Margo,
Thanks once again for the words of wisdom!

You may have noticed that I use a lot of starch! However, when I do needle-turn applique, I like to work with soft, pre-washed fabrics. After the block is appliqued, I gently hand wash it to get the oils from my hands out of the fabrics and spread it (right side down) on a large towel. I spray it with starch and let it air dry, then press it well and trim the background to the right size.

Sue does not recommend using starch. Ever! You have to decide how you want to handle your fabrics. It's your quilt!

I'm in the home stretch of hand-applique-ing my January block. (Knowing me, it will probably be finished at midnight on 1/31...I always wrote my term papers on the day before they were due!) After all the handling I've done, my background fabric is pretty limp. What do other folks do to bring it back to life? Iron it? Starch it? Wash it? And would you do it before or after attaching the setting triangles?