens Starch. But they have un-scented now!

[Julia L.]

Lynn,you are taking a class from Carol B. Fallert?Where are you?I'm so jealous(yet so happy for you! lol). Can Mary Ellen's best press be used for clothes as well? Julie