Thanks, Sue! The Mountain Quiltfest is held annually in Pigeon Forge Tennessee, near Dolly Parton's Dollywood. It's a beautiful part of the country, if you ever get a chance to visit!

Margo, where was the quilt show where you won your award? Congratulations! All your quilts are gorgeous.

dianaupp wrote:
Starched fabric quilts beautifully by machine, but you will have to ask someone else about how it hand quilts!

If distortions are starched in, then it is quilted, I've found that the quilting is what determines the final shape. It's like you've stretched a piece so that it's a little whonky, then you nail it in place with the quilting! And generally, a quilt can be made to hang straight and flat with careful blocking after it's all done, unless there are severe piecing errors and/or borders that don't fit properly.

Margo,
I really like working with the starched fabric. But I concern is how it quilts, either by hand or machine. Also, if you have distortions starched in, what happens to the quilt when it is washed after it is finished? Will the quilt hang straight? Thanks
Diana

Margo wrote:
I"m new to spray starch and LOVE the effect it has on the blocks. I will try to be patient and wait for them to dry then press.

Thanks

denise

I spritz the fabric, and if I don't have anything else to do, then I say a Hail Mary before ironing it. Otherwise, I will do something else.

Maggie in E Central Illinois

Thanks, Sharon, but I'm thrilled with 2nd. That show really tends to lean toward hand quilted stuff, and both first and third in that category were completely hand done. Because I quilted GRAM SAYS with my long-arm, I wasn't sure how it would do, even though all the applique was needle-turned. I'll take it!

Margo -- not to change the subject. Congrats on 2nd place. What wee they thinking? It should have been Best in Show. At least I think so, or at least 1st place.

Hugs, Sharon

Heidi, I just allow extra time for the starch to be absorbed. In fact, I'll just lay them out on a beach towel and spray them until they are nearly soaked, then let them air-dry while I do other things...or even overnight. Then a quick pass over with a steam iron makes them really flat and stiff like paper. I think the aerosol starch probably does soak in faster if you are in a hurry.

I agree about the starch, I've never used it much myself, but then again, I've never sewn so many hst before either, I'm a starch convert, indeed each unit comes out very accurate using starch vs not using it. I have one question about making my own from a concentrate or the spray starch in a can. It seems it takes an awful long time for the starch to sink into the fabric, where the can spray seeps into the fabric immediately. Do any of you have the same problem? Is there a trick I don't know about?Do I need to warm up the the solution before I use it each time. I did pre-wash all the fabric before the BOM started, so there are no chemicals in it where that could be the problem, however, the bottle I'm using isn't exactly emitting a "fine" mist either, perhaps that's the problem, but I have no clue. Anyway, any ideas are much appreciated. Heidi

By the way, most honorable and wise teachers, starch rocks. I found my stitching to be much more accurate.[/quote]

I agree. I've never used starch before this project and before reading the helpful posts to the forum. Starch makes the pieces easier to handle and sew correctly. Love it. Thanks for all the helpful advice. I don't post much, but I read everything and enjoy the forum.

suehenyon wrote:
Big difference in price, however I think (?) I only paid about $6 at WalMart for the set of 2 Crayola AquaDoodles, and I've used them several times already.

Glad you find the starch helpful and I think the EQ6 layout is a great idea!

An envelope moistener is $.98 at Staples. The sponge on the top of the moistener is 1" in diameter, could be aimed sideways. An Aquadoodle pen is $9.98 on Amazon.

I'm through my first sampler block. I made up the block in EQ6, using my colors, printed it out & laid out the HSTs before I started sewing. Only had to unsew once. This is actually becoming enjoyable (grin), kind of like a jigsaw puzzle.

By the way, most honorable and wise teachers, starch rocks. I found my stitching to be much more accurate.

doglover wrote:
I'll have to peek at her website- I didn't know that! Can't have too many rulers, can we?

Kathy