To Starch or Not to Starch, That is the Question.

Dedicated to the Pros's and Con's of Starching.

    I have to admit that Bi-Polar is the best way to describe my quilting.
I am torn between two modes - the first being what is known as "The Galloping Horsewomen" and the second  aspiring to the heights of "Extreme Quiltmonship"  of some of the most beautifully made and designed quilts that are presented at the Guild. My mantra has been "If you couldn't see it from a galloping horse, then don't worry about it." or a simple way of explaining it "Turn off your Critical Ear" - in my case my brain, my eyes and my spirit quilter. I have left so many other crafty pursuits because of my own self criticism; I am grim and determined not to leave quilting.  My friend Ethel was the one who drummed the Galloping Horsewoman Mantra in my head and without her I would have stopped quilting.  So the other part is the critical part of my brain. They talk about left brain and right brain thinking, well I have decided I have middle brain syndrome. The most beautiful unfinished quilt top I ever saw was done by Beth who owned a quilting store. I can't remember what the pattern was, I know it was in shades of green and blues stripes, Many many stripes, but why I remember it so vividly is that it lay quiescent on the table top like a lake without a single ripple in it exactly pieced together at peace. My tops tend to look like the the ocean 10 miles off shore during a hurricane. One of my favorite free motion quilters said that heavy quilting tends to mask all kinds of problems. I can attest to that.

So for the last 6 months I have been on a mission to find ways to improve my piecing and quilting. I ask questions and then if I can try it out. I have volunteered to free motion quilt two charity quilt tops studying the backs of the tops for insight into my problem. These quilts are exactly cut and all the seams lie flat. So I asked "Texas Rose" she is a master quilter and hails originally from Texas, how did she do it.  Quilters will always share their knowledge, its what I love about quilters, they answer you directly about what you want to know when you want to know it.  She said "Starch"  - a good quilter's starch like Niagara non aerosol spray.

       Texas Rose starches every seam before during and after the fact, at least 3 times.  Pressing the seams, not ironing for those of you in the know about the difference between pressing and ironing.  She also told me some other things like thread tension, exact rotary cutting, a long arm, and a good machine.   Starch I could handle right then and there.

Block of the Month
Sept 2011 - Leaf in Block





The fabric block is so stiff it
practically stands up straight.



I have been working on a gift for my niece and a single block for the Block of the Month Drawing. I starched before, during and after on every seam. You can the effect on the single block I sewed.   It is so stiff it practically stands at attention. 

       Then I turned my iron and starch to the small nine block wall hanging and I starched  and pressed before during and after every seam.

The picture on the left shows what the seams look like before pressing and starching.

Un-starched Seams

   The picture on the right shows what the seams look like with the Starch and using the iron to press - the seam is flat and stays put.

        See the knotted thread on the right - that is a bird nest. I could host an Audubon Field Trip with all the bird nests on the back on my quilt. Suggestions would be appreciated for that particular problem as well. 

This is a vast improvement on what I usually get.
Because every seam is relatively flat and facing the right direction.

This is what happened:

1. The quilted pieces and their seams did not stretch. The Starch acts like a stabilizer.

2. The 1/4 inch seam allowances  stay in place on top and bottom and don't bunch up under the foot when you are sewing multiple layers.

3. You can sew thicker layers all to the the same side so the seam allowance doesn't get twisted in making the transition from one block to another. The seam allowances stay put on the side you want them to stay.

4. The seam allowance on the back of the quilt are all laying in the correct directions and the entire top will be flatter on the front.
5. The starch keeps the seam allowances in the back of the quilt in the right place for many hours, several days and even longer.

I found this  blog in which they were discussing the starch issue.
http://www.straw.com/equilters/library/tips-hows/starch2.html
http://www.straw.com/equilters/library/tips-hows/starch1.html

1. It keeps bias edges from stretching (as in Lone Star diamonds).

2. The pencil marks wash out better because they are on the starch, not on the fabric.
3. Zig-zag-edged applique pieces don't bunch, fray or shift when they are being sewed down.
4. Backings don't get puckers in them as readily.  ( A terrible problem I have)

Here are the cons that I came across:
If you store your quilt with the starch and don't wash it,  If the starch you use doesn't have a mildew inhibitor or you also don't use a mildew inhibitor two things can happen.  The starch is a good source of food for mildew and silver fish love eating the starch which can cause damage to the fabric.

Elizabeth's Ruff
round her neck.



This is the King of Spain,
Elizabeth refused to
marry.
She was vain about her
clothes, maybe the real
reason was his ruff.
Spanish Armada,
really overkill.

Now I was curious about when Starch was invented and it dates back to Elizabethan England. The beautiful Lace Ruffs, the pleated lace neck pieces that we associate with Queen Elizabeth's Neck. Even the men wore them. Ruffs were made possible by the invention of starch.  

Ruffs had a particular purpose,  If you did sweat,   the ruffs were easily washable. The expensive garments with pearls and jewels  did not have to be cleaned. I wonder what they stuck under their underarms?



    I was curious about the history of Niagara Starch and discovered this picture of the Niagara Starch company suffering extreme damage in an explosion in 1898.  Don't Worry, Be Happy, Starch is not Volatile, it was probably the coal fired steam engines. They don't know for sure because the black coal boxes were blown to smithereens.  Actually I did come across some references to chemical experiments using starch for volatile purposes and they were not the iodine testing for starch kind.



http://wnyheritagepress.org/photos_week_2008/niagara_starch/niagara_starch.htm



    I also was looking for some pictures of ironing and starch and I came across this website called The Art of Manliness. Now a website for the manly art of ironing, what have we come to. However it had some excellent directions in incredible detail on how to iron shirts. There were over 80 comments on this particular issue, but my favorite was the first, that the directions were too complicated and he was going to keep on paying a neighbor to iron his shirts. http://artofmanliness.com/2011/04/06/how-to-iron-shirt/ One of the few things I liberated myself from was ironing when I got married. Its ironic that I am so interested in ironing and pressing right now.

    For years I taught in one of the most rural school district in South Carolina. The children's clothes and uniforms were extremely well pressed and starched. In middle school we made an annual trip to Washington DC and the students brought irons with them and they were constantly pressing their clothes refusing to leave the hotel until their clothes were pressed. Even when their britches were down lower then what I called the Mason Dixon Line, their boxer shorts were exceptionally well starched. They ballooned out but they were not ever wrinkled. I learned to take more pride in my clothes and the iron which I had put up came down and was available on a daily basis. When I saw a child in school that did not have ironed clothes, I knew to take that child aside and find out what was wrong or to refer that child to the guidance counselor.

This is a Niagara Trading Card.  It is worth about $65.00.  See, it pays to starch.  It is available at this website if you wish to purchase it.
http://www.artoftheprint.com/artistpages/trade_card_niagara_gloss_starch_useniagaraglossstarchitisthebest.htm

A bottle of the Niagara Spray Starch, non aerosol sells for about $18.00.
This card might be a wise purchase to offset the future cost of the Niagara Spray Starch bottle, non aerosol if you decide to use it when you sew your blocks.

So how do you feel about pressing, ironing, or other helpful hints which you can see I can use and grateful for your help.  If you would like to leave a comment, please mash, not press the blue word comment. A new window will open up and you can leave your comment.  I really love reading your comments.