An Interesting Product

I would like to introduce you to Mary Ellen's Best Press my new best friend.

 

It was suggested that I might like to try this out as one of the fabrics I was using in my twister quilt was particularly apt to fray.   I could not find an alternative to this fabric for this quilt the colour was just the right one and toned nicely with all the other fabrics so I just had to use it.  I new this would fray as I had used a the same fabric in a different colour way before in Lime Haze and it was a beast.  I was humming and hawing over this fabric until B suggested I try Best Press.  This was a new product for me - and the shop girls were amazed that I had never heard of it nor used it before.  I was led to believe it was a bit like starch but without the aerosol can, without any nasty smell and hard finish.  I was assured it would help stop the fraying and also set all the bias edges cut by the twister template, and it did.  

I am very open minded (sometimes) and happy to take on board any tips and suggestions. I bought the bottle and tried it out on the first block.  Not sticky or tacky and no smell, this one was fragrance free although I believe you can get it with fragrances, easy to use and it produced a nice firm crisp block.  It was not hard or stiff but just had a nice smooth flat crisp finish.  At first I felt it was a bit of a bind when pressing just to remember to give the block a little spritz.  However I continued all the way and I really liked the look and feel.  As I reassembled the blocks and stepped back only to realised one of the blocks looked a little off.  As I lifted it I realised why - I had forgotten the spritz step, it was a bit limp and sorry looking compared to the others but it spruced up with an extra press and a spritz.  This is a winner and I will certainly be adding it to my list of must haves for quilting.  I just hope I can find it back in Scotland.

I had another longarm lesson yesterday.  What fun,  BA was tremendous again, patient and understanding. Like everything new there was lots of information to take in and absorb but I came home delighted with the results.  I have a couple of photos to share but I am afraid you may have to wait until I have more time to get them sorted out.  Suffice to say Allsorts is coming along nicely and will be trimmed up today hopefully and the binding attached.  Look out for it at the weekend on the next blog.