I always press to the side.

Oh my! I feel SO alone here! LOL It isn't because I learned in home ec making garments... to press seams open that I do this.... Lordy! That was eons ago! I do this to get my nice flat pieces, no bumps, not for quilting purposes, not for any reason other than FLATNESS! I also have better luck matching seams and making the nice points. Every time I have tried to press to one side and then match the seams they are always at least 1/8th inch off! I gave up! I press open, and yes, it takes alot more time but I feel it is worth it...

I am not trying to convince any of you to press open, just explaining why I do! LOL

It is a "to each their own" thing! I have been making quilts since 1975 and I have tried numerous times to change my way of pressing with no luck....I'm just gonna stick with what works for me! :)

I've been watching this post all day and it flabberghasts me that I am the only one that has said they press open!

LOL Country Quilter...don't be flabberghasted :D. I press everything else open. And, hen I add sashing between my blocks I usually press those open...does that count? {{{{hugs Country Quilter}}}} :D

i can totally relate to every comment. and, like strawberry, i dream of the day my tops will look as good from the back as they do the front. (in the meantime, i'm VERY grateful for batting and backing fabric! :lol: )

i prefer seams pressed open. i was horrified when i switched from sewing clothing to making quilts and heard about the whole press-to-the-side thing. :shock:

the only reason i press to the side most of the time is ... well ... just plain laziness. also get tired of fryin' my fingertips with the iron.

what i'm slowly figuring out is that sometimes open works best; sometimes to the side. each has pros and cons. i've noticed it's easier to get good results with triangles and anything else that creates points if i press open. squares come together more neatly if pressed to the side in opposite directions. the seams look and feel more durable, too. but ... i suwear!!! ... i always wind up with things pressed in the wrong direction almost half the time, no matter how carefully i plan and proceed. sometimes i reverse sew and realign them. sometimes i twist them. sometimes i sew them as-is. sometimes i do a kathy and clip the suckers.

as far as which makes it easier to match seams and intersections ... i have just as hard a time either way. :cry: that's why i buy straight pins and basting needles by the ton. :lol: :lol: :lol:

I press to one side if I want that piece to stand out, but press open if I want neither piece to. I am not sure what you all mean by "lock the seams"?

What I have learned from teachers and show etc,is that back in the day when all was hand stitched the seams were pressed to one side as to ad "strength" to the seam,but with most tops being machined pieced it is no longer necessary to do this,I myself prefer ironing them flat open much easier to work with and quilting with no eztra bulk to deal with.my 2 cents worth

luckypatsy'smom, when you have seams to match up, if one is pressed one way and the other in the oppisite direction, they pull tight against each other (lock), it's flat and a good smooth fit

Thanks, Kathy. I usually do try to do that, but have not heard it referred to as "locking." I had a panic moment thinking I wasn't doing something that would lead to my seams "unlocking' and falling apart!

I reckon I'm off stride from most folks, but I always press my seams open, that's the way my mother taught me. In quilting, I've tried the pressing to the dark side thingy and it just doesn't seem to work for me.

so, with exception of triangles, I just end up pressing everything open..at least the seams always match.