January's buzz-word has got to be Starch.
Now, maybe its because I'm reading through the information and tutorials for the BOM's I've signed up to this year, but starching is everywhere.
I've never used starch for sewing or general ironing, and I'll admit the thought of it had got me quite nervous.
"Best Press or other spray starch" is a phrase I'm reading a lot, but to keep my costs down I bought a Dylon Spray Starch at the supermarket - which was a gamble because in all of my starch reading there has been reports that it leaves flakes and marks on the fabric - eeekk!
Today was the day, enough was enough...I'm going to give it a go. I watched a couple more tutorials on the 'how to', sent a quick email to Ange asking about residue on the iron and ironing board, and off I went..
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| no sticky dining tables in our house! |
I decide against using the normal ironing board over fears it was too 'puffy' and went for my little portable Ikea one instead, covered the table and board with old sheets and started on the batch of fabric I'm using for the first Skill Builder block.
So, how did I find it?
- Yes the fabric feels different, but thats good because it means its stabilised.
- I'm hoping it will solve an ongoing problem I have with fabric shrinking slightly when I iron it, even on a lowish heat setting.
- It adds a heck of a lot of time to the prep stage of the project.
- It hasn't totally got rid of the manufacturers fold lines (maybe I need to starch more).
- I can see iron indentations in the fabric, maybe if I used a table instead of a board this wouldn't happen..
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| can you see the iron indentations? |
Tomorrow I'm cutting and hoping it makes a difference, and I may become a starching convert!
Sarah x
Ha, ha. Having fun i see, if you're still seeing lines, increase the heat a little and/or add a little more starch, after a while you'll get over the trauma of seeing the odd flake, it does happen, but I've never had an issue with them affecting the fabric long term. Don't soak the fabric though, that's not a great idea, but even then it's not a major problem. It should actually decrease the amount of time you spend ironing if you get it right, so actually the prep time will be reduced overall, you just need to be a bit more confident with it, it is distinctly unlikely to do any lasting damage. : ) Good Luck. x
ReplyDeleteI forgot to say, Dr Beckmann produces good results if you find it, carried by cheap household shops e.g home bargains and the like, and usually only £1 a can, so lots cheaper than the local supermarket. : )
ReplyDeleteI have never ever starched anything! It sounds like hard work to me. I dont like ironing much and to try and get the creases out, well, nightmare!!
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah, I'm one of the people that irons before cutting fabric and presses at each step as I go along. Sometimes, if called for, then I've used a spray starch. My solution for crease lines was to dampen the fabric, iron out all lumps, bumps and creases and then spray the starch and give the fabric a final press. After each piece is ironed (ready and waiting for cutting)it then gets hung on the rails of the clothes horse.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your project.