Is there anything more organic than basting spray & a prewash question
11-11-2010, 11:06 AM
#1
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Seacoast New Hampshire
Posts: 1,178
Hi Everyone! How have you been? I haven't been here much over the last few months (did you notice? lol) because I haven't been doing any sewing whatsoever, but I have a grandson coming in a few weeks and figured I'd get back to it. I didn't realize how much I actually like to sew things!
Anyway, I don't want to run out to the store and was wondering if you have ever used something similar to basting spray to attach quilt layers.
Also, I typically pre-wash fabric but am wondering if this prewashing contributes to blocks becoming stretched during ironing and quilting. Do you notice a difference between quilts made with prewashed fabric vs unwashed fabric?
Thanks!
Anyway, I don't want to run out to the store and was wondering if you have ever used something similar to basting spray to attach quilt layers.
Also, I typically pre-wash fabric but am wondering if this prewashing contributes to blocks becoming stretched during ironing and quilting. Do you notice a difference between quilts made with prewashed fabric vs unwashed fabric?
Thanks!
11-11-2010, 11:49 AM
#2
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Camarillo, California
Posts: 35,242
I never pre-wash unless I am working with Flannel. Flannel shrinks so much and so differently for each piece.
I like working with the fabrics when they still have their sizing in them. My preference.
Many people on here pre-wash and then use starch.
I don't use a lot of starch, I have not had a much problelms with fabrics stretching.
I like working with the fabrics when they still have their sizing in them. My preference.
Many people on here pre-wash and then use starch.
I don't use a lot of starch, I have not had a much problelms with fabrics stretching.
11-11-2010, 01:37 PM
#7
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: East Central Wisconsin
Posts: 679
I saw on a video by Sharon Schamber that Elmer's School glue is really just a heavy starch-type product. Maybe mixing up a batch of heavy starch and using it in a spray bottle could help with basting. I think I'd put a few safety pins in, tho, just in case.
11-11-2010, 01:51 PM
#8
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
I don't prewash and the stabilizer in the fabric off the bolt helps keep it from distorting from cutting and piecing. If I do need to prewash a fabric (for example, to set the dye) then I starch it well before cutting.
You might want to search for a recent thread about a class from Kaye England (if my memory serves right). Apparently you can get less distortion by not ironing blocks while sewing! I haven't tried this yet, but plan to. Maybe someone has a link to that thread.....
For basting the layers, I don't think I'd risk a subsitute for spray starch. If I didn't have spray starch, I would pin or thread baste. I do use the washable Elmer's glue in teeny-tiny dots to get seams to match, but I would not want to try to use it to spray baste. And diluted starch by itself does not have enough power to hold layers together. I actually tried "glueing" two fabrics together with spray starch and it did not work at all.
You might want to search for a recent thread about a class from Kaye England (if my memory serves right). Apparently you can get less distortion by not ironing blocks while sewing! I haven't tried this yet, but plan to. Maybe someone has a link to that thread.....
For basting the layers, I don't think I'd risk a subsitute for spray starch. If I didn't have spray starch, I would pin or thread baste. I do use the washable Elmer's glue in teeny-tiny dots to get seams to match, but I would not want to try to use it to spray baste. And diluted starch by itself does not have enough power to hold layers together. I actually tried "glueing" two fabrics together with spray starch and it did not work at all.
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