How to starch a baby dress at home?

Just a little over a century ago, starch was one of the most common ways of processing fabrics. In almost every family, various household items were subjected to this procedure: bedding, tablecloths, napkins, not to mention collars and cuffs, and in some places even underwear was starch, which, in the absence of running hot and washing machines, made it possible to quickly wash and keep things clean and presentable for longer.

The presence of an automatic washing machine in every family and an active modern life have made it possible to move away from this tradition, but in some cases this measure is not only relevant, but also necessary. True, not every housewife currently knows the rules and the recipe for how to make a dress magnificent and brilliant. We will consider in this article how to starch a baby dress at home, so that your girl looks really smart for the upcoming holiday.

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Choose a method and means

Any item of clothing can be starched in several ways. Useful for this:

• PVA glue;
• Sugar syrup;
• Gelatin;
• Special spray or starch powder.

Important! In some cases, with especially thin tissues, volume can be added with extra strong fixation varnish.

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Why starch garments?

The secret of beauty and brilliance of starched things is the formation of a special thin airtight film, which not only gives rigidity to the shape of the thing, but also protects the fabric from pollution, since starch will not allow stains to penetrate deep into the fabric.

Why and in what cases is it necessary to subject things to processing?

• Make the dress magnificent.

Important! The starched dress will receive a clear three-dimensional shape, which will hold until the next wash.

• To give smoothness - the thing will wrinkle less and keep a presentable look longer.
• An elegant dress will look more solemn and magnificent.
• Collars, cuffs, and other small details will remain wrinkled due to stiffness.

Important! Starchy details will make it look alongside the needle.

• Knitted things (especially for crocheted products) during starching will show the richness of the pattern and the skill of the master, as well as more elegantly outline the shapes.
• The outfit will look newer and more expensive.

Important! If you like to do outfits for a child with your own hands, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with our master classes, from which you will draw a new source of inspiration for yourself:

• DIY dress for graduation in kindergarten.
• DIY tulle dress.
• DIY flower dress for girls.

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What things cannot be starch?

Before you start the process and starch the baby dress at home, you need to check whether it falls into the category of things that are better not to handle.

So, it is not recommended to subject to this procedure:

• Underwear.

Important! Starch creates a waterproof film, which makes the wearing process less hygienic.

• Things from dark fabrics - they will remain stains.

Important! If necessary, give volume to dark things, you can take them to dry cleaning or treat them with a special chemical composition.

• Clothing sewn in whole or in part from synthetic threads.

Important! In addition to the reaction of synthetics to the substance itself, there may be a problem with ironing, and during starching this process is one of the integral steps.

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How to decide on technology?

As described earlier, there are different starch technologies, the use of which depends on what material the product has and how much fabric to process:

• Spray. Perfect for processing small parts of clothing even when time is extremely limited. It is necessary to process the right place and iron it.

Important! Before use, be sure to read the instructions.

• Special liquid or powder. This option is ideal for large items (tulle, tablecloths, wedding dress petticoats). The method of application is simple: add the product during washing, and at the output you will get the desired result.

Important! Methods of use may vary, please check with the manufacturer.

• "Syrup". This option is not bad for small knitwear. Simple to cook - 8 tablespoons per liter of water.

Important! It is impossible to iron after such processing, therefore, the necessary form must be given during drying.

• Gelatin. It does not crumble and can be used for dark or very bright fabrics. In this case, to starch the dress at home, you must:
  1. Soak 1 tablespoon in water and allow to swell.
  2. Bring the volume to 250 ml and heat until completely dissolved.
  3. Allow to cool slightly and then treat the fabric.

Important! For softness, you can add half a teaspoon of glycerin.

• Glue. Better to use for knitted dresses. For 1 part of glue, two parts of water - dip the product into the solution or grease.

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Types of Starch Fixation

There are three types of starch fixation, according to the desired result and initial conditions (product fabric, dimensions, etc.). In order to make the dress magnificent, one way or another is selected:

1. Soft. 1 teaspoon per 1 liter of water. It is used to give volume to things from thin light tissues, for example, chiffon or organza.
2. Medium hardness. 1 tablespoon per 1 liter of water. Suitable for knitted items or items made from natural fabrics.
3. Hard. 2 tablespoons per 1 liter of water. Such a solution is prepared for processing individual parts - collars, sleeves.

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How to prepare starch paste?

In order to make a dress magnificent at home with your own hands, you need to find out the following - which of the technologies you will use and what concentration you need the solution.

Since starch (potato, rice - it doesn’t matter) is in every house of every housewife, it is better to try the variant of starch paste.

Having chosen the desired concentration of the solution, prepare the necessary ingredients:

• Starch;
• Boiling water;
• Spoon or spatula for mixing;
• Enameled or glass heat-resistant dishes;
• Thing to be handled

To starch a children's dress at home, you must perform the following steps:

• Pour starch to the bottom of the dishes.
• Pour a small amount of cold water and knead to the consistency of liquid sour cream.
• Constantly mixing, add boiling water. It should be a translucent substance.

Important! It is necessary to mix until all lumps disappear.

• If necessary, boil the mixture for 5-10 minutes.

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What to do with the dress?

To make a dress magnificent at home with your own hands, you must first wash it well and remove all stains, because after the starching procedure, stains can become more visible. Farther:

• Prepare the selected solution and cool it to room temperature.
• Dip the product into starch - so that it is completely saturated, it will take at least half an hour.

Important! Any product must be turned several times - for better saturation with a solution.

• Pull out and check if there are any spaces left from the fixing mixture.
• After - it is necessary to squeeze out the extra paste, hang the outfit on a hanger and let it drain.

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How to dry and iron starched clothes?

• After processing, the dress must be hung to dry - it is best on a hanger, straightening all the folds and details, otherwise they will dry out.
• It must be dried away from heaters and direct sunlight. Also, do not take out the dress in a room where it is very hot or very cold (in the winter on the balcony).
• It is better to iron the starched outfit slightly moist, after having straightened all the small details in order to avoid creases, loss of shape.

Important! If the dress is dry, it is necessary to sprinkle it with water, iron it through a thin, damp cloth.

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We make a children's dress more elegant

To starch a children's dress at home, you need to process it in any way described above, using the following tricks:

• It is better to work with a petticoat, and leave the upper skirt untreated, if there is no petticoat, then the dress itself.
• To add gloss to the solution, pour a little salt or stearin.
• Rice or wheat starch gives a brighter effect. In a ratio of 5: 3: 1 add talcum powder, borax powder.
• Add borax, boric acid in a ratio of 8: 10: 2 in a solution of rice starch. A mixture of mixed ingredients, to which cold water is added, is used when ironing things: the moistened napkin is put on the surface and immediately ironed.
• Dissolve blue in water, breed paste in this water.

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Stock footage

A starched outfit will allow her mistress to look beautiful and confident, regardless of whether a girl or an adult woman puts on a fluffy skirt. In addition, this is a good way to protect your belongings from possible pollution and stay longer “on top”.