Peckish

My grandmother's recipe was corn starch and water, cooked on the stove until it wasn't cloudy anymore. I don't know if there was anything else in the recipe, and I don't know the amounts of each ingredient, sadly. I'm sure there's info on the interwebs somewhere, I just haven't bothered to look.

Keep in mind if you use vodka or any other kind of distilled spirit, there IS NO STARCH in that mixture unless you add it in yourself. The starches in the original mash are removed during the distillation process; the starch is basically eaten and fermented by the yeast. However, you can make scented pressing sprays with vodka. Mark Lipinski published a lavender-scented fabric spray that was vodka, water, and lavender essential oil. Very nice on sheets - not that I press my sheets, lol. I just spritz the spray on the sheets and hang in the sun to dry.

ibex94

awww man... I was hoping to enjoy vodka fumes as I ironed. Oh well.

Onebyone

do you think her powdered starch was cornstarch?

There were two brands of powder starch she used. One was ARGO. I guess whatever the store had at the time. .Argo is still available but expensive. Ugh. I don't know how it differs from ARGO cornstarch but it says glossy laundry starch on the box.

Minnesewta-sam

I bought two jugs at our local small town grocery store yesterday for $4.79 at regular price. There are two more jugs still there. Thanks for the confirmation heads up on this product.

SueZQ from MN

[QUOTE=ibex94;8650641]I don't think my grandmothers ironed and I have no idea what my great-grandmother's did.

Back when I was a child in the 50s, everyone I knew ironed and cooked their own starch concoction. They washed clothes on Mondays and ironed on Tues. religiously as if it was some kind of law. haha Every yard had a big clothesline and bag filled with clothespins. A lot of the things were sprinkled as they were taken off the line and placed in the refrig overnight to be ironed the next day. I remember my mon starching my layers and layers of petticoats and laying them out in the grass to dry. They were so stiff that they would stand up by themselves!!!

Onebyone

I remember my mon starching my layers and layers of petticoats and laying them out in the grass to dry. They were so stiff that they would stand up by themselves!!!

Yes! and mine did stick out straight. It was hard to sit down or even look down as my hair was pulled into braids or pony tail so tight. Black patent shinny shoes with lace trimmed socks. I use to cry when I had to get dressed to go anywhere.

Snooze2978

I was able to pick up 3 bottles of the Sta Flo just before it was annouced here that it was coming off the shelves. Walmart no longer is selling it on the shelves or online as I checked. I mentioned this to a friend of mine that also makes quilts and she says she's been using 1/2 Vodka with 1/2 water and it gives just enough to give her fabrics some body. I might have to go back to using the Vodka with my Sta Flo to make it last longer. I checked on Amazon and they were charging $65 for a gallon of Sta Flo, highway robbery it sounds like to me so I won't be buying from them. I also looked online to see how our grandmother's made their starch so if I have to, I'll try that once I finally run out completely.

Onebyone

There are other brands of liquid and powder starch but cost much more then Sta Flo and not on grocery shelves.

Snooze2978

I'd mentioned I'd picked up 3 bottles of Sta Flo starch before it was mentioned here that they were no longer going to make it. Went back to Walmart to see if they had anymore but they didn't including online. I found some on Amazon for $65 for a gallon which is highway robbery if you ask me so didn't order any. Yesterday I went to one of our family owned grocery stores and by gosh I found 3 bottles on their shelves and grabbed them. Went to the back to ask if they had any more and they said no. Found the Manager and told him that it's no longer made in case he wasn't aware of it. So now I have 6 bottles in my stash.

Had lunch with a friend the other day and mentioned to her about Star Flo no longer being available and she said she's been using 1/2 water to 1/2 Vodka. It doesn't make the fabric stiff by any means but does give it some body. I may have to start adding the cheap Vodka again to my starch/water mixture just to make it last longer.

KalamaQuilts

i use about a gallon every 3 months, at a 50/50 ratio. a few months ago on the designers instruction i soaked a panel in 50/50 and hung it to dry before pressing ang cutting apart. i poured the excess back, so i guess there wasnt waste but the fabric wasnt nearly as stable as when i starch with my mister.

in our travels this spring weve kept our eyes peeled at every grocery weve been in and picked up 3 more gallons. not much of a stash.they were all under 4 bucks a gallon.

anyway my query is anyone diluted Terial Magic 50/50?
ill probably end up cooking my own starch, it isnt a big project, but playing with portions to get my favored result is striking me as a pain...