Wow, me, i iron for every stage so that the blocks meet. Maybe i should not do that, then i will not STRETCH them so much, even with the starch....hmmmmmm worth thinking about!
Thanks

I always press before sandwiching :)

This has been an interesting thread to read.

Definitely, yes. I press all through the process from after washing the fabric to piecing (never sew over an unpressed seam) to before sandwiching. I definitely iron the backing also.

Yes, most definitely, press, press, press.

Same here. My montra: sew press sew press ....
:)

How do you make cornstarch and water , how long doyoucook it? phill99

to make starch

how do you make starch with cornstartch and water and how long do you cook it? phill99

Yes at all steps :)

Yup, my system as well.. starch & press.. This is where i find all my 'oops' before i sandwich them.. Well maybe not all but most anyway.. ..

I press each step. The last pressing, and the most difficult, is the pressing just before sandwiching. I have a regular ironing board. I just want to be sure that all seams are pressed the best that they can be. After that, all it gets is hand smoothing.
I don't use starch because I find that it wrinkles less when no starch is used.

I am a presser too.From each individual seam to the loading on the longarm. When paperpiecing I also have the mini iron to press those seams with. To me they lay so much better and very seldmom have to block for size. When quilting on the long arm Every top and back will get a press before loading(they lay so much nicer aven tho they get a touch of stretch) One of the first quilts I quilted I had not and when it came off the long arm you could still see the fold down the center.From the point on I press one and all and everything in between.

Yes, I do iron my tops before quilting. If you are going to stitch in the ditch with your walking foot or even free motion, you want to make sure your seams are pressed the correct way.

Kim

Yes, I press at all stages!

I also grew up making my own clothes and pressing every seam. I just finished a quilt and starched and pressed the fabric before cutting and starched and pressed every seam as it was sewn. My corners were so easy to match and by the time the top was finished it was all starched and pressed. It was so easy to LAQ yesterday that all my quilts will be starched and pressed like this.

always

I press all steps of the process. It mkes my seams easier to match, lets the seams lay flat, gives me a true measurement for adding borders. Yes it is hard to press finished quilt top befor sandwiching but it makes it easier to pin and end result will have less wrinkles. I also ppress the backing. If you press as you go then you do not have to press each seam before sandwiching.

Ipress as I go along and also at the end. Less chance of wrinkles at the end before I sandwich.

Sometimes I iron, sometimes I do not.

hi everyone how are you today? well i have a problem i am making a king size quilt and really dont have the room to spread it outand to get around it to put the needles in to it then i am worry about how i will get it into my machine to put it together help linda marshall

I always iron everything. That is how I was taught to do it but I also agree that it helps to spot items that can be corrected before you put the quilt together. Also, it does lay flatter and makes putting everything together easier.

Yup, always press, from start to finish. Press all seams as I stitch and a final pressing when the top is completed. I also press the backing and the batting.

Agree, ironing is a friend and starching or sizing sprays helps quilt to lay flat, which is much better for the quilting process.

http://www.ashleys.net/recipes/Starch.htm
I am not affiliated with the above site but it has the portions of cornstarch and water to mix and cook to make homemade clothing starch.

steam or dry?

Much as I HATE ironing, I iron as I go along and just before the quilt is ready for sandwiching. I've never made a king size quilt so I don't know how I'd handle that but anything else I can manage with my Big Board on the bed (don't own an ironing board).

Always set seams first,, press after every step. Works well for me.Pressing helps with squaring the blocks.

I press at each step, and then when it is done.

Ditto. The larger ones are a pain in the you know what to move around and the part that you just ironed gets wrinkled again.

Kyia

I am an ironing bug and keep the iron and ironing board right next to the sewing machine. Everything gets ironed. It makes it look neater but it also shows if there are any snags or extra folds in the pattern that was mistakenly sewn.

As above, I press everything
:thumbup:

I might have a touch of OCD -

That last pressing - I press the back AND the front.

The back to check for stitching of the seams, the way the seams lay, loose threads, etc. The front to make sure there are no "pleats" by the seam lines.

Yes, I have my iron set up on machine-level to the right of my machine. I sew, snip, press, sew snip press.I starch everything, as it helps to keep things straight and flat. All the handling makes the starch really valuable to me.
I also have a template of the pattern to measure against as I go, so the design doesn't get lopsided.
Now, I am piecing a quilt that someone else cut tthe squares, that I bought at a yard sale. They are supposed to be 2-inch squares. I have found they are off as much as 1/8, but I compensate with the seam allowance. I press everything toward the dark colors, and trim threads as I go.
I want my quilts to start very flat! And let the quilting do the puffing.

Oh yes, front and back. The only hassle I have is my iron automatically shuts off at 30 minutes, and I have to unplug and replug it to get going again. I am going to get a timer.

Yes I do...making sure I can press as many seams as I can in the same direction...then for added insurance I also sew a 1/4 inch running stitch all the way around my quilt...just so the seams won't pop open as I hold it up to admire it... :)

Aren't those modern irons a crock. It's nice that they shut off to save on electricity, but there should be a way that we can set it when we want continuous heat. Recently I purchased a very inexpensive iron that had no "features." I haven't used it yet.

I do. I probably iron too much but I want to make sure everything lays as flat as possible before quilting.

What is Best Press?

It is a "clear crisp starch with a lovely scent that makes ironing more enjoyable. It's in a non-aerosol can, so it's environmentally-friendly and you can see how much is left, too. There's no flaking, clogging, or white residue on dark fabrics. A special stain shield protects fabrics, and the product helps resist wrinkles. Best of all, it's more effective than any starch you've ever used. 16.9 oz. spray bottle, $7.95, in your choice of Lavender Fields, Citrus Grove, Caribbean Beach, Cherry Blossom, Scent-Free, and NEW Tea Rose Garden!" Most quilt shops sell it, both box and online! http://www.maryellenproducts.com/Bes...ternative.html

i take mine to the cleaners and have it cleaned and pressed