I would not use starch. Silverfish love starch and if they can get to it they will eat the fabric to get the starch. I would applique it onto a simple light colored (white or cream maybe) backing and do some nice quilting around the outside. Muy daughter used one end of a scarf like that and used old beads sewn one at a time for the quilting in the scarf part with lots of beautiful machine quilting around the outside of the scarf and a simple narrow binding to match the blue of the ladies dress. It is beautiful.