Although quilting can be an expensive hobby, there are several strategies to make it more affordable. One approach that may not be well-received by some quilters is to question the necessity of purchasing a specialized spray starch from a local quilt shop.
Over the past few years, I have been making starch for my sewing projects. When I was unable to locate Sta-Flo concentrated liquid starch in my local Walmart, I was compelled to explore alternative methods.
Over the years, I have experimented with various brands of fabric starch. While these products performed adequately, their cost posed a substantial challenge. In my opinion, many brands were marketed specifically to quilters, sold exclusively in quilt shops, and yes, they are overpriced for what they are. Consequently, I opted for Sta-Flo concentrate as my initial choice.
The conventional way to make homemade fabric starch is to mix potato vodka and distilled water in a 1:4 ratio and spray it onto the fabric. However, I prefer to make a smaller batch, using a maximum of 2 ounces of potato vodka for every 14 ounces of distilled water. This specific ratio gives me the right amount of stiffness for my fabrics. Plus, the starch is colorless, odorless, and evaporates cleanly.