Very basic question 2 - seams pressed open or to the side?
#24
I press to the dark side, if possible. If I have to piece a border, I press the seam open, because it seems to be less noticeable that way. I had directions for one quilt that said to press all seams open. After awhile, that became a real pain. Took longer to press and really slowed me down.
#25
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: NE Missouri
Posts: 6,418
Be open to change. I have ALWAYS pressed to the side when doing a D4P so they would nest. Then on this latest project, for some reason unbeknownst to me, they won't work and after ripping out some more than once to get that "perfect" match, I gave up and tried one pressed open. Worked and so I finished the rest doing it that way. The only thing I can figure is that I haven't been starching the limpness out on these, no other explanation that I know of. So I do what works for the current project.
#27
I was taught to press seams to the side but a few years ago I read in one of the magazines that the more popular quilters were pressing seams open. I have tried it a few times, but I end up burning my fingers on those scant 1/4 seams. I have no opinion on which way is best, do it your own way.
#28
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Sonoma County, CA
Posts: 4,299
To me, pressing seams open is just so much work!! I only do it if the situation warrants it. Stack & Whack, for example...all the points of those six triangles meeting in the middle is a huge lump unless you press open. (And then it's just a medium lump) Or the baby changing pad I did recently - no batting so I wanted the seams to be flat and not ridges, so I pressed everything open on that.
MOST of the time I press to the side. It's faster, easier, and lets me nest my seam junctions together for best accuracy.
MOST of the time I press to the side. It's faster, easier, and lets me nest my seam junctions together for best accuracy.
#29
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: OFallon, MO
Posts: 2,282
This is a very interesting subject. I,too, am working on D4P's and have really been upset about seams meeting and having to discard so many. Today I am going to try open seams and see if I like it. Thanks for bringing this up.
#30
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Lowell, MA
Posts: 14,083
When I first began quilting, the norm was to press seams to one side, but now I think more and more quilters are deciding how to press seams, based on the block. Sometimes seams need to be pressed open to eliminate bulk, such as some star blocks, but mainly I think it is personal preference.
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05-17-2011 11:45 AM