To starch or not

[knitnoid]

When I first started sewing, I was told you always prewashed your fabric, to 1) to check for fading, 2) shrink it and 3) to get the sizing out so you didn't gunk you your machine.

Well times have changed. I still prewash the vast majority of my fabric for reasons #1 & 2, but now I actually starch my fabric. I made the mistake(?) of washing the fabric I was using for my Stack & Whack quilt and was having an awful time getting the kalidescope block to go together. Someone suggested starching the fabric and it made all the difference in the world. I don't always starch (old habits die hard), but when I remember, it makes a world of differece when there are bias edges.

Pam in KC

[CoyoteQuilts]

Has anyone used that new non-aerosol starch that is on many quilting sites the past month or so?

[Cathy32078]

Coyotequilts, No I haven't seen or heard of it before. Do you know the brand of it? I wonder if ir would wet the fabric too much? At least with the aerosol it comes out in a fine mist spray. But it would be cleaner to use than an aerosol too. I'd like to try it.

[gardenquilter]

it really does help with those bias edges even if the fabric has not been prewashed it still helps with those bias edges

[gardenquilter]

does any make theit own startch

[Evie]

I just bought some of Mary Ellen's (Tip of the Day) Best Press, The Clear Starch Alternative, with soil guard and wrinkle resister.

It smells really good. I used it on the Christmas fabric for the jelly roll swap. Feels like new again even though I've washed and dried the fabric.

I bought it at the LQS. You might be able to find it on line. It's a new product.

[HERTA]

Help, something that has been bothering me for a long time, I love to starch most everything, but my dilemma is, the iron will always have some of the starch on it after I am done ironing, but after cleaning the iron, there will always be some tiny scratches on it, you might not see the scratches, but over time it gets rusty and I have to throw it away, I cant tell you how many irons I have tossed in the garbage because of the spray starch, but I love the looks after I starched my things, what do I do wrong, has anyone ever had this problem.
Herta

[lv2create]

I have just begun to starch and I really like the way my blocks are turning out and it makes it much eaiser to work with.

[HomespunMary]

Maybe this is a very strange question, but does anyone starch their flannel fabric? (I've never starched anything in my life, so I have no idea if this is the dumbest question anyone has ever heard...)

I have a very "stretchy" flannel for a quilt back, and I was wondering if starching it would both make it stretch less and - as calicopuzzle said below - make the fabric move more smoothly when free motion quilting......?

[cindyg]

HERTA - I can't imagine anything in the starch that would harm your iron because starch is MADE for ironing. Are you ironing over buttons, zippers or pins? Maybe these are your culprits.