The best tip I have found was from this site regarding home sewing machine quilting. It was to turn your machine 90 degrees while quilting for more control. I took this tip to my quilting buddies and they loved it! I told them I get all my best ideas here!

Does all that starching gunk up your iron?

I starch my fabric heavily and let it dry before ironing... I don't have any trouble with residue or flaking this way :D:D:D

I have restarched a block if it needs it too :wink:

OK, I am sure this will embarrass me for along time, but here it goes. How exactly do you starch? I bought Mary Ellen's Best Press and haven't been able to use it because I feel it just gets the fabric wet and sticky. Do I let it dry before I cut? How much do you add? And do you spray the full yard or whatever of the fabric before you cut?

Sorry to have hijacked your thread, but my seams sure could use some help :D

Candi, don't feel bad. I don't 'get' all this starching either. So, ditto your questions and repeat the one about gunking up the iron. I hand wash all my fabric before using, then iron it to get wrinkles out. Is this when it should be starched? Because I wash fabric first, I don't rewash after putting the top together. Would I need to do that to get the starch out? I guess I need a full tutorial on this subject.

I starch before I cut, after I sew, and I read to starch before quilting two or three times as it makes the fabric slide. Basically whenever I generally pressed, I now starch and press. I don't have a problem with crusty fabric. I am working on two quilts, one that I haven't prewashed the fabric and I still starch that one.

There is a starch you can make that contains vodaka that is suppose to work really well, I wish I could find it.

I was a bit embarrassed by my backs, but they look good now that I have started starching. It is a big difference, I was surprised.

I want to try turning the head 90'. Do you only do it when quilting or for general sewing?

I do a light starch before I cut the fabric when I am doing the first ironing, just to help get wrinkles out. I will spray a light mist of starch on the fabric, let it stand for about 15 seconds, then iron. Sometimes my iron will stick just a bit, but I just move it around and it is fine. You have to keep the iron on the fabric until the starch dries completely, that is the only way it will stiffen. If you have a particularly wet spot, just move the iron around over it a lot so you don't burn your fabric by keeping the iron in one spot too long.

Then I will cut all my pieces and start sewing them. I will sometimes do a light spray on the seams before I iron them open. Sometimes I don't because the starch from the pre-cutting is sometimes enough. Once the block is all put together I give it a final light mist of starch, iron it flat and then square it up.

If you are working on a project now, you can use starch at any stage, but at the very least you can starch your final blocks to get them nice and flat and be able to square them up nice.

Cheers!
Rachel

If you don't plan on washing the finished project sizing is better than starch. Starch will attrack critters if you are storing a quilt.

Am going to start starching on my next project. It sure sounds like it will make a difference! Love all the hints! :-)

How do you starch somebody asked? Here's my technique...Spritz lightly, wait a few seconds, press, repeat. I might do this 4-5 times to get a piece stiff.