Welcome Gal, From New Zealand,
Glad you found this site, you will love it.
Starch when dry which is after ironed will not gum up your needle, as I have found... never a problem.
I only press the top before layering to quilt it.
I just make sure to always wash all fabrics before I use fro quiltig. Colors run sometimes or has a lot of sizing and after washing you may decids not to use. Happy quilting.
Connie