Yes, I have become a convert to staching my quilt blocks as I go along. I use Diane Gaudynski's home made corn starch recipe given on her website. Check out her monthly Tips as they are great!

To avoid starch build up on my iron, I generally spray the pieces and then let the starch have a minute to soak in the fabric before I start to press. AND I found out that spraying from the back of the block works for me. I press the seams as they were sewn first then turn the block over to finish, laying the seam in my preferred direction. When sewing blocks to sashings or borders, I wait to starch the strip after it is pieced to the block.

Eventually, there will be a bit of starch on the iron and I just take a vinegar soaked washcloth and scrub off the stuff when the iron is cooled.

I really would love to have DG profiled on a TQS show! Her quilts are amazing.

I like to use Magic Spray Sizing when I piece because it makes the blocks so crisp that it can be like sewing paper together - no stretching! Plus, when I go to quilt the piece, the sizing lets the fabric slide easily under the presser foot.

Hand piecers like their fabric "au naturel," but I think that machine piecing is MUCH easier with crisp fabric.

BethMI

I am working on a UFO ... a complex pattern that is basically square in a square sashed next to half square triangles. I started the project two years ago and it has lived in a box til yesterday when I took it out and started working on it again. There are a lot of workmanship issue that I had to solve along the way since I took classes and actually improved my piecing technique. I am now ready to square up all the blocks to the correct size. I do not know how but all the blocks got limp and slightly frayed just laying around in the box. I know I had pressed the blocks at each stage of construction but you sure would not believe it looking at these wimpy little blocks. ( I USED QUILT SHOP QUALITY FABRIC.) The problem is in the ironing techniques.


My question is should I re- starch the blocks when I press them prior to squaring the blocks and sashing them?

Should I starch the block prior to assembly into rows.

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK... IF you have any other tips please let me know of them.

Thanks.... Consider this a rescue mission... my poor blocks need to be rescued and so does my sanity.