There is a new movement that is underway. You may or may not be aware that a lot of fabric and pattern designers are practicing a technique that supposedly makes cutting, sewing, and fabric handling much nicer.
I have never been a pre-washer. Not at all. Well, once when I made a red and white quilt I did pre-wash the reds, but that is it. I love to use pre-cuts, and pre-washing those little pieces of fabric (that already come so nice and crisp and tidy) is insane. They end up in a linty, tangled ball in the machine. Don't do it, I am warning you. It's a mess.
That being said, this new method I am referring to has completely gotten my attention. It started with a Carrie Nelson post on "The Moda Cutting Table". Go ahead, click on the link and go read the post, I will wait.....
So, what Carrie does is starch the dickens out of her precut pieces before cutting and sewing them. She references Lisa Bonjean of Primitive Gatherings, who also recently posted on her starch habit. Both these pros use spray starch or spray sizing before cutting and piecing. They agree that it helps pre-shrink the fabric and most beneficially, aids in cutting and piecing as the fabric is crisper and has more body.
Since these two gals have a proven track record of knowing what they are doing, I decided to give their suggestion a try. In the photo above, you can see my set up on my patio table. I spread out some plastic to protect the table and got going with my spray starching. One accessory Carrie recommends is a spray attachment you can put on any spray can to make the spraying go easier.
I got my spray nozzle at my local ACE hardware store for around $4. It snaps on the top of any spray can (you can find it in the paint section). I bought a new can of Faultless Spray starch at the grocery store and was good to go. I went with the least expensive starch, because I was warned that I would go through A LOT of starch.
No kidding. That full can of spray starch did not quite last through the full fat eighth bundle I was prepping. If you were starching a fat quarter bundle, I swear you would need at least two cans of starch. You want to completely saturate the fabric. I had two fat eighths to go when I ran out of starch, so I switched to Magic Sizing. I will be interested to see what if any difference there is between the two products.
I turned the tables on my crazy neighbor down the hill from us. He is always doing bizarre things, and this time I trumped him with doing something wacky. Hah. Bet he is still guessing what the heck I was doing out there on my porch.
I will let you know what I think of this method when I start cutting and piecing my Gardenvale fabrics for the Crop Circles project!
I'm looking forward to your updates. I hand quilt and am curious what impact such heavy starching would have on hand quilting.
Posted by: Kathy | May 06, 2015 at 04:18 AM
I've read about this method but have never tried it. Looking forward to your follow up on how this technique worked for you.
Posted by: Susan | May 06, 2015 at 05:56 AM
well I can't wait to see what you think about this idea. I read about it and dismissed it as a "too much work" but I will definitely be waiting for your consensus. PS- I am glad YOU tried it!
Mary
Posted by: Mary Kastner | May 06, 2015 at 06:00 AM
I buy old fashioned liquid starch in the grocery store. I dilute it with water and use a spray bottle purchased at a big box or hardware store. If I have a large piece of fabric I put the starch in a box like container and place the fabric in there until it is "wet". Let the fabric dry a bit and iron. I do use a piece of muslin between my fabric and my iron as a press cloth if the fabric is too wet.
Much cheaper than the spray can.
Posted by: Barbara | May 06, 2015 at 06:27 AM
I use a lot of cheap sizing to process all my fabric before I cut it whether it's purchased scraps or F8 or FQs. The whole quilting process just works better for me when my fabric has more body and crispness.
Posted by: Lainee | May 06, 2015 at 06:52 AM
I also find that steam iron pressing helps a lot.
Posted by: Laura Valdez | May 06, 2015 at 07:04 AM
Very interesting! Thanks for the link, too.
I like Barbara's idea of buying the liquid starch and diluting it so she can either spray or dunk the fabrics.
Count me in with all what cannot wait to know if this process is worth the time and effort.
Hugs!
Posted by: Barbara Anne | May 06, 2015 at 07:24 AM
While I've never saturated my fabric with starch I do give every piece a light spray and then press immediately with no steam. This has always made a positive difference. I await your opinion of the Carrie technique. I've seen what her cut fabric looks like and even the back of a finished quilt top with nary a stray thread.
Posted by: pam Hansen | May 06, 2015 at 08:00 AM
I read Carrie's post earlier & if she says it works, it must work! She's proven over & over again she KNOWS what she's doing! I especially like her use of 'lots of steam' because that's always been my method. I'll be interested in reading your opinion about the spray starch method once the sewing is underway.
Posted by: Jan | May 06, 2015 at 08:21 AM
I definitely agree with your statement that Carrie and Lisa know what they are doing. The only issue I have with this process is that I want to start cutting and sewing!
Posted by: Mary | May 06, 2015 at 10:03 AM
I've been using this method for quite some time and love it! It makes the fabric crisp, it cuts much easier and more accurate and sewing is a breeze. Wouldn't do it any other way now that I've been using this method.
Posted by: Deb | May 06, 2015 at 10:56 AM
I didn't see the part where she said how wet she gets the fabric with the starch. I'm curious about that.
Posted by: Loris Mills | May 06, 2015 at 12:24 PM
My problem is that I use precuts in patterns that call for their size (2 1/2" squares or strips, or 5" squares). If I starch too much, I would have to adjust the entire quilt pattern down because my precuts would be just a bit too small for my comfort and seam allowance. I do starch if I'm cutting yardage and especially if I'm doing very small piecework.
Posted by: Jennifer Gwyn | May 06, 2015 at 01:20 PM
I really appreciate these handy tips you share! I am not able to access the Moda Blog or the Carrie Nelson post. Can you help with that?
Posted by: Lynda Lincoln | May 06, 2015 at 06:26 PM
Ok-- I gotta know.... Are you taking them right out of the bundle, dry, and then drenching them in starch, letting them dry, and then pressing? Or are you prewashing, letting them dry, then starching them?
Sounds sooooo fun :)
Posted by: Robin Chapa | May 07, 2015 at 11:07 AM