Prism99

When you do machine applique it's best to have a stiff background; otherwise you are likely to get tunneling (especially if doing satin stitch) or distortion.

Think about appliqueing around a shape. When you sew on the lengthwise grain, the background fabric stretches very little, if at all. However, when sewing in a circle you will also be sewing on the crosswise grain and on variations of the bias. Fabric is stretchiest on the bias, and you will be sewing on the true bias 4 times going around a shape. In-between sewing on the true bias, you will be sewing on degrees of partial bias as well as on the crosswise grain and lengthwise grain. If the background fabric is not stiff, it will tend to distort a lot on the bias.

One method of stabilizing the background fabric is to use a stabilizer underneath. I eliminate this step by heavily starching the background fabric before cutting.

The first time I did machine applique I discovered the need to stabilize the background fabric. I was doing a large applique, and distortion shows up even more on large applique pieces. I didn't understand why, when I got to the end of my applique, I had a huge tuck in the background fabric and the piece wouldn't lie flat. It's because the background fabric had stretched along the bias directions when I sewed.

Snooze2978

I estimate how much fabric I'll need for the project plus a little more and starch it using a home made version of the Quilter's Moonshine recipe. I add extra liquid starch to my batch. I soak it in the sink, wring it out as best I can and then hang it over the sink to drip back into the pan. Once dry I'll spray with water to help release the wrinkles and press. I'm in the process of making a pressing station using a 2 ft x 4 ft board, batting and ticking fabric. Hopefully this will make it easier to press those larger pieces and quilts. I never wash my fabrics beforehand as when I dunk them into the starch I'll know if they're gong to bleed or not right then. I then try vinegar to stop the bleeding, blue Dawn dish soap and if that doesn't work then I'll bring out the bubble jet rinse to stop it.

Jeanette Frantz

I have recently (in the past 6 months or so) pieced two very large Log Cabin Quilts. On the first one, I starched (spray starch-Faultless). The second one (my avatar) I used no starch. Every piece of fabric in this quilt top has been pre-washed, and every piece of the shades of red have been treated for bleeding, after cutting a 6" long by 1/2" strip and putting it in a glass of hottest tap water. Without fail, every one of them did bleed. I had quite a bit of money invested in this quilt top, so I treated it with a dye setter product which definitely worked (I tested the fabric again after it was dryed and none of them continued to bleed). I did not find that the starch made piecing any easier to piece the blocks, and not starching takes a lot less time than starching. I did find, however, that the first Log Cabin Quilt I made using starch had to be washed before it was gifted. The size of the quilt required that I go to a laundromat with the very large front-loading machines and the cost is pretty high (but not as high as a repair on my machine at home if I used it). The quilt in my Avatar has remained quite clean, and I'm hopeful it won't need washing. The thing is, if it is helpful to you, then do what works for you. I've had problems with allergies to some detergents, resulting in rashes on my hands eventually leading to cracking open and bleeding (I use hand cream/lotion a LOT, but perhaps not enough). I cannot use Dawn DW liquid, and I don't get my hands into any laundry detergent. This problem may not plague you, so you have to do what works for you. We don't have any quilt police!

jmoore

I didn't use to starch at all, but after taking a quilting class this summer the instructor suggested we try starching our fabric before cutting and piecing on one of our next projects to see if it made a difference. Although I was only constructing a small Warm Wishes for a baby blanket I thought I would give it a whirl. I used Best Press (because that's what I had on hand)...voila! It made a noticeable difference, especially in my piecing and joining the WOF strips.

Geri B

Jeanette Franz- thanks for your practical experiment on starch vs. not......I test for bleeding the way you do too. Just a glass of hot water and a piece of suspected bleeder.......

Prism99. I don't machine applique using satin stitch much, so I may be way off, but you mentioned tunneling...could that be rectified by cutting out the background to a 1/4" seam after appliquing? When I do occasionally machine applique - not satin stitched however, I do trim that background fabric around from the backside...just to eliminate bulk and allow the appliquéd piece to lay flatter.......

tessagin

This is what I do. I pre wash because of the odor from the fabrics from the store and the gross things I've seen people do in stores with fabric on the bolt. Just proves a point you don't know who touched the fabric or what with it.[QUOTE=Jeanne S;7672429]I use the premium spray starch from the grocery store

eparys

I too use the non-aerosol Niagra spray but I cut it 50/50 with water. I am not a pre washer so just before I cut, I spray and iron what I need.

Mariah

I am not familiar with Best Press Where do you buy it?
Mariah

DebbieJJ

edited your quote (sorry about that) This is the way I do it. I'm lazy that way I guess......I figure that I'm only going to iron what I'll use.

grandmalittle

After using starch, do you wash the finished quilt?