Starching quilt blocks-tops
 

So far I have only starched one quilt. The next two I just safety pinned and basted. I have also used the spray basting stuff which is so toxic to smell and messy as can be the starch if it sticks to the iron. I am making an all batik quilt in strips large and small.
Do I need to starch when I get top done or do most of you just pin as I do. I use a walking foot and so far they have looked pretty good and no puckers.:confused:

I starch my fabric before cutting but I never starch the finished top. I use a pressing
cloth when I starch and I'm going to experiment with a teflon sheet soon. For basting
I prefer Elmers washable school glue and stay away from 505 or other toxic sprays.

Maybe I am misunderstanding, but it seems you are asking about using starch to baste......Anyway, as posted above, I only use starch on my fabric before cutting. I use the elmers also for basting, much cheaper than the spray, but if what you have been doing has been working......

I pin baste my quilts and I've never starched a completed top. I have used spray starch before cutting fabric for blocks with tiny pieces. Sometimes spray starch when doing final pressing of a block, still debating that. Easy to stretch out of shape.
I use a lot of pins and don't really mind the pinning. I think it helps me plan the quilting. I don't have trouble with puckering. I do FMQ on my domestic machine, so they get plenty of tugging and pulling:) I do SID around the individual blocks to stabilize the quilt before starting the FMQ, per Leah Day's instructions on her Daystyledesigns.com website.

I very seldom use starch. You will find working with batiks that they are nice and stiff because of the wax used in the dye process. Batiks are lovely to work with - my absolute favorite. You will not need starch. I also avoid starches and sprays of any kind when I quilt because of the chemicals.

If my Fabric needs starch I use it before cutting the fabric. I've never had a batik need starch and I've Never starched a pieced block or a constructed quilt top- that would be likely to cause distortion. If your fabric is starched before cutting you do not need to add anymore starch, a little steam maybe.

I prewash all my fabrics and starch when pressing after washing. Generally I do not continue to use starch during the block construction process although I do press/iron the dickens out of blocks during construction. I do not starch completed tops. To sandwich I only pin or thread baste. Pins on smaller quilts...thread on larger quilts just to help with the weight of the sandwich as I'm hand quilting.

I have not yet ordered the backing fabric. For my last one I used Andover batik which I thought so stiff. I pre-washed it and it stayed the same. It did quilt up OK but thinking of going w/a different manufacturer on this one. The top is Tonga .

I pin baste all my quilts.
Yes, spray starch can be messy ... on top of that, I mark my quilts so heat could end up setting the markings. I do heavily starch my fabric before I cut and sometimes after it's cut right before I quilt. Press cloths do work best, but I don't have much patience for working with them. I've found that dryer sheets work great to remove starch from all my irons. I think any type of dryer sheet would probably work fine. I have allergies, so I buy the Dye-Free/Perfume-Free dryer sheets that are the store brand (I think my last batch came from Target). I use them whenever my iron is getting gunky or else after finishing each quilt. Dryer sheets also remove WonderUnder from irons.

I don't usually have too many issues with my regular (steam) iron, but my mini iron is always needing cleaning and this process works great!

If I am making over-sized blocks, I will starch when I do my final pressing before trimming the block. I am an old fashion pin baster when it comes to prepping my quilt top for quilting.