LadyAg77

I have not been happy with some piecing I did for an 8 point star. I didn't starch any of the fabric ahead of time, which I found out online could certainly have contributed to my wonky lines.

There are many videos where quilters starch so heavily that the fabric is stiff when it dries! Have I missed a reliable tool to assist in my piecing accuracy? Do you prefer light, medium, heavy or no starch at all?

Thanks for your tips!

pocoellieagain

I starch or homemade best press everything that I'm going to cut. I get the concentrated starch and dilute it roughly 60/40.

dunster

I haven't starched anything in a very long time. However I do think it can help with difficult patterns. When I starched, I used Niagara Spray Starch, or whatever I could find if that wasn't available.

WMUTeach

I starch as needed. Some fabrics, particularly when the pattern calls for bias cuts, HSTs for example, sew better with a touch of starch or best press to make them more stable. Nope, I don't starch everything nor do I starch heavily. For me, it seems to work. A little as needed.

LadyAg77, give one block a try with starch and if you like the results go for it.

Snooze2978

I starch my fabric using Sta-FLo liquid starch and water. I try to make it at least medium and towards the heavier starching. I dunk mine in a dishpan and then run the fabric thru a makeshift wringer and then hang to dry. It does help with the fraying of some fabrics and when doing those wonky shapes, it also helps. Plus as I use hot water in my starch, if the fabric is going to bleed, it will bleed then. ALso if its going to shrink, it should shrink then also. Once dry, I mist with a mixture of vinegar and water and press. Some say vinegar helps stave off bleeding too and the vinegar smell goes away once you press the fabric. I've been doing this for the past 5-7 years now.

Sta-Flo went off the market a couple years ago and I went to every store in town and bought what I could find then. Then they put it back on the market but I've only found it online and it's now about twice to 3 times the price it used to be.

Iceblossom

I am not a starch user, I've tried it. I have friends who are believers but it doesn't work so well for me. For one, I can be sensitive to scents. "Sensitive" isn't a full blown allergy but still, can affect me.

Two, I don't feel the need, but I am (partly because of those scents) a believer in pre-washing and I then iron the heck out of it. I've seen some people try to use some floppy/wrinkled not right stuff and maybe for them starch is the answer. Me with a hot iron and steam and sometimes a mist, my after-washing fabric can be hard to tell apart from fresh on the bolt.

cashs_mom

For normal piecing, I always starch lightly. If I'm doing anything tricky or with bias, I'll starch more heavily. I find it helps me a lot with my accuracy. I did a project several years ago that was all 1/2 square triangles. I starched the heck out of them and had no problems at all. I find that some fabrics don't need much starch, but it's helpful with some. It can make soft fabrics very easy to work with. If I'm doing EPP, I don't starch because it makes it hard to fasten the fabric around the papers and is not needed because the papers stabilize the pieces.

aashley333

When I use spray starch, I spray on the backside to avoid flaking on front. I would use it all the time if I had someone else do the ironing! It is too time consuming. I use Best Press before cutting.

cashs_mom

Interesting that you find starch more time consuming than Best Press. I use starch on yardage because it's cheaper than Best Press. I buy the liquid starch at HEB and mix myself. I never thought about it taking longer to use than Best Press.

Onebyone

I buy the liquid starch at HEB and mix myself.

What is the brand of the starch you buy at HEB? There is no liquid starch available in any store I've been to in over a year. I find it at Amazon but way overpriced for starch. I've been using Terial spray diluted 1 cup spray, 2 cups water. I do still have bottles of Sta Flo I bought when it was discontinued but that won't last much longer.