mom-6

I do a lot of finger pressing as I go. Whether I use the iron depends on my mood and the way the quilt is behaving. Lol!

gillyo

I hate pressing because it's time consuming. However, if I don't do it I usually end up spending more time fixing mistakes I didn't catch earlier in the process.

Pressing gives you an opportunity to really look at what you're doing and make sure everything looks OK before taking the next step. I also like doing it because I'm obsessed with points being perfect and everything squared. I keep a grid ruler and rotary cutter nearby so when I see pieces that look "off" I can fix them, (or rip out and redo if I have to). It's easy to get caught up in the anticipation of seeing what your final quilt will look like, but I find taking it slower ends up saving me time in the long run.

Jennie and Me

Same here!

RST

Decide for yourself. Make two small quilts, one which you press, one which you don't. Time yourself, and also evaluate the end product. Then decide for yourself.

I personally do press, because I find that my finished blocks always look much better and I experience less frustration in piecing. If that's not the case for you, then don't.

maryb119

I press as I go. It is much easier that way.

newbee3

I would recommend pressing first

faykilgore

Guess I'm in the minority. I press finished blocks, but I don't press the seams of horizontally joined blocks before joining rows vertically. That allows me to change the direction the seam lays as I join them. I have learned the hard way to join the rows in numerical order rather than in groups. I'm a bit obsessive about seam allowances all laying the same direction from row to row.

Jill

For me, it works best if I press every seam. I've done more pressing in the last 13 years that I've quilted than I did ironing clothes. I think it's easier to butt the seams together, and a big one for me is that when I square each block there is a difference in the size, although just a tiny, tiny difference, with the non-pressed versus pressed blocks. I'm all for whatever makes life easier, and although the pressing takes time, I find my blocks are more accurate.

suern3

GagaSmith, please let us know what you decided to do and how it turned out for you

GrammieJan

i agree completely....mainly because of "the iron is too big to fit in the right places" comment. And it is just easier to sew new seams with the prior seams already pressed.