My mom taught me to sew when I was very young and I remember her saying that you can sew without a sewing machine, but not without an iron. She was a real dressmaker and always pressed every seam as she went along from step to step. She said that was what made something look "handcrafted" not "homemade." I learned on little doll clothes. That is so embedded in my mind that when I quilt I rarely sew a seam without pressing it. I only press the pre-fabric if I have washed it, or if it is creased or wrinkled. But as they say, everyone has their own preferences.

What you do is up to you. I use starch only when I'm going to be cutting out shapes that have a log of bias in them. It prevents them from raveling and stretching while handling. Otherwise, I don't bother. I often iron my seams, but not always. Some people starch everything and press after every step no matter what. Good for them. They will likely have better quilts. For me though, it takes some of the enjoyment of the process from me to be so precise. I am not entering any of my quilts into any show. I love them. Family loves them. That's good enough for me.

I like to press the fabric 1st then press the seams as I go. I get much better results that way.

Found the thread I was talking about (Kaye England not pressing until quilt top is done). Here it is:

http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1...ne-t72615.html

(Warning: the above thread is 13 pages long!)

I always prewash my fabric unless it's something like a wall hanging. I also always iron my fabric. But I only starch if necessary.

I have to agree..pressing is apart of the process..I will finger press small seams but for the most part I use my iron..as for washing I generally don't before I piece, I will wash after the quilt is completed..just a preference..