How to Use Mary Ellen's Best Press Scent Free: Crisp Pressing Without Residue
Pressing can make the difference between a quilt top that lies flat and pieces smoothly, and one that fights you at every seam. Mary Ellen's Best Press 6oz Scent Free is a clear, crisp starch in a non-aerosol spray bottle, made for quilters and sewists who want a firmer, cleaner press without flaking, clogging, or white residue left behind on fabric.
What It Is and Why Quilters Use It
Best Press is a spray starch product from Mary Ellen, made in the USA. This version is the 6-ounce, scent free option — a good choice if you prefer your pressing products without fragrance, or if you are pressing fabric for someone who is sensitive to scent. The product description describes it as a clear, crisp starch, in an environmentally friendly non-aerosol bottle.
Quilters reach for it when fabric feels too limp to cut and piece accurately, when seams will not stay crisp, or when blocks need more body before trimming. A light application can help fabric behave more predictably under the cutter and needle, and help seams and blocks hold their shape.
According to the maker, there is no flaking, clogging, or white residue — a real plus on darker quilting cottons, where traditional starches can leave visible marks.
How to Use It, Step by Step
- Start with your fabric on the ironing surface. Lay quilting cotton, yardage, fat quarters, or a finished block flat, smoothing out major wrinkles by hand first.
- Shake and spray lightly. Hold the non-aerosol bottle over the fabric and apply a light, even mist. Start with less than you think you need — you can always add a second light pass, but over-wetting makes pressing slower.
- Let it settle for a moment. Give the spray a few seconds to absorb evenly into the fibers instead of pressing instantly into a wet spot.
- Press, don't slide. Set your iron to the temperature appropriate for your fabric, then press down, lift, and move to the next section. Pressing in place helps set a crisp finish and reduces the risk of stretching fabric on the bias.
- Press seams as you piece. After sewing a seam, spray very lightly if needed and press the seam as your pattern directs. The added crispness helps seams lie flat and blocks stay square.
- Check before cutting. If you are preparing yardage for cutting, press the full piece first and let it cool and dry completely on the board. Fabric that is cool and dry cuts more accurately than fabric that is still warm and damp.
Practical Tips
Test first on a scrap, especially with delicate fabrics. Use a lighter hand on small pieces than on yardage — a little goes a long way on a small block. Extra stiffness works in your favor for trimming and piecing.
Keep your ironing surface clean to protect light-colored fabrics, and wipe your iron soleplate regularly as part of normal iron care.
Care and Storage
Store the bottle upright at room temperature with your other pressing supplies, away from your iron's heat while you work. Keep it out of reach of children, and use it only on fabrics safe to press at the temperature you have selected.
Project Ideas
Try it when pre-pressing yardage before cutting, pressing fat quarters folded in storage, squaring up blocks before joining them into rows, and giving a finished top a final press before layering. It is also handy for garment sewing when you want a crisp, scent-free finish.
A dedicated starch spray can turn pressing into the step that saves time later — straighter cuts, flatter seams, and blocks that measure correctly.
Shop the Mary Ellen Best Press 6oz Scent Free at Linda's Electric Quilters.
