I remember my mom cooking starch. It came in a powder and was added to cold water and stirred constantly until it came to a boil so it wouldn't lump. Then the starch was thinned with water in a tub, and the clothes that needed starching were put in the tub, thoroughly soaked, then sent through the wringer (yes, we had a wringer washer with two tubs) to squeeze all the starch out. Then the clothes were dried outside on a line, then brought them in and sprinkled with water, wrapped in a terrycloth towel and put in the back refrigerator until we had time to iron them.
I made all my buttonholes by hand. There were no fabric stores in my home town. Fabric was sold at TG&Y and at Woolworths, and Coats & Clark was the only thread they sold.