Which way to press...
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 141
Which way to press...
I was just wondering if anyone could tell me the dis-advantage of pressing my seams open, rather than to one side. I am working on Checkboxes from Love of Quilting and I am having trouble lining up my seams. In the past, I have pressed my seams open and have had better luck but everything I read says I should press to the side. Any in-put would be greatly appreciated.
Still Learning
Still Learning
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: NE California - no where near the Bay Area!
Posts: 346
From what I've learned from this board, it is more about quilter preference. Pressing seams open allows for less bulk than to one side. Apparently, although I'm not sure if this is really the case, if you press to one side, there is less stress on the seam. I prefer to press seams open because it is easier to match up seams, but when making a log cabin, it was easier to press them to one side. I would suggest you do what works best for you and makes the quilt easier to piece together.
#3
Power Poster
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Long Island
Posts: 24,820
Heres what i read in a magazine.
Pressing to one side made the seams stronger when hand stitching. It didnt seperate the fabrics.
other than that, not much except that the dark doesnt show thru the right.
Pressing to one side made the seams stronger when hand stitching. It didnt seperate the fabrics.
other than that, not much except that the dark doesnt show thru the right.
#4
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Southeast Wisconsin
Posts: 1,070
It is your preference, no matter what a pattern says! I can match seams much better pressed open, since I started sewing on garments. When I first started to quilt, I tried pressing to one side but would wind up with seams every which way on the back!
#6
One other thing to consider is how you will be quilting. If you plan on doing stitch-in-the-ditch, it's better not to press open. If you SID on a seam that's pressed open, you will only be stitching through the thread of the seam. Whereas if you have pressed to one side, you're stitching through a layer of fabric.
#9
There clearly is no right answer. I believe Leah day said to press open if you are doing SID although I may be wrong about that. I used to only press open but I discovered that if I pressed in the right direction, it was so much easier for me to lock the seams together and match the pieces perfectly. I would try both ways on some scraps.
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