Originally Posted by Donna Hall
I personally never starch. Even IF I prewash fabric I do not starch. Even fabric from WalMart and Joann's have starch in them. You are washing the starch out and then putting starch back on it. The only time I prewash is if the fabric is black or red. And you can prewash a swatch to see if the fabric is going to run. I also prewash my batiks, but I use a Shout color catcher which works great. I still do not starch the batiks. I know I am going against what many of you do, but I don't want to do more work than I have to.
Pre washing doesn't just remove the starch. It also removes the chemicals used in manufacturing of the fabric. These chemicals can be very irritating to some people and cause allergic reactions in others. So, if I wash out the starch that the manufacturer puts into fabric and then I re-starch my fabric before I use it, it is a small price to pay to keep my skin from turning red, blistering, scaling and itching like crazy. I always and will continue to prewash. There are so many chemicals in our environment today that when there is a chance to reduce our exposure, then it is well worth the effort.