JUNEC

I know that everyone has worn out the subject of Starching Fabric.....
But here is another question/problem.

I read about starching fabric before cutting it helps with keeping your fabric from warping & makes it cut easier...

After going through many cans of spray starch, I purchased a bottle of liquid starch (STA-GO)- I mixed it to medium strength - 6 c starch to 1 cup water. It's in a plastic spray bottle - which I shake before using so..

Why am I getting (1) white flakes showing up on my fabric, (2) is the starch sticking to my iron & (3) and messy teflon ironing board cover.

I went to Joann's and purchased the iron cleaner (worked great) - have scrubbed off the starch from the ironing board cover, but what am I doing wrong??

I used tap water to mix the starch, should I have used dis-stilled water? I know the ironing god (please note small "g") hates me, because he knows I hate ironing but...

Please help -

amma

I let the starch completely dry before ironing, and never have trouble with flaking :D:D:D

quiltbugs

Do you mean Stay Flo?
Medium mixture is one half cup of Stay Flo to 4 cups of water, I think..are you sure you are making the right combo of starch and water?

hazeljane

I was going to say the same- you are using way too much starch and not enough water. I mix about 4 parts water to 1 part starch for stiff, and a about half that for medium. Also, I let it sink into the fabric for about 30 seconds or so before ironing. (You can also add a few drops of lavender essential oil to the mix and your fabric will smell heavenly as you iron and sew.)

phatquilts

I can not help you with starch because just use the Magic Sizing already to use in a spray can. Good Luck in getting it all removed from your iron.

Lori S

You need to let it fully saturate the fabric. If you can not let it sit and dry completely , then at least let it sit for 15 minutes. The problem is that the starch is not "in" your fabric it is just sitting on top , hence the flaking. I get the best results by letting it dry completely, it stiffer, no flakes and none on the iron.

knlsmith

Yup, starch too thick and let it soak in for 10 to 15 minutes. I'm impatient so 5 minutes for me. Lol. And don't worry, the flakes will wash out after you are all done. I did the same thing when I first started. Scary, but this board is a life saver! :)

lab fairy

I would also suggest that you cover your ironing surface with an old (or ugly) piece of cotton fabric that you can take off and wash after a rigorous starching session. I serged the edges of mine (an old piece of muslin) but you can easily pink or run a quick simple hem to prevent raveling when you wash it. I use mine over and over. This saves you the trouble of having to scrub your ironing board in the future.

AnitaGrossmanSolomon

When using spray starch, 'heat' the fabric with the iron and then apply the starch. Warm fabric absorbs starch more readily.

I recommend spraying the wrong side of the fabric if you get white flakes. I avoid white flakes because I use an old, dry (not steam) iron that gets HOT HOT HOT.

This web page has some of my starch thoughts. It's not for everyone but for machine piecers to consider.
http://www.marcusbrothers.com/featur...ossman_solomon

gale

For the iron, I have found that straight vinegar works pretty good for cleaning off the burnt starch.