Thread: Pressing from the front or back?

I've seen experienced quilters press from both the front or back of their projects as they go along. There are advantages and disadvantages to both:

From the back: Advantage: Your seams lie flat. Disadvantage: Sometimes your seams are not pressed totally open.

From the front: Advantage: Your seam is completely open: Disadvantage: You can stretch your material by opening the seam with the iron.

Which do you do - either one or the other? Both? Combine finger pressing with either technique?

Just curious!

Originally Posted by ManiacQuilter2

I do both. You want your seams to be going in the right directions and then I do my final pressing from the front. I don't press my seams open unless absolutely necessary.

That's what I do.

Same here!!

Originally Posted by quiltsRfun

That's what I do.

First I set my seam; it depends on the pattern and my quilting plans, whether I press open or to the side. If I'm pressing open, I do it from the back, opening the seam with my finger, then press again on the front with Best Press. If I'm pressing to the side, I do it from the front. If a pressed-to-the-side seam isn't lying flat, I'll press it on the back, too.

I set seams on the back; press my seams open from the back; then press the entire block/section from the front.