I didn't starch until I got on this board. It has made so much difference in my piecing, I love it. It makes points better, it is easier to match seams, it keeps the fabric from stretching out of shape. Sharon Schambers says to starch your backing before sandwiching the quilt. With her method it makes it so easy. I do not starch until I start using the fabric. One of my big mistakes when I started starching was to put starch on a block and press, I pressed it out of shape every time. Finally caught on to what I was doing and my blocks turned out much nicer. So starch before making the block.