Saturday, March 9, 2013

Maggie's CLASSY Hooch Press {Grapefruit Scented} Tutorial

Are you giggling?  Are you wondering if I have LOST MY MARBLES???  Are you just reading this post out of a seriously morbid sense of curiosity?  Are you ever going to visit my blog again?


[The answer should be a resounding "YES" to all of those :)]

I have to say I am SO excited to share this recipe with you :)  Maggie (our sweet little Short Cookie) made this AWESOME discovery possible.  All Hail To MAGGIE!!!  She not only researched out the best version of this recipe (kudos to Google), but crawled around on the floor of the liquor store to find the CHEAPEST Vodka available!  Again, ALL HAIL TO MAGGIE!!!!!!

SO, in honor of Maggie, we had to name "it" after her!!!  Hence is born and forever shall be named,



[To tell you the truth, I don't recall where the "hooch" came from, but it stuck.  I believe I added the "CLASSY" because it just needed it ;D  Don't you agree?  April designed the FABULOUS label :)]

***UPDATE FROM MAGGIE- "And by the way, "hooch" is slang for booze, particularly cheap booze!"  I learn something new everyday :)

Now, I am SURE that you are just dying to find out what all of this hype is all about?

Spray starch :)

We all love Best Press but hate to pay for it.  ...well, I do.  Maggie over heard some ladies talking about making spray starch out of Vodka.  These were non-drinking Mormon ladies, so she figured if they would step foot into a liquor store to buy Vodka, it must be good ;)

You can read all about Maggie's liquor store adventures HERE.

You are going to need CHEAP Vodka!  (the kind that will burn out your insides).  Maggie says the cheap stuff is always on the bottom shelf.  It should run about $6 for a liter and about $10-$11 for a gallon of the garbage vodka.

Are you ready for the recipe????  Without further ado, may I present...

Maggie's Classy Hooch Press
1 part Vodka to 2 parts water :)  ie- 1 C vodka mixed with 2 C water.
Scent of choice.

Tada!!!

Now for my special part of the formula.  I LOVE grapefruit scented things.  I scent my sugar scrub with grapefruit zest, so why not Vodka?

I got up yesterday morning and zested this grapefruit with my handy dandy zester :)  First you want to wash and scrub your grapefruit with hot soapy water.  I use my scotch brite sponge.  Now it's zesting time!!! The trick to zesting is to only get the colored part!  None of the white pithy stuff :p



Now, take your zest and add it to your mixture of water and vodka.  


DO NOT do this part in the spray bottle.  The zest will clog up your spray nozzle :/


Let it sit for a few hours.
Give it a shake every once in a while.

[This is the brand of yucky vodka we used.]


Now, using a very fine strainer and a funnel that will fit your spray bottle, 
pour in your yummy smelling concoction ;)


[See how nicely mine nest together :)]


I only poured a little bit in, to make sure that I would like it and to make sure that it wouldn't spot the fabric.


I test sprayed it on 2 Kona white squares and pressed the tar out of them ;)  One flat, and one with turned under edges.  I would rate the "starchy" level at about a medium level starch.  It is comparable to Best Presses starchyness ;)  Maggie's Classy Hooch Press might be a titch lighter.... but just a titch ;D


 Then I laid them on my Kona bolt in my very light living room.


No color difference that I could tell :D


Now, to try it out on an entire quilt top...


I have to say that it looks pretty darn slick!!!

Friday, I made a whole quilt top and pieced back using Maggie's Classy Hooch Press and, so far, I REALLY REALLY like it!!!  It works like a DREAM!!!

Thank you, Maggie!!! xoxo

22 comments:

  1. Ha ha! Wonderful!
    So if I understand you correctly, this product helps you press the fabric, but willit also stiffen it like starch? I mean with pieces of fabric that are cut on the bias and such?
    Thank you for the recipe!
    ipatchandquilt.wordpress.com
    esthersipatchandquilt@yahoo.com

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  2. Very cool Marion!!! Thanks for sharing!!!

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  3. haha... Sounds awesome. :) Hey, I love that pattern for the quilt in this post. Is it a 'real' pattern or do you just have the measurements written down somewhere? How can I get it?

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  4. Wow, you're making me blush! Really, I'm always willing to crawl on my hands and knees through liquor stores for the cause of quilting!! I LOVE this tutorial--so amazing!! And by the way, "hooch" is slang for booze, particularly cheap booze!

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  5. I'm curious as to what the "vodka" do? Is it a stiffening agent?

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  6. Love the name and the lable. Can you still drink the stuff? What other scents can you add to this, what type that will not staine your fabric?

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  7. I just might have to try that. I used to sell Vodka once long ago when I was going to college, but I did't know it could do that.

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  8. Love it. I'm going to have to give this a try. Thanks for the recipe.

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  9. Haha!!! Awesome post. I need to make some of this spray up. I bet the grapefruit-zest aroma would work for me without setting off my stupid auto-immune response. Looking forward to trying that.

    Did the vodka mix stiffen it up as much as starch? And. . . was there any remnant of alcohol smell? Probably wouldn't be the best thing if Scott went to work with his Air Force uniform smelling Hoochie. LOL!

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  10. K...2 questions:

    1) Did it really stiffen...like a spray starch?

    2) Could the alchohol, over time, rot the cotton?

    With Best Press, I always dilute mine. I do 1 part Best Press to 1 part water...and it still works for me. =)

    hugZ,
    annie

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  11. So... charcoal filtered, huh? Who EVER thought that was a great idea??? I guess this is why I don't drink. :)

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  12. Well, go figure??? I've NEVER EVER heard THIS before!! You need to "PIN" this tip for sure!! I have to share this tip on my blog if you don't mind and I will link back to your blog for the picture tutorial!! I HAVE to share this tip!! I have aksed all my faithful followers to leave you a nice comment so here's to Hooch Spray Starch!!
    Psst...come over and visit me!
    Blessings
    Gmama Jane

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  13. Came from Grandma Jane's... your tip sounds great. I will give it a try! I don't quilt but there must be something that needs starching/pressing! Discount Liquors here I come!!

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  14. I'm visiting from Grandma Jane's... what a cool thing to do! I don't care for the $$$ of Best Press and can see I need to make a trip to the local ABC store this week (I'm on Spring Break)! What a hoot! Can't wait to try this!!! I'm going to try the grapefruit zest as well...

    Thanks so much for sharing!

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  15. Vou daqui apouco comprar este veneno(não bebo)A vovó Jane me mandou para cá e eu adorei,vou te seguir.

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  16. Stopped in from Gmama Jane's - what a hoot! Who would have thought?! Thanks for sharing!

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  17. I had read about this before but I have yet to try it. Does the cheap Vodka work better or is it just cheaper? Inquiring minds want to know.

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  18. I also came via Grandma Jane , thanks for this great tip , I really have to try this. Also I am curious could you use lets say lavendar oil in this rather than the grapefruit?

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  19. I have made the spray starch, I used the potato based vodka - that seems to have starch from the potatoes what is needed in the spray starch. I also lavender oil and it worked beautifully. I found the recipe on-line when I decided I was paying to much for the Best Press. I was using it as if it were water. Thank you for sharing!

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  20. Thank you for the lesson can't wait to get to the liquor store and buy some cheap Vodka. I learned about you from Gramma's Stories.

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  21. Grandmama's Stories posted about you and your hooch, so I had to come over and check it out! How did the grapefruit work for scenting your batch? I really like this kind of starch...I'll have to look for potato based vodka and try that too! I am now a follower of yours!!

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  22. I love this recipe! You might want to change the "label" on the spray bottle, though. Hooch is definitely another word for booze, but "Hoochie" has an entirely different definition......lol.

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