RosaSharon

I do something I said I would never ever do! Here it is. Cheap, easy, very effective. I mix Sta-Flo with distilled water, and put the mixture into a blue spray bottle I bought from amazon. It has a fine mist, no drips. The directions are on the jug of Sta-Flo for light, medium or heavy starching. I use the light. I buy my Sta-Flo from Wally World. (Walmart to some people.)

Peckish

I mean exactly that - don't press it in half (lengthwise). Just fold it, align the raw edges with the raw edge of the quilt, and sew it on, just as you normally would.

Think about a running track. The inner lane of the track is not as long as the outer lane of the track, correct? Now envision your binding as the track, going around the edge of the quilt. The inner part of the binding is going to be shorter than the outer part, and ironing a crease in it doesn't allow the fabric to adjust. If you don't press it, the fabric is free to shift and adjust to best fit around that U curve. It seems like a very small thing, but the width of a couple of threads makes a huge difference. That's why we use a "scant" quarter inch seam, right? If you don't press your binding, it will lay much nicer, flatter, and fuller on the edge of the quilt.

Fizzle

Who knew there were so many uses for Vodka? We ran it through our new Keurig to get rid of the plastic taste. I also used it in the bathroom to get out toilet ring ( don't think it worked that good but it was fun trying it). And in a spray bottle mixed with Dawn and water to make the granite counter tops shine!

lzeider

Flatter is sure expensive. I will stick with laying a square ruler on top after pressing until fabric cools.

jokir44

I don't use steam until I have the top together or at least half of it. Also, when ironing a seam and you may have been too aggressive or one of your fabric is a little thin you can see the seam imprint on the front. If that happens just run a damp finger over the mark, slip a piece of cardboard under the seam edge and repress. The line will be gone. This is something I learned in dressmaking.

Onebyone

I don't press my binding in half either. I did it once and thought well that is a big waste of time for what? I never thought about the inside curve but it makes sense. I don't sew my binding strips on the diagonal either. I do straight across joining. Can't tell a bit of difference on narrow binding. Lately I have been doing wide binding so I match up the fabric pattern strip joins, using sewing straight across binding. I rethink all the detail fussy work many say has to be done when it clearly doesn't make any difference.

OhCanada

I make my own starch as well, with boiled water and cornstarch. It works better than the commercial spray starch I was buying at $5-6 a can. I’ve never used Best Press, so not sure how my homemade concoction compares to it.

OhCanada

The recipe I use is simple:

1. Mix 1/4 c. Argo corn starch into 1/2 c. cold water
2. Stir in 4 c. of boiling water
3. Mix and cool

I put it in a spray bottle. To prevent starch build up on your iron, allow 5 minutes to pass after spraying your fabric, to allow the starch to penetrate, then flip your fabric over and iron. Some people also put a piece of parchment paper between the starched fabric and iron. I find this gives me a nice crisp fabric. I guess you could starch both sides if you wanted it even crisper, or increase the amount of cornstarch. I don’t get any flaking at all.

letawellman

It's a struggle for me as well. That is one of the areas of my craft that seems to elude me. No matter how much I tell myself "Press! Not iron!" I still find myself being aggressive on the ironing board!


Starch is a good help, especially when dealing with 60 degree angles (stars, and diamonds). I use whatever I can find in my small town - usually it's the aerosol "Niagra" starch. I haven't tried the Best Press yet, nor the vodka.

Jan, thanks for the comments on not using the side of the iron - that too may be one of my ironing faux pas culprits.

I saw a post today for the first time about the wool pressing pads. They're made from alpaca wool. I might tell hubby that's what I want for our anniversary coming up in April.

Sandygirl

What is the advantage?

sandy