Gathering and Prepping Fabric for Indigo Way--post 1

Fabrics to prewash

Bonnie Hunter's mystery this year is Indigo Way. She released the introduction to the mystery on Halloween. Bonnie will release the first sewing clue the day after Thanksgiving. I have quite a few blue (light and dark) strips in my precuts and leftover from my Rhododendron Trail project. I didn't have the full yardage amount in my stash.

While I have some red fabric, I didn't have a piece that was two and half yards. While I would enjoy going to a variety of local quilt shops to purchase fabrics, my knee pain keeps me from much in person shopping. 

Thank goodness for online shopping! Cotton to Quilts had some cotton rolls and a chunk of red available for sale. I ordered it and it arrived about three days later!

Prewashed, starched and ironed

I spent some time prewashing the fabrics. I expected to have bleeding from the red and dark blue fabrics. I had little! What a great surprise that was!!

Next, I used a ratio of two parts water to one part liquid starch in a spray bottle to saturate the fabrics. I use Stay-Flo liquid starch. I've also put my starch solution in a tub and dunked the dry fabrics. 

Personally, I prefer the spray bottle method. I place the fabrics in the bottom of the shower and spray. The shower is an easy environment to clean up after I've completed starching the fabrics!

I hung the fabrics to dry and ironed them. I use a dry iron and spritz the fabric with water to remove any wrinkles. If I have a stubborn wrinkle, I use a little Best Press which is an alternative spray starch.

After starching, the fabrics are stiff and are more like paper. The stiffness makes it easier for me to cut and sew accurately. I found a video tutorial that shares how to use the dunk method of starching. After I've finished the project, I'll wash it to remove the starch. 

For now, I'm ready for the first clue! Are you following along or joining Bonnie's mystery? Please, let me know your intentions in the comments. Gathering and prepping the fabrics was clue number three on my November list.