Product Review: Magic Quilting & Crafting Spray
Do you use starch to prepare your fabrics for cutting and piecing? I always do because it gives stability to my fabric and more accuracy during cutting and piecing. Today, I have an exciting new product to tell you about, so I thought I would give a product review of Magic Quilting & Crafting Spray. This is not a sponsored blog post, but any Amazon links are affiliate links.
I’ve been using Best Press for years and I’ve been fairly happy with it, but I always knew that something better would come along. And it has! I really like Magic Quilting & Crafting Spray (affiliate link) and I’ll be comparing it to Best Press only. I feel like these two products are similar in character compared to most other commercial spray starches on the market.
Magic Quilting & Crafting Spray is made by Faultless which is a company you may be familiar with. They make several starch products such as Niagara, Faultless Gold Starch and Magic Sizing. Their latest addition is Magic Quilting & Crafting Spray, and it has a few things going for it that I really like.
- Number one is that it’s a stronger starch. It gives fabric more stability than Best Press but not so much that the fabric feels overly stiff. If you want to make it more stiff, you can reapply as often as needed.
Below, I have taken a fat quarter that has been rolled up and needs to be pressed. You can see the wrinkles before and how it looks after. True that any starch product would do the same thing, but I’m happy with the amount of stiffness I get from Magic Quilting & Crafting Spray.
- It comes in an aerosol can and a spray trigger container which is my favorite (more environmentally friendly). The spray comes out in a fine mist and one “squirt” covers a good-size area. It does not clog up or drip. I’ve been a little disappointed with the spray of Best Press – it’s not as fine as this one.
- It is also fragrance free which is nice if you have allergies or are sensitive to fragrance. This is something I’m learning to appreciate. I had always enjoyed the scent options of Best Press (it also comes in unscented). Recently, I started noticing how toxic it felt when I inhaled it. I could feel it burning in my throat. Maybe it’s my old age because I never noticed this when I first started using Best Press.
- Magic Quilting & Crafting Spray has all of the ingredients listed right on the bottle and on their website. I honestly can’t tell you how safe the ingredients are, but I know there is a “film former”, an ironing aid and two preservatives on the list. I cannot find the ingredients of Best Press anywhere on the company website or on the bottle itself. It does proclaim to be “earth and people friendly” but I’m not sure what that means.
- Both Best Press and Magic Quilting & Crafting Spray do not flake and do not leave spots or a residue. This is a great feature of both products!
- Pricing of these products has been a question for me. I’ve heard many people complain of the cost of Best Press. Fortunately you can purchase Best Press in gallon size and pint size containers. I’ll be using the 16 oz trigger container of both products for pricing comparison. On the company website, Best Press (unscented) costs $8.95 (US). On Amazon, the same product (Cherry Blossom Scent) is listed at $12.51 (as sold by Best Press) or you can purchase a 2-pack of unscented for $27.99.
- For Magic Quilting & Crafting Spray, the company website lists a single bottle for $8.99 (16 oz). On Amazon, they only offer a 3-pack of Magic Quilting & Crafting Spray for $27.99. If I’m going to use Amazon as the price comparison, it seems that Magic Quilting & Crafting Spray is the better deal.
Note: As always, I recommend that you purchase any of these products from your local quilt shop if available.
We all have our preferences and some may never feel the need to use starch at all. I always thought of Best Press as a good product, but not a great product. I think I’ve found a great product with Magic Quilting & Crafting Spray.
In the end, it’s the performance that trumps everything for me. I love how this spray works on fabric and the amount of stability it adds to the material. I also love now the spray application is fine and broad. If you’ve never tried it before, I would definitely feel comfortable recommending it to you.
If you want more information on spray starch in general, you can check out my blog post, What Type of Spray Starch to Use For Quilting (and how to make your own).
Happy Quilting!
Thanks for reviewing Magic spray! Have been looking for alternative to best press, it’s too pricey. Sometimes I use Niagra because I can get it in local grocery store, ordering Magic from Amazon today!
I like best press but have noticed it irritates my lungs even the unscented.
This is a new comment to this older post, but I just purchased a 1 gallon bottle refill of the Magic product for half the price of a gallon of Best Press. With free shipping! (From a quilt business, not Amazon.) I was not expecting such a great price break on the gallon size.
Thank you Julie! I agreed with you that best press does not give enough firmness and the sprayer has a pretty small coverage area. I would not have tried this new spray if you had not reviewed it, thinking it similar to best press. I have used magic sizing for years and will try this new product if I have to get it on Amazon. I’m hoping LQS will have it soon.
Hi Julie!
I just got home from Houston Quilt Festival representing Magic Quilting and Crafting Spray.
I absolutely love this product!!
Thank you for your review!!
No brainer… right? it’s hands down amazing!
~karen
Glad to see your review. I am still working my way through a gallon of Best Press, but I have never loved it, although I prefer it to most other starch products since it does not get flakey! I have been wondering about this new one and really glad to see your review.
I live in MN. and Menards sells Best Press for approx. $ 5.00
I have a bottle of Best Press but don’t use it . It leaves spots on fabric. Maybe user error to much in one spot ????.
Will give this a try. Thanks
Good morning, Julie,
Thanks for reviewing this Magic Quilting and Crafting spray. I’ve never been a fan of the Best Press. I do like to have more stability with my fabric and never got that with Best Press. I will definitely check this out.
Thanks, Julie! Until recently, I had always prewashed my fabrics. Now I’ve started using them unwashed. I know that Best Press shrinks unwashed fabric a little, and the shrinking can be uneven. I am guessing that’s because of the water content, so it seems that maybe any starch or sizing- type product will shrink unwashed fabric. Did you notice any shrinkage yet when using Magic Quilting spray on unwashed fabrics?
Might be good but wow too expensive for me. I’ll stick with homemade: water, vodka, fabric softener or a little starch. It’s very cheap to make.
zI buy the exact same thing in my grocery store for $2.99 for a 22 oz bottle.. It’s called Niagara premium smooth finish. Made by Faultless Brands. The info on the label is word for word for what is on the Magic Quilting and Crafting Spray. I’m telling you it’s the exact same thing, and I love it !!!
Thanks Julie for nthe info. I’ve been happy with Best Press, especially after trying a homemade recipe for starch. Just opened a gallon, but will be trying this new to me product from Amazon next time.
I have never used starch. That being said, I can see the benefits, however, isn’t your finished product stiff, rather than soft and ready for cuddles. I can understand that show quilts or art quilts would benefit from the crispness that starch provides. But is it necessary for quilts that will be used?
Very good Info. I still have hips of Best Spray, but will find out if any of the local shops have it in stock.
Hi Julie, this is such a timely topic. I don’t care for Best Press but I had a whole gallon to use up. I am going to try this one. Sounds like a good one. Thanks!
Thank you sew much..never heard of Magic Quilting Spray but appreciate your information. It makes my shopping sew much easier
Thanks Julie! I never heard of this product so I found your review very interesting. 🙂