Butterfli19

When you sew your rows together, to you open out adjoining seams or do you lay one to the right and the other to the left?

They seem to fit better when you lay the seams in opposing directions, but when I first learned to sew we were to iron the seams out, but that could be just garments. Which do you find is better for the quilt?

Jeanne S

I press one to the right and one to the left so they "nest" together--sure makes lining up block seams easier and evens out the thickness of the fabric layers. I don't press open unless it is absolutely necessary for narrow areas.

dunster

I almost never press open. I think there's less chance for a thread to break and the batting to poke through if seams are pressed to one side or the other.

citruscountyquilter

I press my seams to one side in opposing directions so they nest at the intersection. About the only time I press my seams open is to reduce bulk in some patterns.

When I am sewing strips of fabric or a number of rows together I also sew one seam in one direction and the next seam in the opposite direction. This really helps reduce the rows and fabric from stretching and the strip getting wonky. To help me keep track of the direction I put a pin in the end that I just finished. That tells me where I need to start sewing the next time. By doing this I can put my project down and do something else and still know where I am supposed to be. Hope this make sense.

PenniF

Agree with the others about pressing in the opposite direction to nest the seams when doing rows...i do however usually press seams open on those blocks (like many star blocks) that have multiple seams converging as it helps eliminate bulk and "bumps".

loisf

I have made several modern quilts by Ringle & Kerr, and they will often tell you to press the seams open. It's a lot more work, but I have found that if I don't do it, I often end up with seams where both sides are pressed in the same direction. Not good. When the seams are pressed open, there's never a problem. I pin carefully, and I find that my intersections look about the same if I nest them or not. I think it's all a matter of personal preference.

Maureen NJ

Same for me.

M.Elizabeth

I agree with the first several posters. I press to one side.

Butterfli19

okay...I'll have to use each then. I do think they seam better when each to an opposite side, but maybe a little of both is called for. Thank you!

sewmary

I press open always. Very easy to line up the seams. Haven't lost a seam yet due to "popping open" and no bearding. It's all in what you want to do.