Wow, Margo, you're a patient lady! I have a hard time just waiting for it to soak into the fabric before I press! I have been mixing mine about the same ratio and it seems to be good.

I mix mine about half and half with water in a spray bottle. I cut a "chunk" of fabric a little larger than the patches I need for the project and lay it out flat on an old beach towel on the floor of my sewing room. I spray the fabric until it is saturated then let it air dry over night. When I iron it with either a hot dry iron or with steam, it presses wonderfully flat and stiff with none of the flaking you get if you iron it while it's still damp.

Yes can someone suggest on mixing the starch? I've bought some sizing at Sams. Since it seems to be a lost art it was not expensive. I've also bought some sta flo and the mixing is what gets me.

I use Sta-Flo too, Margo. How do you mix yours? I never know if I'm using too much or not enough.

I get liquid Sta-Flo starch at Wal-Mart. It's almost always either on the very bottom shelf, or so high up I have to ask for help to get it!
Never at eye level! I guess starching is a lost art!

stitchdreamer wrote: I buy it bulk buy at Costco.

I'm buying more starch.

Well said !! Good anytime ! I'm gonna quote you !

Starch the hell out of everything; measure twice, cut once; make sure your seam allowances are accurate; don't work on it if you are tired or in a hurry and DON'T PANIC if you don't understand something, just keep asking questions until you are sure you know what to do. And for goodness sake enjoy the process because otherwise what's the point?

Yes I found out leaving the paper on is easier. This is my first BOM this large and at times I feel nervous. I want to do a good job. Any other suggestions?

Susan, starching the center strips before cutting them is a huge help.

I sewed the first triangle unit to the center, stitching from the triangle side being sure not to stitch over the points.
I pressed the seam towards the center strip, then used pins on the back side to mark the location of the opposite points so they would all line up and stretched or eased the second side as needed. It worked great!

I think I'm going to starch the daylights out of those 1" strips (before I cut them) and then stitch from the triangle side. Maybe I'll stitch with wash-away thread first. I think I can still see the points so as to miss them in stitching. It seems to me that if the sash length matches the triangle strip, they should line up "good enough".

I'm glad to know that the pieces go together easier with the papers left on, but I had already removed mine so I had to pay close attention to lining them up!

At least my papers are all off!

Yes leaving the papers on really does make it so much easier. And if your stitch length is short enough the papers do come off easily enough. I am just so glad that I have all mine done now. I just have to remove all those papers from both months! Time to watch a TQS show I think.