Originally Posted by bearisgray
Do you starch and press your fabric right before you cut it?
Or do you do that right after you wash it?
I think if I was a starcher, I would do it right before cutting. I think I'm afraid that creatures would think the starch was a snack.
But the stuff comes with all kinds of stuff in it off the bolt. Wonder what is all put in/on the fabric?
You want to starch your fabric right before you cut it, and for exactly the reason you've guessed! Silverfish and other little bugs and beetles just love to get in and eat the starch, and any fabric it is attached to. Yikes! Not a fun discovery when you are searching through your fabric stash. This is especially important in the desert, where silverfish are plentiful.
I always wash my fabrics when I bring them home. This removes any sizing, many chemicals that I and other of my friends are allergic to. It also shrinks the fibers, which have been stretched a god-awful amount at the factory, and it removes any excess dye that could travel to other fabrics in a quilt. Once clean and dry I fold them, using a 6" ruler to wrap the fabric around. I use the ruler as a way to keep all my folded fabrics the same exact width, which makes them easy to store. I don't starch them now because of the above problem with bugs, but also because there are times I definitely do NOT want starch in my fabrics. If I'm doing any hand applique, the last thing I want is stiff fabric. But for piecing it is a dream and can really help in making accurate points. It also keeps the fabric from stretching, which is great if you are working with bias seams.
Once done I wash my quilts and I don't use anything else on them; no softners or pretty smelling dryer sheets. The reason is that I know too many people who are allergic to such things and I try to be very careful not to use anything that they (or myself) would get sick from. But that's my own personal circle and others may not have the same issues with chemicals and so they may enjoy such things.