I would starch for sure. These pieces are a challenge. Years ago Elenore Burns did a PBS show on making The Lone Star. She used strip dies and cut them at a 60 degree angle in 2 different directions. I can't tell you all the instructions but you might be able to find it on the internet. I made it once and it worked great made a fabulous quilt. they only problem there was a lot of waste in my opinion. I saved the extra pieces in my scrap basket for years and finally found a use for them a few years ago.