:) When times were tough for me, I started using water mixed with cornstarch for my spray starch. This might work for one that has allergies and asthma.

Remember, there's no such thing as a dumb question! The teacher in me just wanted to reassure you of that! Good luck with your quilting adventure.

Hi there and welcome to the site from Florida. I personally use starch because it gives the fabric more body and easier to work with. Then when you complete your quilt it will wash out. It is a personal decision though. Good luck. There is always someone to help on this site. :)

I know it's a good idea to stabilize fabric before cutting, especially with triangles and the such, but both MaryEllen's and regular spray starch leave me feeling ill in an odd sort of way. Accuracy is more challenging when your fabric is a little "sloppy", but possible.

I think that the only thing that attracts the silverfish is the starch in the fabric when the fabric is stored. A washed quilt made from starched fabric should not attract anything (other than jealous people wanting it for themselves)

My experience is that using starch helps with keeping the bias edges from stretching. BTW....in 35 years of sewing, I have NEVER had bugs from starch. I suspect for those who did have them, they are caused by something else.

I spray startch mine so the fabric doesn't stretch out of shape so much when I am trying to iron it. I also think it makes cutting the fabric easier.

What a waste of time and money. I try to prewash my fabrics but don't starch unless necessary. Everyone has their own opinions though. Do what feels right for you

I starch mostly because it helps with accurate cutting and I need all the help I can get!
Annie

And by the way there is NEVER a dumb question. You can never learn unless you ask.

There are alot of things about quilting that's not in books.

I also have a question Want to try the fusible web. After washing and starching does the fusible web stick to the fabric? Thanks

Starch is really not necessary. I've quilted since the 70s and never use it. The point is to be accurate in every step. First, make sure the pattern is accurate. Hello, sometimes they aren't! Trace and/or cut accurately. Piece with an accurate ¼-inch seam allowance. And when you press--don't push the iron back and forth. All your careful work will be distorted. Pressing is a gently up and down action. When you're done with this your blocks should be the measurement intended. Good luck, quilting is a wonderful occupation and so creative.
SandyQuilter

Hi I am also new to quilting also. But I have learned a few things the hard way =) first of all using a really heavy starch will make a world of difference when you cut out. It will hold your fabric true to size and help reduce the cuts that the fabric grain layout is not exactly straight. Also, I am hand quilting and found that the ends of some fabric wanted to unravel really bad and the heavy starch eliminated that problem, and the other thing I noticed is that when I am matching my fabric up to sew it together the ones with heavy starch match up and fall into place easier. As for the starch and bug thing I don't know I read both side of that post and figured I wash my quilts and once washed the starch will be gone and I hope to not take that long finishing the quilt that the bugs have time to move in. LOL

Good luck and have fun.
Diane

Never, never be afraid to ask a "dumb" question. In my book, there's no such thing. Anyone who makes light of such a request is denying that they ever made a mistake themselves. How else will you learn otherwise?