sewmary

I also press open. That's from clothes sewing days!

To prevent burnt fingers I use a wooden iron which is half of a wooden clip clothespin. Open it up and run it down the seam. Voila! Pressed open. I do use iron for long seams.

As to whether a quilt will last: Clothes that I made for children 20-30 years ago are still hanging around with no popped seams. And those kind of seams undergo a lot of stress. A quilt that has extra protection (the quilting part!) would certainly last at least as long!

NJ Quilter

Either finger press first or get a pressing tool to help hold the seams open while pressing. I first press all my seams as sewn. Then finger press open the seam. Then flip the sewn pieces over and press again on the right side of the pieces.

carolaug

I love this idea!!! I have some clothespins and that is what I am going to do...Thank-you!

selm

I'm a LAQ also and if you press seams open there is no ditch so you can't do SID at all.

As a piecer, I would think pressing seams to the side would make a stronger seam. While machine stitching is stronger than hand stitching, you would still have strain on the seams(especially with a bed quilt) where thread breakage could happen over time IMHO.

If you press your seams open wouldn't it be easier if you made wider seams? Of course, you would lose inches overall in your project.

bunniequilter

Some thing I press open, other to one side, each project is different. The pressing rule we have follwed for so many years is more flexible that we thought.

Silver Needle

Take two quarter round pieces of wood and use wood glue to hold them together. Place the pieces together so you get the flatest surface possible on top. Use clamps to hold the pieces together until they dry then sand smooth. Lay seam centered over the wood piece and use DRY iron. They sell a padded version of this but it's pricey and padding is unnecessary.

Geri B

I think the theory behind ironing seam to one side is/was adding strength to that seam.....as mentioned above, SID should be done just to the edge of that seam-on the double seam allowance side, not right in the ditch-that could break that joining thread.....if done right, seams all going to the side in a multi pieced block, there should not be Bulk.....I always pinwheel my seam meetings on the back....even on pinwheel/kalideoscope block, if all going in same direction, the center will fan out smoothly....
If a LA will not accept a top unless the seams are opened, she would not be my choice.......and needle breaking is not caused my seams, her needle is either too thin or she is going to quickly and causing the needle to snap. Just from personal experience

MarthaT

I think ironing to one side rather than open makes (not sure how to describe it) a "tighter" seam. If a seam is ironed open and stretched tight, there can almost be a gap between the two pieces of fabric, but if the seam is pressed to one side, it is "sealed" up. Also, there is the stitch-in-the-ditch issue. There is no "ditch" when you press a seam open. I also like the accuracy gained by butting seams (pressed in opposite directions) against each other which you do not have if you press a seam open. I have pressed select seams open on a few quilts I've made, but it is vary rare. But as they say, there are no quilt police. Whatever works for you.

jeaninmaine

For generations, the rear seam on mens pants were pressed open without too many problems. When I was taught to quilt, seams were always pressed open. I have had fabric wear through but never had a problem with the seams.

MargeD

I started out making clothes and other items where the seams were pressed open. Then my first quilt instructor said "press to the dark", which I generally do, however, when you are piecing a block with many pieces, it's better to press your seams open to reduce bulk. You can finger press or use the wooden iron - a favorite of Eleanor Burns, and then if you need to use the iron go ahead, but I've found that the wooden iron works pretty well. The "rules" do constantly change, but use what works best for you and you'll have good results.