You'll get lots of answers to wash/not wash...starch/not starch. It really boils down to personal preference. I pre-wash; I starch. I want to pre-shrink my fabric. I've pre-washed and still had things run due to excessive dye. Color catchers are a beautiful thing. I'm also older than dirt and grew up starching cottons when ironing. Just normal for me. But it does give the fabric more body and does make cutting/piecing more accurate - at least for me.